Best Iranian actors

Behrouz Vossoughi is one of Iran's most legendary actors. He has over 40 years of experience in the motion picture industry, with featured appearances in more than 90 films. In addition to his work in films, television, radio and theater, Behrouz' performances have earned him recognition at several international film festivals. He was one of the first to play in American and European Co-Productions such as in Caravans (1978) in 1978 co-starring with Anthony Quinn, Jennifer O'Neill (I) and Michael Sarrazin. He was also to play in another American movie called The Invincible Six (1970) with Curd Jürgens in 1962. His major films were, of course, Iranian. In Iran, he is still truly a Mega Star and Role model for an entire generation of Iranians in Post Islamic Iran and under the Shah's Pro-American Regime. Co-starring with his future wife, singer and actress Googoosh in a number of films such as Honeymoon (1976) aka the Honeymoon.

He is certainly The Iranian actor who paved the road for the new generation of Iranians working today in Iran and aboard.

Khosro Shakibai was born on 27 March 1944 in Tehran, Iran. He was an actor and writer, known for Hamoun (1990), Unruled Paper (2002) and Night Bus (2007). He was married to Parvin Kooshiar and Tania Johari. He died on 18 July 2008 in Tehran, Iran.

Ezzatolah Entezami (also spell Ezatollah Entezami, born 1924 in Tehran, Iran) is an award-winning Iranian actor. Graduated from theater and cinema school in Hanover, Germany in 1958, Entezami started his career on stage in 1941. He has been acting in movies since 1969. His debut performance in Darius Mehrjui's admired classic film, The Cow(Gaav), received the Golden Hugo in Chicago International Film Festival in 1971. He shined in the role of a naive villager who cannot endure the death of his beloved cow and starts to believe that he is the cow himself.

He is known as one of the most prominent actors in Iranian cinema and has been labeled as the greatest actor in history of the cinema of Iran. He has worked with most of the prominent Iranian film directors, including Darius Mehrjui (eight films), Ali Hatami (four films), Nasser Taqvaee, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Behrouz Afkhami and Rakhshan Bani-Etemad. He has been awarded the Crystal Simorgh for the Best Actor twice from the International Fajr Film Festival, for Grand Cinema and The Day of Angel.

His work and accomplishments were recognized in October 2006 at the Iran cultural center in Paris.

Ali Nassirian is an Iranian actor. He has received various accolades, including two Crystal Simorghs, a Hafez Award, an Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award and a Sepas Award. Nasirian, Mohammad Ali Keshavarz, Ezatollah Entezami, Jamshid Mashayekhi and Davoud Rashidi are known as "the five most important actors in the history of Iranian cinema" because of their influence.

He first appeared in a supporting role in Dariush Mehrjui's The Cow (1969) alongside Ezatollah Entezami, another Iranian actor. Nassirian then played the title role of Mr. Naive (1970), also by Mehrjui. His other films include: The Postman (1971), The Cycle (1974), The Mandrake (1975), Kamalolmolk (1983), Mirza Norouz's Shoes (1985), Stone Lion (1986), Captain Khorshid (1987), The Scent of Joseph's Shirt (1995), and Iron Island (2005), Masxarebaz (2019) for which he received the Crystal Simorgh award for the best supporting actor. He played the lead role in The Saturday Hunter (2011), and Sun Children (2020).

Parviz Parastui was born on June 24, 1955 in the village of Charli in the Hamedan providence of Iran to a farming family. They moved to Tehran in pursuit of a better life when he was three years old. He began acting on stage at age fifteen by joining the theatrical group of director, Bahram Beyzaie. Later, he joined Kouch Theater Group through fellow actor, Behzad Farahani. He performed at Youth Palace and the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults for years. Parastui received his high school diploma in Biology at age 19, and at age 20 and 21 received awards from Youth Palace for his performance in "Kiosk" and "Submitters," respectfully. After the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, he earned his degree from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Dramatic Arts and worked as a judicial receptionist prior to becoming a full-time actor.

