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- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Shohreh Aghdashloo was born Shohreh Vaziri-Tabar on May 11, 1952 in Tehran, Iran. In the 1970s at age 20, she achieved nationwide stardom in her homeland of Iran, starring in some prominent pictures such as The Report (1977) directed by the renowned Abbas Kiarostami, which won critics awards at the Moscow Film Festival. In 1978, she won wider acclaim and established herself as one of Iran's leading ladies with Desiderium (1978) directed by the late Ali Hatami. During the 1978 Islamic revolution, Aghdashloo left Iran for England, to complete her education. Her interest in politics and her concern for social injustice in the world would lead her to receive a Bachelor's degree in International Relations.
She continued to pursue her acting career, which eventually brought her to Los Angeles, California in 1987. She went on to marry actor/playwright Houshang Touzie, performing in a number of his plays, successfully taking them to national and international stages. However, this was not easy getting work in Hollywood as a Middle Eastern actress with an accent; she had roles in some decent, though not great, films, including Twenty Bucks (1993), Surviving Paradise (2000) and Maryam (2002). She received good reviews for her 12 episodes on the fourth season of the Fox television series 24 (2001) as Dina Araz, a terrorist undercover as a well-to-do housewife and mother in Los Angeles. She had to wait quite some time to receive her break in Hollywood.
And finally, years after having read the acclaimed novel "House of Sand and Fog", DreamWorks were in the process of bringing the story to the silver screen. After having cast Ben Kingsley (as Massoud Amir Behrani) and Jennifer Connelly in the lead roles, they were looking for a relatively unknown Iranian actress to play Kingsley's wife, Nadi. Shohreh Aghdashloo was duly cast. She stole the limelight and earned herself an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress amongst many other prestigious awards, including the Independent Spirit Sward as best supporting actress in a feature film, the New York and Los Angeles film critics award and others.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Nasim Pedrad (born November 18, 1981) is an American actress and comedian best known for her five seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (1975) from 2009 to 2014. She has since gone on to co-star in sitcoms such as Mulaney (2014), Scream Queens (2015), People of Earth (2016), and New Girl (2011).
Pedrad was born in Tehran, Iran, to a Muslim family. Her parents are Arasteh Amani and Parviz Pedrad. Pedrad's family emigrated to the United States in 1984 when she was three years old. Her younger sister is comedy writer Nina Pedrad. Both sisters are fluent in Persian. The sisters were raised in Irvine, California, and graduated from University High School. Nasim graduated from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 2003. She was a member of the UCLA Spring Sing Company.
Pedrad was a performer with the Sunday Company at The Groundlings. She frequently performed her one-woman show Me, Myself & Iran at the Los Angeles divisions of ImprovOlympic and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. The show was selected for the 2007 HBO Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. She received an LA Weekly Best Comedic Performance of the Year Award as the lead in the comedic spoof After School Special.
Pedrad made her first television appearance on an episode of Gilmore Girls (2000). In 2007, she made a guest appearance on The Winner (2007). She had a recurring role on ER (1994) as Nurse Suri. In 2009, she had a guest appearance on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005).
Pedrad joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2009 as part of the 35th (2009-2010) season. Pedrad is one of a handful of cast members born outside North America (joining Italian-born Tony Rosato, New Zealand-born Pamela Stephenson, English-born Morwenna Banks, and Chilean-born Horatio Sanz). Pedrad became a repertory player in the 2011-12 season after two years of being a featured player. Pedrad left SNL in 2014 to work on Mulaney.
In 2011, she was a recurring voice on the Fox animated series Allen Gregory (2011). She appeared with a small role in the 2011 film No Strings Attached (2011). In 2012, she had a supporting voice role in the animated feature film The Lorax (2012) and a small appearance in The Dictator (2012). In 2013, Pedrad had another supporting voice role in Despicable Me 2 (2013). In the autumn of 2014, she left Saturday Night Live to star in a new Fox sitcom, Mulaney. On October 18, 2014, Fox shut down production of the series by reducing the 16-episode order by three episodes. Filming for the thirteenth episode had just been completed prior to the order reduction, and the fourteenth episode was about to enter production.
Beginning in 2015, Pedrad has a recurring guest role as LAPD officer Aly Nelson on the Fox sitcom New Girl. She portrayed Gigi Caldwell in season one of Fox horror-comedy Scream Queens.
In 2016, she appeared in a commercial for Old Navy alongside comedian Kumail Nanjiani and other SNL cast members Cecily Strong and Jay Pharoah.
