Pejman "Pej" Vahdat (/ˈpɛdʒvəˈdɑːt/PEJ və-DAHT) is an Iranian-American actor known for his role ofArastoo Vaziri inBones from 2009 to 2017.^[1]

Vahdat was born inTehran during theIranian revolution to Nina Emami and Dr. Amoo, one of the Shah of Iran'sphysicians.^[1] Vahdat has a sister, Parastoo Emami, a parenting coach and a brother, Paiman.

While he was a baby his family moved toGermany for 8 months before moving toSan Jose, California.^[2]

Acting was not his first career path. Vahdat originally aimed to be a professionaltennis player.^[1] Vahdat attendedSan Diego State University, where he was a member of theSan Diego State Aztecs men's tennis team.

Before playing inBones Vahdat has appeared in numerous television shows includingHouse,The Unit,Arrested Development andLie to Me.^[2]

Early in his acting career, Pej Vahdat often auditioned for stereotypicalMiddle Eastern roles, such asterrorists, store owners, ortaxi drivers. He found it frustrating that these limited portrayals were the majority of what was available to actors like him. Things changed for Vahdat when he landed the role of Arastoo Vaziri onBones in 2009. He was proud to play a brilliantMuslim scientist helping solve crimes instead of committing them, which he saw as a meaningful challenge to typical Hollywood depictions of Muslims.^[3]

In 2009 Vahdat started playing Arastoo Vaziri on theBones a character who is an Iranianlab assistant working alongside forensic anthropologists. Initially portrayed with an Iranian accent, Arastoo is later revealed to actually have anAmerican accent, a twist that surprised both the audience and Vahdat himself. This choice was intended to challenge stereotypes and offer a more nuanced portrayal of Middle Eastern characters on television. On the show, Arastoo becomes romantically involved with his boss, Dr. Camille Saroyan, played byTamara Taylor—another development Vahdat didn’t anticipate.^[1] The show ended in 2017.

In 2010 he played Kash, a store owner, during the first season of theShowtime seriesShameless.^[4]

In 2016 Vahdat joined theAmazon drama seriesSneaky Pete in a recurring role alongsideGiovanni Ribisi. Vahdat played Raj Kumar Mukherjee, an educated man who enjoys gambling and frequently participates in high-stakes card games at secret events hosted by a character named Vince.^[5]

Between 2018 and 2020 Vahdat had a recurring role as Kelly Patel, a millionare and the empire owner onFox'sEmpire^[6]

In 2022, Vahdat was cast asDex Dexter a charming and a fund manager in the fifth season of theCW reboot seriesDynasty.^[7]

Between 2022 and 2024 Vahdat appeared as the young Faraz Hamzad, a powerful and ruthless Afghan warlord, hell bent on seeking revenge, also played byNavid Negahban, in theFX seriesThe Old Man.

In 2025 Vahdat has joined the cast ofTracker Season 2 onCBS in a recurring role. He plays Leonard Sharf, a powerful and demanding client of Reenie (Fiona Rene).^[8][9][10]

He will also star in the upcoming comedyPickleheads and appear in the next season of Peacock’sPoker Face.^[8]

In 2003 he started dating Narsis Attar^[11] a medical doctor andHeme-Onc fellow atDana Farber andMGH Cancer Center.

Vahdat is an Iranian-American Muslim who immigrated to the U.S. as a baby. The Trump administration’s travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, hit home for him and pushed him in 2017 to speak out. Though not usually political, he began using hisTwitter account to express his views and raise awareness.^[3]

• Pej Vahdat atIMDb
• Pej Vahdat onTwitter
• Pej Vahdat onInstagram

• American people of Iranian descent
• Living people
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• American male video game actors
• American male voice actors
• Male actors from San Jose, California
• Muslims from California
• 21st-century American male actors
• 1982 births

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