His debut in cinema was in Land of Lovers (1984) (Lovers Reunion), which earned him the Diploma of Honor for Best Actor in a Supporting Role from Tehran's Fajr International Film Festival at age 28. Ever since, he has played the leading role in numerous movies of different genres from comedy to drama, including the lowlife but dependable Javad in Snowman (1995) (Snowman), which was banned in Iran for many years, the traumatophobic imposter Sadeq Meshkini in controversial film Leily Is with Me (1996) (Leily is with Me), which earned him the Diploma of Honor for Best Actor in a Lead Role from Farj Film Festival, the scientist who's brain gets put in the body of the laundry detergent company that would not hire him in the unique, popular, and critically claimed comedy, The Changed Man (1998) (The Wrong Man), Haj Kazem, the former commander of the Iran-Iraq war, in The Glass Agency (1998), which brought him his first Crystal Simorgh award in the Best Lead Actor from Fajr Film Festival. His performance in The Red Ribbon (1999) is also noteworthy. The film that made him known worldwide is the comedy The Lizard (2004) where he played the role of a fugitive thief dressed as a mullah to escape imprisonment. He received the Special Jury Award for his performance from Fajr Film Festival. In Majid Majidi's The Willow Tree (2005), he played a blind man who falls in love with someone other than his wife when he gets the chance to see again. He won his second Crystal Simorgh for Best Actor in a Lead Role for his performance in that film from Fajr Film Festival and another Crystal Simorgh for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in In the Name of the Father (2006).

Parastui has worked with some of the finest directors of Iranian cinema such as Davood Mir-Bagheri, Kamal Tabrizi, Mohamad Reza Honarmand, Ebrahim Hatamikia, Fereydoun Jeyrani, Ahmad Reza Darvish, and Majid Majidi.

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).

Akbar Abdi was born in 1958 in Teheran, Iran. He is an actor, known for I Feel Sleepy (2012), Scandal (2013) and Dreamy (2014).

Hamed Behdad was born on November 17th, 1973 in Mashad, Iran. Hamed showed his talent in "End of Game". He played as "Foad" in "The Third Day" and this character is the best character that Hamed Behdad played and he was nominated for the best second actor in 25th Fajr International Film Festival.

Parsa Pirouzfar was born on 13 September 1972 in Tehran, Iran. He is an Iranian actor; theater director, acting teacher, playwright, translator and painter. From 1984 to 1990, when he was in high school, he created his first comic strips. According to the information holds on his official website, these comic stories never have been published. Having graduated from high school with Math and Physics major in 1990, he started his academic studies in painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Tehran in 1991. Where, in the same year, he also started his acting on stage in different university plays. Parsa Pirouzfar also worked as a voice-over actor from 1993 to 1997. His first film role came at the age of 22 in 1994, playing a brief part in Dariush Mehrjui's "Pari". In the same year, he studied "Stanislavsky's acting method" under acting instructor Mahin Oskouei, the Iranian theater director and instructor and Iran's pioneering female theater arts figure. In 1995 he continued his studies in acting at Samandarian Institute of Dramatic Arts under renowned Iranian film and theater director, translator and acting instructor Hamid Samandarian. His stage debut was in the same year. He performed in Les Misérables directed by Behrouz Gharibpour, Iranian theater director and pioneer of traditional Persian puppet theater, and played as Marius Pontmercy; however, he became involved in theater while he was studying painting at the University of Tehran and even before playing the role of Marius. Having graduated with a bachelor's degree from Tehran University's Faculty of Fine Arts in painting in 1997, he performed in "The Lady Aoi" by Yukio Mishima, directed by Bahram Beyzaie, and played the role of Hikaru. This was his second official appearance on the stage of the theatre. Parsa Pirouzfar officially started working on his own personal projects for stage in 2001 and he made his directional debut in theater with 'Art', a play by Yasmina Reza. He gave acting courses as a theater teacher at Karnameh Institute of Arts and Culture as well as in extracurricular acting classes of Allameh Tabatabaie University in 2004 and 2005 and also at Hilaj Film School in 2007, 2010 and 2011. Since graduation from high school, Parsa Pirouzfar has also periodically been involved in sculpture, graphic design and making teasers. Parsa Pirouzfar is a founder member of Iranian Theater Actors Association, member of Khaneh Cinema (Iranian Alliance of Motion Picture Guilds), member of Iranian Film Actors Association (I.F.A.A.) and The Theater Forum.