In 2017, she joined the cast of season two of the TBS comedy series People of Earth. Later that same year, she also made guest appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000) and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013).- Actress
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Composer
Golshifteh started her acting career in theater at the age of 6 and has always kept a strong link with theater, but it was at the age of 14 that she acted in her first film The Pear Tree (1998), for which she won the prize for the Best Actress from the international section of the Fajr film festival, immediately making her one of the stars of Iranian cinema. Since then she has played in more than 15 films, many of which have been screened or awarded at international festivals. Amongst her latest films are Bahman Ghobadi's Half Moon (2006) (winner of the Golden Seashell at the San Sebastián film festival 2006), Dariush Mehrjui's controversial The Music Man (2007), still banned in Iran, and the late Rasool Mollagholi Poor's M like Mother (2006), which after a huge success in Iran was chosen to represent Iran for the Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards in 2008. After playing in Body of Lies (2008) by Ridley Scott, Golshifteh became the first Iranian star to act in a major Hollywood production. Subsequently she was banned from her country. Her last film in Iran About Elly (2009) won a Silver Bear in Berlin and the Best Narrative Feature at Tribeca (2009). Golshifteh graduated from music school, she sings and plays the piano amongst other instruments. She is also fluent in French and English and lives in Paris now.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Ali Abbasi was born in 1981 in Tehran, Iran. He is a director and writer, known for Border (2018), Holy Spider (2022) and Shelley (2016).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Nazanin Boniadi is rapidly making her mark in both film and television. She co-starred as CIA analyst Fara Sherazi on seasons three and four of the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning drama Homeland (2011), for which she shared a 2015 SAG Award nomination in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series category. Boniadi appeared in the 2016 MGM-Paramount remake of Ben-Hur. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the film stars Ms. Boniadi in the female lead role of Esther opposite Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman and Toby Kebbell. She will next appear in a leading role opposite Armie Hammer and Dev Patel in Anthony Maras's Hotel Mumbai.
Among her many television credits, Boniadi portrayed Nora, a relatively longstanding love interest to Neil Patrick Harris's Barney Stinson, in seasons six and seven of How I Met Your Mother (2005). She also appeared as the notorious Adnan Salif in season three of Shonda Rhimes' hit political drama Scandal (2012). She will next star alongside J.K. Simmons in the original Starz series Counterpart (2017), created by Justin Marks and Executive Produced by Morten Tyldum.
On film, Boniadi appeared as Amira Ahmed in Jon Favreau's Iron Man (2008) and portrayed a young mother, Elaine, in Paul Haggis' The Next Three Days (2010). She also has several independent features to her credit.
Born in Tehran at the height of the Iranian Revolution, Boniadi's parents relocated to London, England, shortly thereafter, where she was raised with an emphasis on education. While she was involved in theatre early in life, Boniadi later decided she wanted to become a physician. She moved to the United States at the age of 19 to attend the University of California, Irvine, where she received her Bachelor's Degree, with Honors (Dean's Academic Achievement and Service Award) in Biological Sciences, and won the "Chang Pin Chun" Undergraduate Research Award for her work in heart-transplant rejection and cancer research.
Switching gears to pursue her first love, Boniadi then decided to study acting, which included training in Contemporary Drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London under the supervision of dramaturge Lloyd Trott.
Boniadi is fluent in both English and Persian. She is a dedicated human rights activist. Boniadi served as a spokesperson for Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) 2009-2015, and continues to partner with the non-profit as an AIUSA Artist of Conscience. In 2014, she was selected for term membership by the Council on Foreign Relations.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Paniz Zade was born in Tehran, Iran. She is known for Tracker (2024), The Handmaid's Tale (2017) and Blood & Treasure (2019). She is married to Ryan Bruce.- Actress
- Producer
She is half-Scottish (father) and half-Israeli (mother). Her father, Professor David Stronach, was a notable expert on Persian antiquities. The family had to flee Persia/Iran during the Revolution. They went to Israel, then to America where Tami is still based. She was studying acting in California when she was chosen for her role as the child-like Empress. She has been a dancer throughout her life and has opted for this as her main career though she has recently returned to acting. She has been heavily involved in the Neta Dance Troop. She speaks several languages including English and Hebrew.- Actress
- Producer
Pegah Ghafoori was born on 18 April 1999 in Tehran, Iran. She is an actress and producer, known for From (2022), One Must Wash Eyes and Hello Au Revoir (2021).- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Dominic Rains was born in Tehran, Iran. He is an actor and producer, known for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), Burn Country (2016) and The Taqwacores (2010).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Bobby Naderi was born in Tehran, Iran during the Iran/Iraq war. His youth consisted of a nomadic upbringing due to the political unrest in the region. Brushing shoulders with all walks of life as a child, Bobby developed a natural gravitational pull toward the world of cinema.
Bobby starred in the BAFTA and BIFA winner UNDER THE SHADOW written and directed by Babak Anvari, he recently wrapped Adam Saunders's Feature Film, DOTTY & SOUL, and can currently be seen in Netflix's drama series BLACK SUMMER created by John Hyams. He is well known for starring in the Sundance hit THE TAQWACORES and also starred opposite Will Smith and Joel Edgerton in David Ayer's Netflix feature BRIGHT. On the TV side, he recurred on the AMC hit, FEAR THE WALKING DEAD, as well as on DEPUTY, and Fox's reboot of PRISON BREAK.
