Shohreh Aghdashloo's remarkable journey began on May 11, 1952, in Tehran, Iran, where she was born Shohreh Vaziri-Tabar. As a young woman, she achieved widespread recognition in her homeland at the tender age of 20, starring in several prominent films, including The Report (1977),directed by the renowned Abbas Kiarostami, which garnered critical acclaim at the Moscow Film Festival. Her outstanding performance in Desiderium (1978),directed by the late Ali Hatami, further solidified her position as one of Iran's leading ladies, earning her widespread acclaim in 1978.
However, the 1978 Islamic revolution compelled Aghdashloo to leave Iran for England, where she pursued her education, earning a Bachelor's degree in International Relations. Her interest in politics and social justice, coupled with her concern for the world's injustices, shaped her academic and professional path.
Aghdashloo's passion for acting continued to drive her, leading her to Los Angeles, California, in 1987. She married actor/playwright Houshang Touzie and collaborated with him on numerous plays, successfully taking them to national and international stages. Despite facing challenges in Hollywood as a Middle Eastern actress with an accent, she secured roles in several films, including Twenty Bucks (1993),Surviving Paradise (2000),and Maryam (2002). Her breakthrough role came when she played Dina Araz, a terrorist undercover as a well-to-do housewife and mother in Los Angeles, in the fourth season of the Fox television series 24 (2001),earning her widespread recognition.
Years later, Aghdashloo's big break came when she was cast as Nadi, the wife of Massoud Amir Behrani, played by Ben Kingsley, in the film adaptation of the acclaimed novel "House of Sand and Fog". Her outstanding performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, as well as numerous other prestigious awards, including the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film, the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics Awards, and many more.
