---
name: "Shohreh Aghdashloo"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/shohreh-aghdashloo"
fi1m_id: "shohreh-aghdashloo"
imdb_id: "nm0013037"
tmdb_id: 21041
wikidata_id: "Q229766"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "11 May 1952"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 65
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 8
updated: "2026-10-07T14:57:35.631630+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Shohreh Aghdashloo

## Identity

Shohreh Aghdashloo

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/shohreh-aghdashloo
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** shohreh-aghdashloo
- **IMDb ID:** nm0013037
- **TMDB ID:** 21041
- **Wikidata ID:** Q229766
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shohreh_Aghdashloo, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q229766, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0013037/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/21041

Actor. Born 11 May 1952 in Tehran, Iran.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 11 May 1952, Tehran, Iran
- **Active:** 2001–present
- **Also known as:** شهره آغداشلو
- **Primetime Emmy Awards:** 1 Emmy (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 65, as actor, over 8 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 64 (3), 2010s 67 (2), 2020s 64 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 65 to 66 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 0 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 3 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 4 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Adventure 3, Action 2, Comedy 2, Crime 2, Fantasy 2
- **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,034m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shohreh_Aghdashloo, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q229766, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0013037/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/21041

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*The Penguin*](https://film.one/tv/the-penguin.md) (78), [*House of Saddam*](https://film.one/tv/house-of-saddam.md) (60)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Expanse*](https://film.one/tv/the-expanse.md) (64)
- **Peacock:** [*Renfield*](https://film.one/film/renfield.md) (58)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Shohreh Aghdashloo

> Shohreh Aghdashloo's deep, raspy voice and unhurried authority make formidable women convincing. We value the feeling she brings to family conflict, too, and are less persuaded by scripts that ask her chiefly to sound in charge.

In *Renfield* (2023), Shohreh Aghdashloo gives Bellafrancesca Lobo the unhurried grandeur of a crime matriarch. Ben Schwartz supplies the idiot heir; she supplies enough authority to make the family hierarchy immediately clear. Her pleasure in the part is welcome, though the film gives us too much Lobo business and too little Dracula. That is a useful introduction to her strengths and to the limitations of casting her simply to sound formidable.

Her deep, raspy voice makes authority easy to convey; the more interesting work comes when the character has something else to do. The early Iranian films include *The Report* (1977), followed much later by the American breakthrough of *House of Sand and Fog* (2003). As Nadi Behrani in the latter, she brings emotional weight to family and cultural conflict, a useful corrective to the notion that she is chiefly there to intimidate. Television gave her a longer stretch as Chrisjen Avasarala in *The Expanse* (2015–2022), where that authority belongs to a shrewd, layered character.

Chris McKay's *Renfield* shows the danger of relying on her presence to make supporting material worthwhile. The script keeps pulling the film away from Nicolas Cage's Dracula and Nicholas Hoult's put-upon familiar to pursue the Lobo crime plot. We were impatient with the detours through corrupt colleagues and a stakeout because we wanted Cage back. Her composure gives the gangland scenes some pleasure, without making them necessary. A better part would give that composure something to contend with, rather than using it to lend weight to a diversion.

*The Penguin* (2024), in which she plays Nadia Maroni, is a better recommendation, with a qualification: our enthusiasm is principally for Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti. Its familiar gangland plotting, slow opening and overlong flashbacks remain drawbacks, whatever the cast can do with them. Aghdashloo's name alone should not be asked to guarantee the evening, especially when formidable women have become such a regular assignment. For a fuller encounter with her work, start with *The Expanse*.

## Biography

Shohreh Aghdashloo is an Iranian-American actress. She was born Shohreh Vaziri-Tabar on 11 May 1952 in Tehran, Iran. After establishing a career in Iranian theatre and film in the 1970s, with roles in films including *Chess of the Wind* (1976) and *The Report* (1977), she left Iran during the 1979 revolution and moved to England, where she studied international relations at Brunel University. She later settled in the United States and became a US citizen.

Aghdashloo gained wider recognition for her supporting role in *House of Sand and Fog* (2003), which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her performance in the HBO miniseries *House of Saddam* (2008). Her other credits include recurring roles in television series such as *24* and *The Expanse*, and film appearances in *X-Men: The Last Stand* (2006), *Star Trek Beyond* (2016) and *Renfield* (2023), in which she played Bellafrancesca Lobo. She is married to actor and playwright Houshang Touzie.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (8)

- *The Penguin* (2024), Fi1m 78, as Nadia Maroni — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-penguin.md)
- *Renfield* (2023), Fi1m 58, as Bellafrancesca Lobo — [page](https://film.one/film/renfield.md)
- *Ghostbusters: Afterlife* (2021), Fi1m 55, as Gozer (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/ghostbusters-afterlife.md)
- *Star Trek Beyond* (2016), Fi1m 70, as Commodore Paris — [page](https://film.one/film/star-trek-beyond.md)
- *The Expanse* (2015), Fi1m 64, as Chrisjen Avasarala — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-expanse.md)
- *House of Saddam* (2008), Fi1m 60, as Sajida Hussein — [page](https://film.one/tv/house-of-saddam.md)
- *X-Men: The Last Stand* (2006), Fi1m 54, as Dr. Kavita Rao — [page](https://film.one/film/x-men-the-last-stand.md)
- *24* (2001), Fi1m 78, as Dina Araz — [page](https://film.one/tv/24.md)