In 2023, Bobby wrapped a lead role on David Ayer's Miramax/MGM feature THE BEEKEEPER, opposite Jason Statham and Jeremy Irons.- Actor
- Casting Department
Omid Abtahi was born on 12 July 1979 in Tehran, Iran. He is an actor, known for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015), Brothers (2009) and My Own Worst Enemy (2008).- Writer
- Director
- Editor
Abbas Kiarostami was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1940. He graduated from university with a degree in fine arts before starting work as a graphic designer. He then joined the Center for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, where he started a film section, and this started his career as a filmmaker at the age of 30. Since then he has made many movies and has become one of the most important figures in contemporary Iranian film. He is also a major figure in the arts world, and has had numerous gallery exhibitions of his photography, short films and poetry. He is an iconic figure for what he has done, and he has achieved it all by believing in the arts and the creativity of his mind.- Actress
- Writer
Lara Wolf is a Swiss-Persian actress, singer, and polyglot. She was born in Tehran and raised in Zurich where she studied psychology at the University of Zurich while working as a translator, a model, and a TV-host for StarTV. After graduating she moved to New York to pursue acting at the Lee Strasberg theatre and film institute. Since 2014 she's worked in TV (Believe, Bluebloods, Blindspot, Wanted, Quantico) as well as in Film (BigHouse, DaysOfPower, Roxana, LeftWithOnlyRain, HotAir, The Performance) and has acted alongside Gerard Depardieu, Steve Coogan, Til Schweiger, Matthias Schweighöfer, Priyanka Chopra, Blair Underwood, Robert Carlyle, and Jeremy Piven. She's also a member of the Primitive Grace Theatre Company (founding members: Paul Calderon, David Zayas). Left With Only Rain (directed by Todd Bogin) and The Performance (directed by Shira Piven) in which she has a starring role as a singer from the 30ies will be released in 2022 Lara is a proud New Yorker and a Brooklynite.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Born on September 19, 1978 in Tehran, Iran, Ramin Karimloo is an Iranian-Canadian singer and actor, best known for his work in musicals. When he was 2 months old, his parents were forced to flee Iran because of the Islamic Revolution. After spending two years in Italy, the family moved to Peterborough, Canada, where Karimloo grew up. At 12, he went on a school trip to see a touring production of "The Phantom of the Opera" and was so moved by Colm Wilkinson's performance as the Phantom that he decided to become an actor. He moved to Richmond Hill to attend Alexander Mackenzie High School, but dropped out at 18. He landed a job as a performer on a cruise ship, despite not having any experience in dancing, and two weeks later, after the lead singer dropped out, Karimloo took his place. On one such cruise he met Amanda Ramsden (known as Mandy), who later became his wife. In 2001, he and Mandy moved to London, where he got a job at a factory, but also found a voice teacher and an agent, landing a number of small roles in touring musicals such as "Sunset Boulevard" and "The Pirates of Penzance". In 2002 he debuted on West End as Feuilly in "Les Misérables", understudying Marius and Enjolras. In 2003 he got the role of Raoul in "The Phantom of the Opera" and went on to perform in "Les Misérables", this time as Enjolras, and in a touring production of "Miss Saigon" as Chris. In 2004, he appeared in a small role of Christine's father in the movie adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera (2004). In 2007, he became the youngest actor to ever play the Phantom in "The Phantom of the Opera" and two years later he was chosen by Andrew Lloyd Webber to be the Phantom in "Love Never Dies", a new musical continuing the character's story. In 2010, he played Enjolras in Les Misérables in Concert: The 25th Anniversary (2010), appearing on stage alongside his childhood hero Colm Wilkinson. A year later, they met again when Karimloo played the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011), in which Wilkinson appeared as a special guest. In 2012 he released his first album, entitled simply "Ramin" (renamed "Human Heart" in the US). 2013 marked his Broadway debut, again in "Les Misérables", but this time in the leading role of Jean Valjean. This performance got him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He went on to appear in musicals such as "The Secret Garden" (as Archibald Craven), "Murder Ballad" (as Tom), "Anastasia" (as Gleb Vaganov) and "Evita" (as Che). Him and Mandy have two sons, Jaiden and Hadley.- Actor
- Producer
Shaun Toub was born in Tehran, Iran. He was raised in Manchester, England. At 14 he moved to Switzerland and then to New Hampshire. After two years of college in Massachusetts, Shaun transferred to USC where he graduated.
Toub has received accolades for several of his appearances in over 100 television episodes including his newer work playing Terence in Snowpiercer for 2 seasons. He also played Majid Javadi in two seasons of Homeland. His work includes Little America on AppleTv, Scandal, Grimm, Seinfeld, The Sopranos, Castle, NCIS, Chuck, Lost, Charmed, ER, Just Shoot Me!, JAG, Married... with Children and various movies made for television.
His latest series Tehran just won an International Emmy playing Faraz Kamali, the intelligent officer. The second season will be streaming on May 6 on AppleTVPlus.
His filmography includes his memorable performance in Bad Boys, Broken Arrow, The Kite Runner, Charlie Wilson's War, Iron Man, The Last Airbender, and the Oscar-winning film Crash. Including Papa Hemingway in Cuba, the life story of Ernest Hemingway, in the role of Evan Shipman the poet.
Shaun resides in Los Angeles. Loves the outdoors, sports, and music.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Zar Amir Ebrahimi was born on 9 July 1981 in Tehran, Iran. She is an actress and producer, known for Holy Spider (2022), White Paradise (2022) and Tatami (2023).- Elnaaz Norouzi is an Iranian born actress/model who lives in India and stars as one of the leads in India's first and massively popular Netflix series, SACRED GAMES, which was nominated for an International Emmy Award. She can be seen recurring in season 2 of the Apple TV+ series TEHRAN and the major motion picture KANDAHAR with Gerard Butler and Travis Fimmel. She will soon be seen playing the lead role in the Amazon international hit anthology series MADE IN HEAVEN. Her film HELLO CHARLIE was released on Amazon Prime Video and she can also be seen as one of the leads in the Sony series CHUTZPAH. Elnaaz grew up in Germany mastering Farsi, German, English, French and now she speaks fluent Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi too. Before she started acting, she had been working for more than 10 Years as a very successful international model for brands like Dior, Lacoste and Le Coq Sportive, to name a few.
