Adrian Pasdar was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Rosemarie Pasdar (née Sbresny),who owns a travel agency, and Homayoon Pasdar, a prominent heart surgeon. His father is Iranian, and his mother, born in Germany, has German and Polish ancestry. At two years old, his father relocated the family to Powelton, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.
In high school, Pasdar excelled at football, earning a scholarship to the University of Florida in 1983. However, a devastating accident during his freshman year left him with a scarred face and severely injured legs. Despite this, he continued his physical therapy and turned his attention to campus stage productions, rediscovering his passion for writing and acting.
After dropping out of school and returning home, Pasdar joined the People's Light and Theatre Company, where he worked on sound, lighting, and set construction. He then cut off the end of his left thumb while building a set, but used his medical compensation to attend the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theater Institute.
At 19, Pasdar auditioned for Top Gun (1986),impressing director Tony Scott, who wrote the part of "Chipper" specifically for him. This led to roles in Solarbabies (1986),Streets of Gold (1986),and Kathryn Bigelow's 1987 cult vampire film Near Dark (1987),in which he starred as "Caleb Colton." He also appeared in Vital Signs (1990).
Pasdar has consistently been an actor ahead of his time, opting for roles in independent and cable movies before they were considered fashionable for feature actors. In 1992, feeling disconnected from reality, Pasdar left Hollywood to return to New York. He worked as a cashier for room and board, taking the occasional small part, including "Frankie" in Brian De Palma's Carlito's Way (1993).
In 1995, Pasdar landed the title role in the short-lived Fox series Profit (1996). He continues to act in supporting roles and has expanded his career to include directing. He wrote and directed the short film Beyond Belief (1999) and also directed a feature film, Cement (2000).
