Shohreh Aghdashloo | |
|---|---|
| شهره آغداشلو | |
 Aghdashloo atSan Diego Comic-Con in 2019 | |
| Born | Shohreh Vaziri-Tabar (1952-05-11)May 11, 1952 (age 73)[1] |
| Citizenship |
|
| Alma mater | Brunel University |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Shohreh Aghdashloo (/ʃə.ˈreɪ/;[2]Persian:شهره آغداشلو,pronounced[ʃohˈɾeɒɢdɒʃˈluː]; bornVaziri-Tabar,[a] May 11, 1952) is an Iranian-American actress. She has received various accolades, including aPrimetime Emmy Award and aSatellite Award, in addition to a nomination for anAcademy Award.
Following numerous starring roles on the stage, she made her film debut inChess of the Wind (1976). Her next two filmsThe Report (1977) andSooteh Delan (1977) garnered critical acclaim and established Aghdashloo as one of Iran's leading ladies, although the films were banned in Iran itself. Aghdashloo moved to England during theIranian Revolution in 1979 and then to the United States, subsequently becoming a U.S. citizen. After several years playing small roles in television and film, her performance inHouse of Sand and Fog (2003) brought her several film critics' awards and a nomination for anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other film appearances includeThe Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005),X-Men: The Last Stand andThe Nativity Story (both 2006),The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2013) andStar Trek Beyond (2016).
In television, she is best known for her roles asDina Araz in thefourth season of24 and as Chrisjen Avasarala onThe Expanse (2015–2022).[3] For her role asSajida Talfah in theHBO miniseriesHouse of Saddam (2008), she won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. In 2013, she released her autobiography titledThe Alley of Love and Yellow Jasmines.[4] In 2021, she voiced Grayson inNetflix's seriesArcane. In 2024, Aghdashloo voiced the unnamed dragon in the 2024 Netflix filmDamsel. She also voices Roshan inAssassin's Creed Mirage.
Aghdashloo earned abachelor's degree ininternational relations atBrunel University[5] because of her interest in politics after having to leave her home country. She was already familiar with England, as her parents had taken her to London as a child. She then continued to pursue her acting career, which brought her toLos Angeles. She has since performed in a number of Touzie's plays, successfully taking them to national and international stages, primarily in theIranian diaspora.[6] Though born to aMuslim family, she has stated that she is non-practicing.[7]
Aghdashloo first began working as a theatre actress at the age of 19, when she starred in a theatrical adaptation of the novelThe Narrow Road to the Deep North (1973).[8] Aghdashloo made her American film debut in 1989 in a starring role inGuests of Hotel Astoria. Her television debut came on September 25, 1990, in a guest role in the two-hour episode of theNBCtelevision seriesMatlock, titled "Nowhere to Turn: A Matlock Mystery Movie". In the years that followed Aghdashloo appeared on screen sporadically, including in the widely pannedSurviving Paradise (2000),[9][10][11] written and directed byKamshad Kooshan.
In 2001 Aghdashloo was cast oppositeBen Kingsley andJennifer Connelly in directorVadim Perelman'sHouse of Sand and Fog (2003)[12] for which she was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[13] Following this exposure Aghdashloo had a prominent recurring role in Season 4 of theFox television series24,[14] playingDina Araz, aterrorist undercover inLos Angeles as a well-to-do housewife and mother. In an interview withTime magazine, Aghdashloo stated that although she had previously resisted reinforcing the stereotype ofMuslims as terrorists, the strength and complexity of the role convinced her to accept it. In the period that followed, Aghdashloo made guest appearances on several well-known television series, such asWill & Grace,ER andGrey's Anatomy. She also played supporting roles in films such asX-Men: The Last Stand as Dr.Kavita Rao,The Lake House,The Nativity Story asElizabeth, andThe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.
