Tala Ashe | |
|---|---|
 Ashe in 2022 | |
| Born | Talayeh Ashrafi Tehran, Iran |
| Education | Boston University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Spouse | Raffi Barsoumian |
| Website | www |
| Signature | |
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Talayeh Ashrafi (Persian:طلایه اشرفی;[1]), known professionally asTala Ashe, is an Iranian-American actress. She was nominated for aTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2024 and known for her roles on the television seriesSmash, The Girls on the Bus, Adults,American Odyssey, andAs the World Turns, as well as her regular role asZari Tomaz and Zari Tarazi onThe CWsuperhero seriesLegends of Tomorrow.
Ashe has acted in many musical and play productions, includingBroadway'sEnglish, for which she received nominations at theTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play and at theDrama League Award for Distinguished Performance.
Ashe was born inTehran, Iran.[2] She immigrated to the United States when she was nine months old.[3] Ashe grew up inPowell, Ohio, just outside of the state capitalColumbus.[4][5] She participated in her high school theatre productions as both an actress and director.[4]
Ashe received aBFA fromBoston University'sSchool of Theatre.[6] She also trained at theLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and theUpright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City.[7][8]
Ashe has performed in numerous regional andOff-Broadway stage productions.[4] Ashe's first screen credit is for her role as Nadia in the 2008 filmWaiting in Beijing.[9] She was credited as Tala Ashrafi, but is credited as Tala Ashe in all subsequent roles. She has made guest appearances on the seriesLaw & Order,Law & Order: Criminal Intent,30 Rock, andCovert Affairs.[2][4][10] Ashe has also had recurring roles onSmash andAmerican Odyssey.[11] She was also a cast member onAs the World Turns.[9]
In 2017, Ashe joined the main cast ofLegends of Tomorrow asZari Tomaz.[12][11] She took the lead for abottle episode titled "Here I Go Again" and drew praise from critics and fans alike for her performance.[13][14][15][16]
In 2022 Ashe was cast for the lead role of Elham onOff-Broadway debut playEnglish at theLinda Gross Theatre.[17] After playing the role in a number of theatres in the US, the play debuted on Broadway at theRoundabout Theatre Company'sTodd Haimes Theatre in January 2025.[18] He performance gave her aTony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play and aDrama League Award for Distinguished Performance.
Ashe is Iranian-American and holds dual citizenship.[2][10] Her name, Talayeh, means "pioneer" in Persian and comes from theShahnameh.[1] In addition to English, she speaks fluentPersian. Along with her fellowArrowverse actresses, Ashe is a founding member of Shethority, a project aimed at inspiring and uplifting women (inclusively defined).[19][20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Waiting in Beijing | Nadia | Film; credited as Tala Ashrafi |
| 2008 | Law & Order | Madison | Episode: "Angelgrove" |
| 2008 | As the World Turns | Ameera Ali Aziz | Recurring role, 26 episodes |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Rebecca Landon | Episode: "Boots on the Ground" |
| 2012 | Smash | R.J. Quigley | Recurring role (season 1), 6 episodes |
| 2015 | American Odyssey | Anna Stone | Recurring role, 7 episodes |
| 2017–2022 | Legends of Tomorrow | Zari Tomaz and Zari Tarazi | Main role (season 3–7), 74 episodes |
| 2024 | The Girls on the Bus | Althea Abdi | Recurring role |
| 2025 | Adults | Hilary | Episode: "Roast Chicken" |
In addition to the following, Ashe has also performed in productions ofLove's Labour's Lost (as Tala Ashrafi;Huntington Theatre Company),Age of Innocence (New York Arena),Autophagy (Drama League Director's Project),Twelfth Night (Actors' Shakespeare Project), andPearls from Salt (Olney Theatre), among others.[7][6][21][8][22]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Who & the What | Mahwish | Claire Tow Theater | [23][24] |
| 2025 | English | Elham | Roundabout Theatre Company | [25] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Urge for Going | Jamila | The Public Theater | [26][27] |
| 2016 | Troilus and Cressida | Helen,Andromache | Delacorte Theater | [28][29][30] |
| 2017 | The Profane | Emina | Playwrights Horizons | [31][32] |
| 2020; 2022 | The Vagrant Trilogy | Abir | The Public Theater | [33] |
| 2023 | Lunch Bunch | Mitra | The Play Company Theater | |
| 2024 | Breaking the Story | Nikki | Tony Kiser Theater | [34] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Aftermath | Naimah | Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,New York City | [6][35] |
| 2010 | Welcome to Arroyo's | Lelly Santiago | Old Globe Theatre,San Diego,California | [36][6] |
| 2011 | Again and Against | Dahlia | LAByrinth Summer Intensive,New York | [6][7][37] |
| 2012 | Troilus and Cressida | Cressida,Cassandra | Oregon Shakespeare Festival,Ashland,Oregon | [38][39] |
| 2015 | Head over Heels | Philoclea | Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, Oregon | [40][10] |
| The Happiest Song Plays Last | Shar | Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, Oregon | [41][42] |
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama Desk Award | 2023 | Outstanding Actress in a Play | English | Nominated | |
| Drama League Awards | 2025 | Outstanding Distinguished Performance | English | Nominated | [43] |
| Obie Awards | 2022 | Special Citation | English | Won | |
| Tony Awards | 2025 | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | English | Nominated | [44] |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