Bahram Radan is an award-winning Iranian actor,

He was born on 28 April 1979 in Tehran, Iran. After High School, he started studying Business Management in university.While attending the university, Radan signed up for acting classes. He was later given an opportunity for his first role in the film, The Passion of Love, which was the start of his acting career(1999). Radan has become so popular, play in 40 features. Iranian authorities have banned his likeness on billboards for a few years. Radan also attended in Toronto Film School where he took a class of acting in films(2012). He won all the important awards in national film festivals.

Known for The Old Man Season 2 (2024), 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.

Mohammad Reza Foroutan is an Iranian actor and singer.

Mohammad Reza Foroutan has started acting since 1994.He studied Health Psychology.

His first film was Goal. After some minor roles, his performance in an episode of TV series The Clue revealed his capabilities and Masoud Kimiay chose him for the leading role of Mercedes. He has received several awards including the best male actor award for acting in Ghermez at the 1999 Fajr International Film Festival and best male actor award for acting in Be Ahestegi at the 2005 Fajr International Film Festival.

Mohsen Tanabandeh is an Iranian actor, director and screenwriter. In 2022, he won the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor at the 79th Venice International Film Festival for his performance in World War III (2022). He has received various accolades, including three Crystal Simorgh and four Hafez Awards.

Tanabandeh is famous for playing the role of Naghi Mamoli in the television series The Capital (2011-2020). He was the creator and head writer of this series and won three Hafez Awards for his performance and screenplay.

Tanabandeh has studied acting at University of Art and Architecture. He began theater acting in 1992 and appeared in his first cinematic movie in 2001.

Reza Kianian was born in Tehran on June 19, 1951. The second child in a family of 8 (he has 4 brothers and 2 sisters), he moved to the city of Mashhad with his family when he was 1 year old. His first acting coach was his brother Davood, whom arranged for him to act in his theatrical troupe for 3 years. After leaving his brother's group, Kianian started acting professionally in theatre groups around Iran. In 1972, he was accepted and completed his degree in acting at University of Tehran. Throughout his illustrious career, Kianian has worked with esteemed directors such as Bahman Farmanara, Massoud Kimiayi, Ebrahim Hatamikia and Saman Mogadam to name a few. Kianian married his wife of almost 30 years, Haydeh, on March 21 1983, on the Persian New Year. A painter and photographer and sculptor, Kianian splits his time between film projects and fine arts. His paintings and photos have sold in various national and international auctions as well as solo and group exhibitions in the more prestigious galleries. In June of 2012, Reza Kianian acted as the auctioneer for the Tehran Auction, the first ever auction-style event in Tehran. The Tehran Auction set a worldwide record by selling out, raising over a million dollars. Furthermore, Reza Kianian is the author of 9 books, winner of numerous awards and is considered to be one of the staples of Iranian Cinema.

Peyman Maadi was born in 1972 in New York City to an Iranian couple. His father was a lawyer. His family moved back to Iran when he was 5 years old. He graduated in Metallurgical Engineering from Karaj Azad University. Maadi started his film career as a screenwriter in late 2000s. He is the writer of several famous Iranian films. He started his acting career in Asghar Farhadi's film About Elly (2009). Two years later, he received the Silver Bear award for Best Actor in Leading Role for his performance as Nader in Farhadi's A Separation (2011) from the Berlin International Film Festival.

Dariush Arjmand was born in Mashhad, Iran, to a military father and a housewife mother. He grew up in Mashhad and started performing in plays at the age of 12. At the age of 26, he started working for the Ministry of Art and Culture. In the meantime, he earned his Bachelors in History and Sociology from Mashhad University in 1972 and his Masters in Theater and Cinema from the University of Paris in 1974. It is said that he studied under famed professor, Ali Shariati, while a student at Mashhad University. He was one of the founders of Mashhad's Open Cinema in the late 60s and started his film career as a writer and director of 8mm films of which "Hiss!" (Shhh!) is most notable. In 1983, he made his first 16mm film called, "Said, Come Under My Rule."