- Bahar Soomekh was born on March 30, 1975 in Tehran, Iran, to a Persian Jewish family. She is the daughter of Manijeh and Hamid Soomekh, who owned a women's high fashion company. She has a sister, Saba Soomekh. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1979, to escape the Iranian revolution. She attended a yeshiva, Sinai Akiba Academy, and Beverly Hills High School, where she played the violin in the school orchestra. She majored in environmental studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Soomekh began working at a corporate job, and took acting classes at night, before quitting her job to pursue a full-time acting career.
Bahar began acting at age 27, guest starring in television shows like Without a Trace (2002), 24 (2001), JAG (1995), among others. She got her big break portraying an Iranian-American woman named Dorri, speaking fluent English and Farsi, in the Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Crash (2004). The whole cast won the Screen Actor's Guild Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture. Bahar also appeared in the director's cut version of another Academy Award winning movie, Syriana (2005), playing Yassi. Bahar got some more attention playing Davian's translator in Mission: Impossible III (2006). She had a leading role in the horror film Saw III (2006), playing a victim, Dr. Lynn Denlon. She had also portrayed Margo on the television series Day Break (2006). Recently, Soomekh got one of the lead roles as Hollis on the television series The Oaks (2008), which will come out in the fall of 2008. - Actor
- Director
- Producer
Shahab Hosseini was born on February 3, 1974 in Tehran, Iran. He grew up in a family of six and was the oldest child. He earned his high school diploma in Biology. Once a psychology student at the University of Tehran, he dropped out with the intent of emigrating to Canada. Instead, he ended up as a radio host in Iran. This was followed by hosting "Oxygen," a TV show for the youth audience, and some small acting roles in a few TV series of which "After Rain" (Pas Az Baran) was the first. His debut in cinema was in Rokhsareh (2002), performing alongside Mitra Hajjar. His acting career took off with his performance in movies such as Tahmineh Milani's The Fifth Reaction (2003) (Vakonesh-e-Panjom) and Superstar (2009). He won the Crystal Simorgh from Tehran's 27th Fajr International Film Festival for his performance as Kourosh in "Superstar". Two years later, he received the Diploma of Honor from Fajr Film Festival and the Silver Bear Award from the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival for his memorable role as the hot-tempered Hodjat in Asghar Farhadi's internationally critically acclaimed film, A Separation (2011). He has also received several nominations and awards from Iran's House of Cinema including Best Actor in a Lead Role for his performance in Asghar Fardadi's previous film, About Elly (2009).- Sam Asghari is an American actor that is up-and-coming in the TV/Film industry. Sam was born in the country of Iran, he then migrated to the United States in the year of 2006 with his father. In high school Sam played American football at Westlake High School in Southern California. He was also involved with acting on stage in the school's drama program. After graduating high school, Sam continued with football and drama programs in college--after college, Sam decided to get involved in the fitness industry and help people achieve their goals. Sam lost about 100 pounds and became an inspiration for the people around him. After having a big following on social media, mostly fitness-driven people Sam began his career in both TV and film just a few years ago.
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Darius Khondji was born on 21 October 1955 in Tehran, Iran. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for Amour (2012), Se7en (1995) and Delicatessen (1991). He is married to Marianne Khondji. They have three children.- Actress
- Costume Designer
- Production Designer
Award-winning actress, Leila Hatami, was born on October 1, 1972 in Tehran, Iran, to legendary Iranian Director, Ali Hatami, and actress mother, Zari Khoshkam (Zahra Hatami). During her childhood, she appeared in several of her father's films including the historical TV series, Nightingales (1988), and biopic Kamalolmolk (1984), as well as a role as Leila, the blind Turkish princess in the film The Love-stricken (1992). After completing high school, she moved to Lausanne, Switzerland and started her studies in Electronic Engineering. However, after two years she changed her major to French Literature. She completed her studies in a couple of years and moved back to Iran.
After a pause in her film career of a few years which included her studies in Switzerland, she made her professional entry into cinema with Dariush Mehrjui's film Leila (1997) as the title character. Her performance in the film received rave reviews from critics and audiences worldwide. She also received the Diploma of Honor for Best Actress from the 15th Fajr Film Festival. Later, she married her co-star Ali Mosaffa in 1999. They now have two children: a son named Mani (born February 2007) and a daughter named Asal (born October 2008).
