Nazanin Boniadi

Born: 1980-05-22

Nazanin Boniadi was born in Tehran, Iran, at the height of the Iranian Revolution; her parents relocated to London shortly thereafter. She performed violin and ballet as a young girl. She attended a private high school and later moved to the United States where she earned a bachelor's degree, with honors, in biological sciences from the University of California, Irvine. At UCI, she won the Chang Pin-Chun Undergraduate Research Award for molecular research involving cancer treatment and heart transplant rejection. She was also Assistant Editor-in-Chief of MedTimes, UCI's undergraduate medical newspaper. Nazanin Boniadi is rapidly making her mark in both film and television. She co-starred as CIA analyst Fara Sherazi on seasons three and four of the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning drama Homeland (2011), for which she shared a 2015 SAG Award nomination in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series category. Boniadi appeared in the 2016 MGM-Paramount remake of Ben-Hur. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the film stars Ms. Boniadi in the female lead role of Esther opposite Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman and Toby Kebbell. She will next appear in a leading role opposite Armie Hammer and Dev Patel in Anthony Maras's Hotel Mumbai. Among her many television credits, Boniadi portrayed Nora, a relatively longstanding love interest to Neil Patrick Harris's Barney Stinson, in seasons six and seven of How I Met Your Mother (2005). She also appeared as the notorious Adnan Salif in season three of Shonda Rhimes' hit political drama Scandal (2012). She will next star alongside J.K. Simmons in the original Starz series Counterpart (2017), created by Justin Marks and Executive Produced by Morten Tyldum. On film, Boniadi appeared as Amira Ahmed in Jon Favreau's Iron Man (2008) and portrayed a young mother, Elaine, in Paul Haggis' The Next Three Days (2010). She also has several independent features to her credit. Born in Tehran at the height of the Iranian Revolution, Boniadi's parents relocated to London, England, shortly thereafter, where she was raised with an emphasis on education. While she was involved in theatre early in life, Boniadi later decided she wanted to become a physician. She moved to the United States at the age of 19 to attend the University of California, Irvine, where she received her Bachelor's Degree, with Honors (Dean's Academic Achievement and Service Award) in Biological Sciences, and won the "Chang Pin Chun" Undergraduate Research Award for her work in heart-transplant rejection and cancer research. Switching gears to pursue her first love, Boniadi then decided to study acting, which included training in Contemporary Drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London under the supervision of dramaturge Lloyd Trott. Boniadi is fluent in both English and Persian. She is a dedicated human rights activist. Boniadi served as a spokesperson for Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) 2009-2015, and continues to partner with the non-profit as an AIUSA Artist of Conscience.


See
Placeholder

as Amira Ahmed
Released: 2008-04-30

After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique...

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See!

Ben-Hur

as Esther
Released: 2016-08-17

A falsely accused nobleman survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who...

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Passengers

as Wake-up Hologram (uncredited)
Released: 2016-12-21

A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a...

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The Next Three Days

as Elaine
Released: 2010-11-18

A married couple's life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of murdering her boss....

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Zoolander 2

as 'Old and Lame' Show Attendee
Released: 2016-02-06

Derek and Hansel are modelling again when an opposing company attempts to take them out from the...

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Bombshell

as Rudi Bakhtiar
Released: 2019-12-13

Bombshell is a revealing look inside the most powerful and controversial media empire of all...

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Hotel Mumbai

as Zahra
Released: 2019-03-14

Mumbai, India, November 26, 2008. While several terrorists spread hatred and death through the...

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as Afghan Refugee Woman (uncredited)
Released: 2007-12-19

The true story of Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his...

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Don't See

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

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Released: 2014-07-03

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Released: 2008-10-18

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Released: 2011-12-31

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Released: 2022-11-18

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First aired: 2019-09-09

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as Amrita
First aired: 2005-03-27

Follows the personal and professional lives of a group of doctors at Seattle’s Grey Sloan...

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as Self - Guest
First aired: 2019-09-09

Former news host and journalist Tamron Hall discusses all things topical and engages those she...

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as Lauren Pearl
First aired: 2011-06-23

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Homeland

as Fara Sherazi
First aired: 2011-10-02

CIA officer Carrie Mathison is tops in her field despite being bipolar, which makes her volatile...

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as Nurse Lauren
First aired: 2000-10-06

A Las Vegas team of forensic investigators are trained to solve criminal cases by scouring the...

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How I Met Your Mother

as Nora
First aired: 2005-09-19

A father recounts to his children - through a series of flashbacks - the journey he and his four...

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Scandal

as Adnan Salif
First aired: 2012-04-05

Everyone has secrets and Olivia Pope has dedicated her life to protecting and defending the...

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

as Bronwyn
First aired: 2022-09-01

Beginning in a time of relative peace, we follow an ensemble cast of characters as they confront...

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Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

as uncredited
First aired: 2022-09-04

The big names behind the big stories. Laura Kuenssberg talks to those making the news, inside...

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as Hannah
First aired: 2012-08-08

Ryan King, a recent widower and sports talk radio host ready to get back to work after the loss...

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Counterpart

as Clare
First aired: 2017-12-10

Howard Silk is a lowly cog in a bureaucratic UN agency who is turning the last corner of a life...

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General Hospital: Night Shift

as Leyla Mir
First aired: 2007-07-12

General Hospital: Night Shift is an American prime time serial that first aired on Soapnet for a...

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The Deep End

as uncredited
First aired: 2010-01-21

The tragedies and triumphs of five earnest twenty-something first-year associates fighting to...

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