After many years of performing in theater, he started his film acting career by appearing in Nasser Taghvai's Captain Khorshid (1987) as the title character for which he was awarded the Crystal Simorgh for Best Actor in a Leading Role from Tehran's 5th Fajr International Film Festival. A few years later, he received nominations for the Crystal Simorgh from the 8th Fajr Film Festival for his performance as Harmas in The Searcher (1989). He has played different roles ever since, including legendary historical figures such as Amir Kabir (beloved Prime Minister of Iran from the mid 1800s) in Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Once Upon a Time, Cinema (1992) (Naser al-Din Shah, the Cinema Actor) Malek-e Ashtar (or Malik Al-Ashtar, one of the most loyal companions of Ali Ibn Abi Talib) and Abdol-Azim (a companion of Muhammad al-Taqi) in Davood Mir-Bagheri's The Martyr of Kufa (1997) and Traveller of Rey (2001) (Traveler to Rey) respectively, and Captain Soleiman (Iranian captain who created the maritime Silk Road) in The Maritime Silk Road (2011). He has also played many contemporary characters, mostly traditional Iranian men, although he made these characters of a similar social class different with his insightful performances. His performance as Esi Khan in Davood Mir-Bagheri's Snowman (1995) (Snowman) and Amir in Masud Kimiai's Protest (2000) is well praised and remembered. In 2000, he went back to his theater roots and played the main role in "Dandoon Tala" (The Golden Teeth) with his son, Amir Yal, as a father and son. The play marked his forth collaboration with director Davood Mir-Bagheri and became the highest grossing play in the history of Iranian theater. The same year, Fajr Film Festival named the festival in his honor with the slogan, "A man for all seasons" on its posters. Respectfully, he received a lifetime achievement award from the festival that year and received nomination for the Best Actor in a Lead Role for his memorable performance in Protest (2000). A year later, he won the Crystal Symorgh for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his short but powerful appearance in the role of Haji Naghdi in Bahram Beyzaie's Killing Mad Dogs (2001) from the 19th Fajr Film Festival. He also received awards and nomination from Iran's House of Cinema (guild for cinema professionals) and Writers and Critics Choice Award for his performance in "Protest" and "Killing Mad Dogs."

He is truly one of the most accomplished and well respected Iranian actors with a glowing body of work. He has worked with some of the best Iranian directors such as Masud Kimiai, Naser Taghvai, Bahram Beizai, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Muhammad Bozorgnia, and Davood Mir-Bagheri. He has also worked as an art director and a TV host.

Saber Abar is an Iranian actor, director and writer. He is best known for his performance in About Elly (2008), directed by Academy Award-winning Asghar Farhadi. He has received various accolades, including two Iran Cinema Celebration Awards and an Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award, in addition to nominations for two Crystal Simorghs and two Hafez Awards. Abar began his career hosting television shows such as Rainbow, a children's TV show, and a game show called In 100 Seconds'. He later gained recognition with his role in Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Sha'ere Zobale. In 2006, he starred alongside Ezzatollah Entezami in Minaye Shahr-e Khamush as a driver and that role earned him a Crystal Simorgh Prize Nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Abar's talent did not go unnoticed in Dayere Zangi (2007), as he then was offered a role in Asghar Farhadi's About Elly. The movie received positive reviews, such as the review from David Bordwell, who called it a masterpiece. Abar played "Alireza", whose fiancée goes missing. The role earned him another nomination in the Fajr International Film Festival. Saber has also starred in Hich (2009), Nokhodi (2009), Thirteen 59 (2010) and Entehaye Khiabane Hashtom (2010) and had a cameo appearance in Ayene-haye Ruberu (2010). He plays the main role in The Frog.