In 2008, Aghdashloo served as an official festival judge at the second annualNoor Iranian Film Festival inLos Angeles, while she also played the lead character of Zahra Khanum in the filmThe Stoning of Soraya M.,[15] marking her first leading role in a feature-length American film. Film scholarHamid Naficy criticized her role in the film as "discredit[ing] her vow not to play in films that stereotype Middle Easterners, including Iranians."[16] In the same year, she also portrayedSajida Talfah in theHBO original miniseriesHouse of Saddam for which she received thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. Speaking to a crowd of over 1,400 people atGeorge Washington University's Lisner Auditorium on September 12, 2009, Aghdashloo, author Dr.Azar Nafisi, and Dr. Dwight Bashir, Associate Director for Policy at theUnited States Commission on International Religious Freedom, added their voices to those concerned abouthuman rights in Iran and thepersecution of Baháʼís in Iran.[17] Aghdashloo's talk in particular was posted toYouTube.[18] On October 9, 2010, the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans awarded Aghdashloo their Career Achievement Award during its first annual gala.[19]Aghdashloo continues to act in films, such asThe Odd Life of Timothy Green,Septembers of Shiraz andStar Trek Beyond; and on television, guest starring on series such asHouse, M.D.,The Simpsons,Grimm,Law & Order: Special Victims Unit andNCIS. She also voiced characters for the video gamesMass Effect 2,Mass Effect 3,Destiny,Destiny 2, andAssassin's Creed Mirage; starred in the London revival of the playThe House of Bernarda Alba at the Almeida Theatre as Bernarda Alba; and narrated the audiobookAnd the Mountains Echoed, byKhaled Hosseini.[20]
From 2015 to 2022, Aghdashloo starred inAmazon Prime Video's television seriesThe Expanse asUN Deputy Undersecretary of Executive Administration Chrisjen Avasarala, a "smart and passionate member of a political family legacy who has risen high in the ranks of Earth's governing body without once standing for election".[3] In 2025, she portrayedElaida a'Roihan in season three of the Amazon seriesThe Wheel of Time.[21][22]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Matlock | Saleslady | Episode: "Nowhere to Turn" |
| 1993 | Martin | Malika | Episode: "Jerome's in the House" |
| 1994 | The Bold & The Beautiful | Greesa Abineer | Episode #1865 |
| 2001 | The Honduran Suburbs | Zereshk | 2 episodes[27] |
| 2004 | The Secret Service | Lila Ravan | Television film |
| 2005 | 24 | Dina Araz | 12 episodes:Day 4 Gold Derby TV Award for Best Drama Supporting Actress Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film |
| 2006 | Smith | Charlie | 7 episodes |
| Will & Grace | Pam | Episode: "Cowboys and Iranians" | |
| Curious George | Hat Salesperson | Voice role, episode: "The Clean, Perfect Yellow Hat" | |
| ER | Mrs. Riza Kardatay | Episode: "Lost in America" | |
| 2007 | Grey's Anatomy | Dr. Helen Crawford | Episode: "Scars and Souvenirs" |
| 2008 | House of Saddam | Sajida Talfah | 4 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Nominated—Gold Derby TV Award for Best Miniseries/TV Movie Supporting Actress |
| The Simpsons | Mina | Voice role, episode: "MyPods and Boomsticks" | |
| 2009 | FlashForward | Nhadra Udaya | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Detective Saliyah "Sunny" Qadri | Episode: "Dirty" |
| House | Afsoun Hamidi | Episode: "Moving On" | |
| NCIS | Mariam Bawali | Episode: "Safe Harbor" | |
| 2012 | Portlandia | Nelofar Jamshidi | Episode: "Cool Wedding" |
| The Mob Doctor | Dr. Lauren Baylor | 3 episodes | |
| 2013 | Grimm | Stefania Vaduva Popescu | 7 episodes |
| 2014 | Believe | Mrs. Delkash | Episode: "Origin" |
| Bones | Azita Vaziri | Episode: "The Cold in the Case" | |
| Scorpion | Dr. Cassandra Davis | Episode: "True Colors" | |
| 2015 | Elementary | Donya Esfandiari | Episode: "Tag, You're Me" |
| 2015–2022 | The Expanse | Chrisjen Avasarala | Main role 6 seasons |
| 2016 | Pearl | Arlene | TV film |
| 2017 | The Punisher | Farah Madani | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | The Lion Guard | Queen Janna | Voice role, 4 episodes[23] |
| Impulse | Fatima | 3 episodes[28][29] | |
| 2021 | Arcane | Enforcer Grayson | Voice role, 4 episodes[23] |
| The Expanse: One Ship | Chrisjen Avasarala | Webisodes; 1 episode | |
| 2022 | The Flight Attendant | Brenda | 5 episodes |
| Archer | ClandestiCon Host | Voice role, episode: "The Big Con" | |
| 2023 | Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight | Forouzan | Voice role, 13 episodes[23] |
| Mrs. Davis | Virgin Mary | Episode: "Great Gatsby 2001: A Space Odyssey" | |
| 2024 | Chad | Zahra | Episode: "Maman Bozorg" |
| WondLa | Darius | Voice role, episode: "Chapter 4: Ghosts" | |
| The Penguin | Nadia Maroni | Miniseries[30] | |
| 2025 | The Wheel of Time | Elaida a'Roihan | Season 3 |
| Creature Commandos | Madam Gyurov | Voice role, episode 6 "Priyatel Skelet" |
| Year | Game | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Mass Effect 2 | Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay | [23] |
| 2012 | Mass Effect 3 | ||
| 2014 | Destiny | Lakshmi-2/Maya Sundaresh | |
| 2017-2024 | Destiny 2 | ||
| 2022 | The Tale of Bistun | Narrator | |
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | Roshan bint-La'Ahad | "Shared History" DLC | |
| 2023 | Assassin's Creed Mirage | [31] | |
| The Expanse: A Telltale Series | Chrisjen Avasarala | [32] | |
| 2024 | Ara: History Untold | Narrator |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia | Narrator | Audiobook |
| 2007 | The Blood of Flowers | Narrator | Audiobook |
| 2008 | The Bible of Clay | Narrator | Audiobook |
| And the Mountains Echoed | Narrator | Audiobook | |
| 2016 | Until We Are Free: My Fight for Human Rights in Iran | Narrator | Audiobook |
| 2019–2020 | The Two Princes | Queen Attosa | Audio drama |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | A Narrow Road to the Deep North | Empress Jun | Edward Bond |
| 1975 | Madame de Sade | Reneé Marquise de Sade[33] | Yukio Mishima |
| 2012 | The House of Bernarda Alba | Bernarda Alba[34] | Federico Garcia Lorca |
| 2024 | What Became of Us | Q[35] | Shayan Lotfi |
In 1987, Aghdashloo married actor/playwright Houshang Touzie. They have a daughter, Tara Touzie, born in 1989.[36][37]