To date, Hatami has worked with some of the most celebrated Iranian directors. Moreover, her performance in The Deserted Station (2002) won the Best Actress award from the 26th Montreal World Film Festival. She also appeared in her husband's directorial debut film, Portrait of a Lady Far Away (2005). In 2011, she won the prestigious Silver Berlin Bear award at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival for the Best Actress in a Leading Role in Asghar Farhadi's internationally acclaimed film, A Separation (2011).- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Barbet Schroeder was born on 26 August 1941 in Tehran, Iran. He is a director and producer, known for Our Lady of the Assassins (2000), Single White Female (1992) and Murder by Numbers (2002). He has been married to Bulle Ogier since April 1991.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Maz Jobrani was born on 26 February 1972 in Tehran, Iran. He is an actor and writer, known for Friday After Next (2002), Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero (2016) and Dragonfly (2002). He has been married to Preetha since 2006. They have two children.- Marjan Neshat was born on 10 October 1975 in Tehran, Iran. She is an actress, known for RoboCop (2014), Alfie (2004) and The Book of Henry (2017).
- Pegah Ferydoni was born on 25 June 1983 in Tehran, Iran. She is an actress, known for A Murder at the End of the World (2023), Women Without Men (2009) and Stand Up (2021).
- Younan Nowzaradan was born on 11 October 1944 in Tehran, Iran.
- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Majid Majidi was born on April 17, 1959 in Tehran, Iran to a middle class family. He started acting in amateur theater groups at the age of fourteen. After receiving his high school diploma, he started studying art at the Institute of Dramatic Art in Tehran. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, his interest in cinema brought him to act in various films, notably Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Boycott (1986) where he played a frustraited communist and Ali Asghar Shadravan's The Execution (1986) where he played the role of real life character, Andarzgoo. Later, he started writing and directing short films. His feature film screenwriting and directing debut is marked by Baduk (1992), which was presented at the Quinzaine of Cannes and won awards at Tehran's Fajr Film Festival. Since then, he has written and directed many noteworthy films that won worldwide recognitions, notably Children of Heaven (1997), winner of the Best Picture award at the Montreal International Film Festival and nominated for the Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, The Color of Paradise (1999), which also won the Best Picture award from Montreal International Film Festival and set a new record of box office for an Asian film, and Baran (2001), which won several major awards worldwide, notably the Best Picture award at the 25th Montreal World Film Festival and received nomination for the European Film Academy Award. In 2001, during the Afghanistan anti-Taliban war, he produced Barefoot to Herat (2003), an emotional documentary about Afghanistan's refugee camps that won the Fipresci Award at Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Majjid Majid has also received the Douglas Sirk Award in 2001 and the Amici Vittorio de Sica Award in 2003. In 2005, he directed The Willow Tree (2005) about a blind man who falls in love with someone other than his wife when he gets the chance to see again, which won four awards at the 2005 Fajr Film Festival in Tehran. He is one of Iran's most influential directors and his films have a simple and poetic feel to them.- Actress
- Producer
Born on January 12th 1984 in Tehran. Her father is a former national team football player, Hamid Alidoosti. She started her career as an actress visiting Amin Tarokh's acting school in 2000. Soon she was chosen for her first role in I'm Taraneh, 15 (2002) (I'm Taraneh, 15), which has so far remained her main success. Her first steps in acting brought her the silver Leopard on the 55th Locarno film festival, and the Cristal Simorgh on Iranian's biggest film festival, Fajr. Being extremely selective her next appearance was 3 years later, Beautiful City (2004) (Beautiful city) by Asghar Farhadi. Fireworks Wednesday (2006) (Fireworks Wednesday) and About Elly (2009) (About Elly) are her next movies with Asghar Farhadi. She has also played in Canaan (2008) by 'Mani Haghighi' which is going to be released in October 2008. Doubt (2009) (by Varuzh Karim-Masihi) is her latest movie which is being shot now in Tehran. She has also appeared in two theater plays, both written and directed by Mohammad Rahmanian.- Ardalan Esmaili was born on 22 March 1986 in Tehran, Iran. He is an actor, known for The Charmer (2017), Greyzone (2018) and Domino (2019).
- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Mehran Modiri is considered to be the leading artist in social satire in Iran. His various series which have been broadcast through IRIB have set records in terms of viewership (an estimated 85% viewership when he is on air), as well as make him a popular personality among masses. In 2008 Modiri left IRIB to star and direct a home-entertainment series; a series which instead of broadcast is released on DVD on a weekly basis, entitled Ghahve-ye Talkh (Bitter Coffee). Although Ghahve-ye Talkh's delay in release put it in second place in terms of innovative media (another series, Ghalb-e Yakhi was released first, making it the first ever such program in Iran), but its sales surpassed its competitor by over double, a revelation which the industry and critics have linked directly with Modiri's popularity with his fans. In 2012, after Ghahve-ye Talkh was completed, Modiri signed on to play the lead role for his competition show, Ghalb-e Yakhi's 3rd Season. Modiri is a writer, director, actor and a recording artist. He has performed in front of sold out audiences in Tehran, including a concert benefiting UNICEF. He was named the 20th most powerful person in Iran - and the only entertainer on the list- by Newsweek magazine in 2009.
Modiri is an avid reader, loves classical music and is very learned in philosophy, fine arts, classic literature and biology. He is divorced and has two children.- Mercedes Javid was born on 12 August 1972 in Tehran, Iran. She has been married to Tommy Feight since 21 April 2018. They have one child.
- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Farhad Safinia was born in 1975 in Tehran, Iran. He is a writer and producer, known for Apocalypto (2006), The Professor and the Madman (2019) and Boss (2011). He has been married to Laura Regan since 2007.- Writer
- Editor
- Director
Mohsen Makhmalbaf is known as one of the most influential filmmakers and founders of the new wave of Iranian cinema in the world today.
Many of his films like Salam Cinema, A Moment Of Innocence, Gabbeh, Kandahar and The President have been widely well received across the globe and have brought him over 50 international awards from the prestigious film festivals like Cannes, Venice, Locarno... His film Kandahar has been chosen as one of the top 100 best movies of history of cinema by Times Magazine.
His fame as the most prominent filmmaker of Iran made him the subject of an identity theft by someone who wished to become a filmmaker. This incident turned to a famous film called Close up by Abbas Kiarostami.
Makhmalbaf has also taught his three children about the art of cinema. His older daughter Samira holds the record for the youngest filmmaker who have been selected for the official section of Cannes at the age of 17 with her first debut titled The Apple. Samira has also won the Grand Jury Prize of Cannes twice with her second and and third film titled The Blackboards and At Five In The Afternoon. Hana, Makhmalbaf's younger daughter, won the Crystal Bear of Berlin and the Grand Jury Prize of San Sebastian Film Festival with her first feature film.
At the age of 17 as a political activist Mohsen was shot by the police and spent 5 years in prison as a political prisoner. His fight and human right activities against dictatorship in Iran has continued till today. With his film Afghan Alphabet he managed to change a law in Iran which resulted in opening the door of schools and universities for education of over half million Afghan children refugee in his country. Makhmalbaf, the prestigious Manhae Peace Award winner, had also established his own NGO in Iran in which he executed 82 different human right projects for helping women and children of Afghanistan.
Since 2009, all 40 films of Makhmalbaf family alongside Mohsen's 30 published book are banned in his homeland. The Iranian government has also levied a ban on Makhmalbaf's name in the media. In 2013, the Iranian government also removed over 120 international awards of Makhmalbaf family from the museum of cinema in Iran.- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Marco Khan(lian) is a true citizen of the world. He was born March 27th of Armenian parents in Tehran, Iran. His father, Levon was born in Lebanon and raised in Iran where he met his wife Anna, born in Babol, Iran. Marco's grandparents (from his mother's side) were a grandfather from Russia and a grandmother from the country of Georgia. Marco and his younger brother left Iran at age 11 in pursuit of higher education. Schooled in Venice, Italy and then in Catalina Island, California. Marco now calls Los Angeles, CA, home. At age 17, Marco picked up English as his 4th language and assumed the responsibility as the caretaker for his entire family. While operating a series of restaurants for 12 years to support his family, Marco enjoyed brief stints as a Professional Athlete in Soccer, Football and Pro Wrestling! After his father passed away, he decided to pursue his lifelong passion of becoming an actor. His looks, talent, and diverse background have allowed Marco to play a variety of interesting characters. He is a versatile actor, achieving success in comedy, action and drama. Despite his "tough guy" appearance, his demeanor is quiet, gentle, gracious and sincere. As a father, he loves children and animals. Almost everyone who meets Marco agrees that there is "Just something special that draws you towards him." He is a kind and tolerant humanitarian who is relentless in his pursuit for peace. Always positive and encouraging to others, "Never Give Up" is the motto he lives by. Marco is a true believer that everything happens for a reason, that tests and trials in life shape your character and that his destiny is in God's hands.- Mahnaz Afshar was born in Tehran on June 11 1977. She graduated in natural science in high school . After graduation, one of her relatives who was the Theater Affairs Assistant in "Soureh" college introduced her to "Hannaneh" Art institute. Having studied video edition in the following years, she participated in assembly job of "Ketabe Avval" training materials, directed by Darioush Mehrjooii. Later on, she was invited by Miss. Shamsi Fazl Elahi to act in a TV series called "Gomshodeh" (Lost) directed by Mr.Masud Navaii, making her first official play in TV industry. Her professional career continued by acting in a movie called Friends (2000) (Friends) directed by Mr. Abdollah Eskandari. The film, however, was not released in movie theaters due to complications with the authorities regarding the story and morals of the film. Her first official appearance as an actress in the cinema industry debuted in a work called Shoure Eshgh (Passion of Love), which received positive reviews by audience and critics of the time. Having gained substantial fame for her act, she later appeared in Cease Fire (2006) (Truce), a major hit, and Season Salad (2005) (Salad of the season).
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Edwin Avaness received his Master of Arts Degree from Northwestern University's Radio-TV-Film Program, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Film and Digital Media productions at University of California, Santa Cruz. He joined the executive board of Arpa Foundation for Film, Music & Art in 1999 and directed the 3rd Annual Arpa International Film Festival in 2000. The annual humanitarian honor, in conjunction with the International Film Festival in Hollywood, is co-created by Mr. Avaness, where filmmakers are awarded for their work that has contributed to the fight for social conscience and human rights issues. Among the past recipients of this award are documentary films Screamers (2006), Darfur Now (2007), Children of War (2009), and Aghet - Ein Völkermord (2010). Mr. Avaness also serves as a board member of Armin T. Wegner Society of USA, where the society revives the legacy of this 20th Century humanist through his work.