Navid Mohammadzadeh is an Iranian actor. He has received various accolades, including two Crystal Simorghs, four Hafez Awards, three Iran Cinema Celebration Awards and four Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Awards. In 2017, he won the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor at the 74th Venice International Film Festival for his performance in No Date, No Signature (2017). His performance in the movie I'm Not Angry (2012) was praised by critics, and for it, he was nominated for the Crystal Simorgh for Best Actor from the Fajr Film Festival. He has also won the Crystal Simorgh for the best supporting actor of the Fajr Film Festival twice in a row for his roles in Abed and Yak Roz and Without Date, Without Signature. His first experience was in a show was the Frog series. He is of Persian and Kurdish origin. He has an associate degree in civil engineering. On July 19, 2021, he officially announced his marriage to Fereshteh Hosseini via a post on his official Instagram account.

Amin Hayai is an Iranian actor. He has received various accolades, including two Crystal Simorgh, three Hafez Awards and an Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Honorary Diploma, in addition to nomination for an Iran Cinema Celebration Award. He started acting in theater along with his education. After finishing high school, he entered military service, and also acted in the art center of air force army. In 1991 he acted in a theatrical show for kids with the directorship of Soraya Ghasemi. It took him long to get a main acting role in movies, and he was successful in his first movie Eve's Red Apple. He has also won the best male actor award in Fajr film festival for the film by Rasoul Sadr-Ameli, "The Night", in 2008. Hayai appeared in the film Woodpecker in 2018. Hayai also will appear in the film We Like You Miss Yaya which he filmed in 2017. He was awarded the Diploma Honorary for Best Actor for Blazing at the Fajr Film Festival in 2018. In 2019, he became a judge in the first Iranian Talent Show called Asre Jadid Produced by Ehsan Alikhani.

Homayoun Ershadi is an Iranian actor, known for his debut role in Taste of Cherry (1997), and several Iranian and other films since then, including Hollywood movies The Kite Runner and Zero Dark Thirty. Ershadi studied architecture in Italy, graduating in 1970 and worked as an architect for many years. He was discovered as an actor by acclaimed Iranian New Wave film director, Abbas Kiarostami. While Ershadi was sitting in his car in traffic in Tehran he was approached by Kiarostami and eventually chosen to play the leading role in the film, Taste of Cherry. In 2007 he was cast in The Kite Runner, a film about two young boys growing up in Afghanistan.

Mohamad Ali Fardin was born in 1930 in Tehran, Iran. He was an actor and director, known for The Story of Night (1973), King of the Hearts (1968) and Hatam Taee (1966). He died on 6 April 2000 in Tehran, Iran.

Alireza Khamseh is known for Twenty (2009), The Miracle of Smile (1997) and Mojeze Ezdevaj (2001).

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.

Hamid Farrokhnezhad is an Iranian actor, writer, and director. He has received various accolades, including four Simorgh award (two for acting), two Hafez Awards, three Iran Cinema Celebration Awards, and an Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award. He started his career in student theatre and making some short films. After acting in Khosrow Sinai's Dar Kooche-haye Eshgh he had the chance to play a role in another movie by Sinai, Aroos-e Atash aka Bride of fire which brought him many awards in Fajr Film Festival, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and Khane-ye Cinema award. He had roles in three films by Sinai and had worked with notable Iranian directors such as Ebrahim Hatamikia, Asghar Farhadi and Bahram Beyzayi. He also gained TV popularity after acting in the role of a ghost named "Hasan Golab" in a TV series directed by Ebrahim Hatamikia.

Ahmed Mehranfar is a film and television actor from Iran. Mehranfar started performing professionally in theater in 1378 and has experienced performing theatrical roles with actors such as Parviz Perstowii, Panthea Bahram, Amir Jafari, Mehtab Nasirpour and Habib Rezaei. He appeared in the Iranian cinema for the first time in the movie "Naan, Eshgh and Motor 1000" and then in the movies "Eghlima", "The Lost Truth", "About Eli...", "Kolbe" and "Atash Bass" and theaters such as "All about Mr. F", "Fence", "Bitter Coffee", "Emoji" "17 Dey Koja Boody?" And... has played a role. He has written and directed the show "Odip Afghani" in his artistic career. Ahmed Mehranfar has played in several TV series, including the series The Capital. Most of his fame is for playing the role of Arastoo the agent in the series The Capital. He was also involved in "Returned Check" as an actor. In addition to acting, he is also engaged in writing and has written plays for the theater.