Shohreh Aghdashloo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shohreh Aghdashloo
شهره آغداشلو
Aghdashloo at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019
Born	Vaziri-Tabar (1952-05-11) May 11, 1952 (age 73) Tehran, Pahlavi Iran
Nationality	Iranian American
Citizenship	Iran United States
Alma mater	Brunel University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1976–present
Spouse(s)	Aydin Aghdashloo ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1980)​ Houshang Touzie ​ (m. 1987)​
Children	1

Shohreh Aghdashloo (Persian: شهره آغداشلو, pronounced [ʃohˈɾe ɒɢdɒʃˈluː]) is an actress from Iran and America. She was born Vaziri-Tabar on May 11, 1952. Shohreh has won many awards for her acting. These include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Satellite Award. She was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Shohreh started her acting career on stage. She then made her first movie, Chess of the Wind, in 1976. Her next two films, The Report (1977) and Sooteh Delan (1977), were highly praised. These movies made her one of Iran's top actresses. However, the films were not allowed to be shown in Iran.

During the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Shohreh moved to England. Later, she moved to the United States and became a U.S. citizen. For several years, she had small roles in TV shows and movies. But her role in House of Sand and Fog (2003) changed everything. This movie earned her many awards from film critics. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Shohreh has appeared in many other films. These include The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and The Nativity Story (2006). She also acted in The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016).

On television, she is well-known for playing Dina Araz in the fourth season of 24. She also played Chrisjen Avasarala on The Expanse from 2015 to 2022. For her role as Sajida Talfah in the HBO miniseries House of Saddam (2008), she won a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, she wrote her autobiography called The Alley of Love and Yellow Jasmines. In 2021, she voiced Grayson in the Netflix series Arcane. In 2024, Shohreh voiced the dragon in the Netflix movie Damsel. She also voices Roshan in the video game Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Early Life and Education

Shohreh Aghdashloo studied international relations at Brunel University. She chose this subject because she was interested in politics. This interest grew after she had to leave her home country. She knew England well because her parents had taken her to London when she was a child.

After her studies, she continued her acting career. This led her to Los Angeles. She has performed in many plays written by her husband, Houshang Touzie. These plays have been successful both in the U.S. and internationally. They are especially popular among Iranians living outside Iran. Shohreh was born into a Muslim family, but she has said that she does not practice the religion.

Acting Career Highlights

Aghdashloo in 2008

Shohreh Aghdashloo began acting in theater at age 19. Her first play was The Narrow Road to the Deep North in 1973. Her first American movie role was in Guests of Hotel Astoria in 1989. She made her TV debut on September 25, 1990. This was a guest role in the NBC series Matlock.

In 2001, Shohreh was cast in the movie House of Sand and Fog (2003). She acted alongside Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly. For this role, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. After this, she got a big role in Season 4 of the Fox TV series 24. She played Dina Araz, a secret terrorist living in Los Angeles.

Shohreh told Time magazine that she usually avoided roles that made Muslims look like terrorists. However, she felt this role was strong and complex, so she accepted it. After 24, Shohreh appeared on many popular TV shows. These included Will & Grace, ER, and Grey's Anatomy. She also had supporting roles in movies like X-Men: The Last Stand as Dr. Kavita Rao. Other films included The Lake House, The Nativity Story as Elizabeth, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.

In 2008, Shohreh was a judge at the Noor Iranian Film Festival in Los Angeles. That same year, she played the main character, Zahra Khanum, in The Stoning of Soraya M.. This was her first main role in an American movie. She also played Sajida Talfah in the HBO miniseries House of Saddam. For this role, she won a Primetime Emmy Award.

Shohreh has continued to act in films. These include The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Septembers of Shiraz, and Star Trek Beyond. She has also appeared on TV shows like House, M.D., The Simpsons, Grimm, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and NCIS. She has voiced characters in video games like Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, Destiny, Destiny 2, and Assassin's Creed Mirage. She also performed in the play The House of Bernarda Alba in London. She narrated the audiobook And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

From 2015 to 2022, Shohreh Aghdashloo starred in the Amazon Prime Video series The Expanse. She played Chrisjen Avasarala, a powerful politician in the UN. In 2025, she portrayed Elaida a'Roihan in the third season of the Amazon series The Wheel of Time.

Film Appearances

Television Roles

Video Game Voice Roles

Audio Works

Theatre Performances

Other Awards and Recognition

• 2007: Arpa Career Achievement Award
• 2013: Noor Iranian Film Festival Achievement Award

Personal Life

In 1987, Shohreh Aghdashloo married actor and playwright Houshang Touzie. They have one daughter, Tara Touzie, who was born in 1989.

See also

In Spanish: Shohreh Aghdashloo para niños

• List of actors with Academy Award nominations
• List of Iranian actresses
• List of Iranian women