After co-producing his first feature film, My Dark Days (2001), at Bearsmouth Entertainment, Mr. Avaness joined J F Productions where he oversaw all aspects of productions for the company. During his time at J F Productions Mr. Avaness produced and directed the feature film The Journey (2002). This feature was shot internationally with a full international cast and crew. The Journey was awarded the Audience Award at the Milan International Film Festival in 2002. Mr. Avaness also worked at Arbor Vitae Entertainment as a producer of Tabriz: Images from the Forgotten World (2006), an international docudrama, which has gone on to popular reception and awards during its tour of over ten film festivals. Mr. Avaness participated in different film markets as well, including MIFED in Milan, Italy, Bangkok Int'l Film Market, Guangzhou International Documentary Film Market - China, and American Film Market in Los Angeles.
Mr. Avaness later established EOS Entertainment which is developing and producing content to mainstream audiences. Projects such as the documentary Epic Denied: Depriving the Forty Days of Musa Dagh which covers the trials and tribulations of Hollywood's multiple attempts to produce an epic movie based on Franz Werfel's bestseller novel.
As a joined venture with other production companies, he has produced Virginity (2014) a film about human rights issues, which deals with women struggling in their social and cultural environments and facing unforeseeable crises. Damn Foreigners (2015) a feature film based on a true story which questions prejudice elements within the justice system of the United States. Also, Zoya (2016), a vividly poetic avant-garde story about abduction, unlawful imprisonment, and execution of human rights' activists in countries with corrupt governments. And most recently Loteria (2022), which is about a young Iranian man who's plan is to cross over the boarder illegally from Mexico to the United States in pursuit of a better life.
Mr. Avaness has several projects in development stages with different entertainment companies.- Director
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Amir Shervan, was born Amir Hosein Ghaffar in Tehran, Iran on May 24, 1929. In the U.S. he is mostly known for directing the movies Hollywood cop and Samurai Cop but was better known in Iran for his directing, writing and acting in numerous films.
Shervan studied theater in Pasadena California in the 1940s and returned to Iran to begin his career in film. During the 1979 Iranian Revolution all movies were subject to review by the Iranian government and many of them banned due to their content while others were "purified" or altered to suit the growing anti-western and pro-Islamic sentiment. This caused a pause in his film career starting in 1980 and ending with his move to the United States where he settled in California to begin his work on Hollywood Cop. He apparently received a social security number in Alabama but it is unclear how long he was there or for what purpose.
On the set Shervan used improvisational acting and dialog often, in part due to this technique having cultural roots and later due to English being his second language. He often worked with actors/directors/writers in Iran who were never educated in film making, many of which had never graduated high school. His Iranian audience of the 1950s to 1980 was therefore accustomed to a much lower standard than the average U.S. viewer of the late 1980s. This combination of circumstances made for a large degree of accidental humor and bloopers as perceived by his new viewer base and also led to his post-mortem success as a cult-classic b-movie director. Ironically, Shervan was one of the more polished and educated filmmakers of his time in Iran and was respected as such.
He died on November 1, 2006 at age 77 soon before his rise in popularity in the U.S. as a b-movie director. He is survived by a son named Ben Shervan.- Actor
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Peter Banifaz is an Iranian actor and comedian out of Los Angeles. He was born, Payam Banifazl in Tehran, Iran and immigrated to the US with his family at the age of 8. Some of his credits include a recurring role on Shameless as well as roles on Veep, Silicon Valley, Brooklyn Nine-Nine as well as many other. He has an MBA from California Lutheran University.- Elnaz Shakerdoost is an Iranian actress, who has gained success inside Iran. Shakerdoost was born in Tehran. Whilst attending primary school, she loved acting. She is studying at architectural university, and her major is in theater. She also likes soccer. She began her acting life in "Ice Flower (2005)" which is directed by Kiumars Poorahmad. She has played in 5 films in less than a year in 2004, and was nominated for Simorghe Bolourin in 2007.
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Aylar was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1984 and came to Norway at the age of three. Due to a turbulent domestic situation she was taken away from her parents and grew up in foster care. Although she moved from Iran at an early age, she has always felt strong ties to her Persian roots and great love for her foster parents as well as her biological parents.
At the age of 16 she was invited to Iran on holiday by her biological father. Her father had nearly lost contact with her, with him living abroad in Iran. What started out as a short vacation in Iran to regain lost family ties turned out to be a nightmare: she was kept in Iran against her will for nearly two years. After finally managing to escape Iran and return to Norway, a time of desperation began.
She wanted to trace her roots and regain her lost contact with her biological mother in the US but this decision was to change Aylar's life for good. Within two months of living in the USA, Aylar was plunged into a world dominated by drugs, pornography and abuse. After nearly overdosing on drugs, she finally understood that the time had come to change her life if she wanted to stay alive. She returned to Norway seeking medical care and the safety of her foster parents. After medical treatment and regaining her self-confidence, she decided to enter the Miss Norway (Frøken Norge) pageant in the summer of 2004. With her growing success in the competition, unfortunately rumors started to spread about her past. Just as she had made it among the top 10 finalists, the media got hold of proof of her participation in adult entertainment, which led to her being disqualified (this was the first time the Miss Norway pageant had experienced such an event) and Aylar and her life story got enormous media coverage. Her disqualification and past being exposed in the media was an enormous personal setback.
