Leila Hatami, a renowned actress, was born on October 1, 1972, in Tehran, Iran, to the illustrious Iranian Director, Ali Hatami, and actress mother, Zari Khoshkam (Zahra Hatami).
As a child, Leila appeared in several of her father's films, including the historical TV series, Nightingales (1988),and biopic Kamalolmolk (1984),as well as the role of Leila, the blind Turkish princess in the film The Love-stricken (1992).
After completing high school, Leila moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, and began her studies in Electronic Engineering. However, after two years, she changed her major to French Literature, completing her studies in a couple of years and returning to Iran.
After a hiatus from her film career, which included her studies in Switzerland, Leila made her professional entry into cinema with Dariush Mehrjui's film Leila (1997) as the title character. Her performance in the film received widespread acclaim from critics and audiences worldwide, earning her the Diploma of Honor for Best Actress from the 15th Fajr Film Festival.
Leila married her co-star Ali Mosaffa in 1999 and they have two children: a son named Mani (born February 2007) and a daughter named Asal (born October 2008).
Throughout her career, Leila has worked with some of the most esteemed Iranian directors and has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Best Actress award from the 26th Montreal World Film Festival for her performance in The Deserted Station (2002). She also appeared in her husband's directorial debut film, Portrait of a Lady Far Away (2005).
In 2011, Leila 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).