Within a very short period Aylar decided to get breast implants, created the concept of her self as "Aylar" and brought together a team of beautiful and talented models in her "Team Aylar". Soon she went on to represent the quintessence of the phrase "glamour model" in Norway.
In 2005, she decided to have her breast implants removed, and put the role of being a national tease on the shelf. In December 2005, she was featured in the Sunblock music video "First Time".
By the summer of 2006 she had made a cover song of the popular eighties pop song "Boys Boys Boys", which sold out six times platinum. What was originally supposed to be a summer gig turned out to whet her appetite for following her dream of being an artist.- Actor
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Ethan Rains graduated from Southern Methodist University's Meadows School of The Arts Theatre Program in 2004. He carved his way to Los Angeles with a recurring role on the fall primetime pickup series of NBC's "LAX." He was cast in a recurring role on "The Young and The Restless" after a national talent contest sponsored by CBS. He stars in the horror film "Open Graves" opposite Eliza Dushku and Mike Vogel. In 2008 he reprised the role of Dr. Leo Julian on the second season of General Hospital: Night shift.- Actor
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Known for When Did You See Sahar Last Time? (2016), Rang-e Shak (Color of Doubt) (2014), Mokhtarnameh (2010-2011), The Ransomer (2004), Soltan (1997). He is an Actor, Director, and Writer with international acclaim. To Middle Eastern audiences, he is known as the star of over thirty films and hundreds of TV episodes. Based in Los Angeles, he offers a rich blend of experience, authentic presence, and nuanced emotions.- Writer
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Saeed Roustayi (born 14 August 1989) is an Iranian film director and screenwriter. He graduated from Soore University with a Bachelor of Film and Television in Directing. Life+1 Day is his first major cinematic work. At the Fajr International Film Festival, Roustayi won 2 Crystal Simorghs for best directing and best screenplay. He received the 2016 Reflet d'Or for Best Feature at the Geneva International Film Festival Tous Ecrans. His works primarily focus on issues of social injustice, as well as his portrayals of women in Iranian society.- Actor
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Bijan Daneshmand was born on 16 August 1958 in Tehran, Iran. He is an actor and writer, known for House of the Dragon (2022), The Night Manager (2016) and The Persian Version (2023).- Writer
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Born in Tehran, Iran, writer, director and producer, Ali Asgari is a prominent Iranian cinema figure with many International awards to his name. Two of his shorts (More Than Two Hours 2013 and The Silence 2016) were nominated for Palme d'Or at Festival de Cannes and The Baby was in short film competition of Venice Film Festival 2014. His films are concerned with precarious lives who live at society's margin in his native country Iran. His debut film Disappearance was developed at the Cinafondation residency of Festival De Cannes and had its world and North American premiere at Venice International Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival 2017. Until Tomorrow his second feature film was premiered in Berlinale 2022. Terrestrial Verses his Third feature film was premiered at Un certain regard section of Festival de Cannes 2023. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.- Reza Farahan was born on 5 August 1973 in Tehran, Iran. He is an actor, known for Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015), Shahs of Sunset (2012) and Comedy Bang! Bang! (2012).
- Rome Shadanloo was born In Tehran, Iran and grew up in Los Angeles, California.
She has appeared on several notable shows and the independent instant classic "A Girl Walks Home At Night". In 2017 she moved to Boston to finish her Holistic Psychology Degree. Rome is currently in Los Angeles and specializing in treating PTSD. (2020) - Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the last Shah of Iran, his reign lasted from 1941 until his overthrow in 1979. He was educated in Switzerland and was familiar with the western ideas. In 1941, Britain and USSR occupied Iran and forced Reza Shah the Great to resign in favor of his son. Later the young Shah became the most important ally to the West in the Middle East.
With Iran's great oil wealth, the Shah became the pre-eminent leader of the Middle East, and Guardian of the Persian Gulf. He abolished the multi-party system of government such that he could rule through a one-party regime in autocratic fashion. He made major changes to curb certain ancient elite factions by breaking up all large and middle-sized estates for the benefit of more than six million small farmers. In what was called 'the White Revolution', he took a number of populist measures, including extending suffrage to women, to favor the people. He instituted exams for Islamic theologians to become established priests ("Mullahs"), which were widely unpopular and broke centuries old religious traditions.
His policies led to strong economic growth during the 1960s and 1970s but at the same time, opposition to his autocratic rule increased. On January 18, 1979, he and his family left Iran after over a year of uprising as he didn't want for a civil war to break out in the country. Following the Shah's departure, conservative Muslims led by Ayatollah Khomeini who had returned from exile, staged a revolution. And abolished the monarchy and unfortunately established an Islamic Republic that ruined the country and led to the pointless eight year Iran-Iraq war in which both countries suffered an incredible amount of unnecessary losses.
At the same time, The Shah's cancer had worsened and after over a year of exile, in which traveling from country to country seeking what he hoped to be a temporary residence. He was finally welcomed by President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and remained there until his death on June 27, 1980. He is interred at Al-Refai Mosque in Egypt. - Katayoun Riahi was born on 31 December 1961 in Tehran, Iran. She is an actress, known for The Last Supper (2002), She Doesn't Talk (2002) and Prophet Joseph (2008).