## Complete filmography (77)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Royally Screwed* (2026), as Queen Lenora
- *Deadly Vows* (2025), as Melody
- *Creature Commandos* (2024), series, as Madam (voice)
- *The Penguin* (2024), series, as Nadia Maroni — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-penguin.md)
- *Man and Witch: The Dance of a Thousand Steps* (2024), as The Wise Woman
- *WondLa* (2024), series, as Darius (voice)
- *Damsel* (2024), as Dragon (voice)
- *Mrs. Davis* (2023), series, as Maria
- *Renfield* (2023), as Bellafrancesca Lobo — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/renfield.md)
- *The Voice of Dust and Ash* (2022), Actor
- *Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight* (2022), series, as Forouzan (voice)
- *The Expanse: One Ship* (2021), series, as Chrisjen Avasarala
- *Ghostbusters: Afterlife* (2021), as Gozer (voice) — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/ghostbusters-afterlife.md)
- *The Wheel of Time* (2021), series, as Elaida do Avriny a’Roihan
- *Arcane* (2021), series, as Grayson (voice)
- *The Flight Attendant* (2020), series, as Brenda
- *The Cuban* (2020), as Bano Ayoub
- *Run Sweetheart Run* (2020), as First Lady
- *Lie 12* (2019), Actor
- *A Simple Wedding* (2018), as Ziba Husseini · Executive Producer
- *Impulse* (2018), series, as Fatima
- *Marvel's The Punisher* (2017), series, as Farah Madani
- *Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming* (2017), as Mehrnaz (voice)
- *Sweet Smell of Love* (2017), Actor
- *The Promise* (2016), as Marta Boghosian
- *Star Trek Beyond* (2016), as Commodore Paris — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/star-trek-beyond.md)
- *The Expanse* (2015), series, as Chrisjen Avasarala — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-expanse.md)
- *Septembers of Shiraz* (2015), as Habibeh
- *Last Knights* (2015), as Maria
- *Rosewater* (2014), as Moloojoon
- *Still Here* (2014), as Farzaneh
- *Scorpion* (2014), series, as Dr. Cassandra Davis
- *Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters* (2013), as Oracle (voice)
- *Elementary* (2012), series, as Liliane Bellerose
- *The Odd Life of Timothy Green* (2012), as Evette Onat
- *On the Inside* (2011), as Dr. Lofton
- *Grimm* (2011), series, as Stefania Vaduva Popescu — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/grimm.md)
- *The Adjustment Bureau* (2011), Thanks — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-adjustment-bureau.md)
- *Iranium* (2011), as Narrator
- *Portlandia* (2011), series, as Nelofar Jamshidi
- *For Neda* (2010), as Narrator
- *FlashForward* (2009), series, as Nhadra Udaya
- *Archer* (2009), series, as Clandesti-con Event Presenter (voice)
- *The Stoning of Soraya M.* (2009), as Zahra
- *The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2* (2008), as Professor Nasrin Mehani
- *House of Saddam* (2008), series, as Sajida Hussein — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/tv/house-of-saddam.md)
- *The Nativity Story* (2006), as Elisabeth
- *Smith* (2006), series, as Charlie
- *The Lake House* (2006), as Dr. Anna Klyczynski
- *X-Men: The Last Stand* (2006), as Dr. Kavita Rao — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/x-men-the-last-stand.md)
- *American Dreamz* (2006), as Nazneen Riza
- *Bones* (2005), series, as Azita Vaziri — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/tv/bones.md)
- *The Exorcism of Emily Rose* (2005), as Dr. Adani
- *Grey's Anatomy* (2005), series, as Helen Crawford — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/greys-anatomy.md)
- *Babak & Friends: A First Norooz* (2005), as Farah
- *House* (2004), series, as Afsoun Hamidi — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/house-2004.md)
- *House of Sand and Fog* (2003), as Nadi
- *NCIS* (2003), series, as Mariam Bawali — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/tv/ncis.md)
- *Possessed* (2003), as Woman
- *Maryam* (2002), as Homa Armin
- *Mystic Iran: The Unseen World* (2002), as Narrator
- *24* (2001), series, as Dina Araz — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/24.md)
- *America So Beautiful* (2001), as Exiled actress
- *Surviving Paradise* (2000), as Pari
- *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, as Sunny Qadri
- *Will & Grace* (1998), series, as Pam
- *ER* (1994), series, as Riza Kardatay — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/er.md)
- *Twenty Bucks* (1993), as Ghada Holiday
- *Martin* (1992), series, as Malika
- *The Simpsons* (1989), series, as Mina (voice) — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-simpsons.md)
- *Guests of Hotel Astoria* (1989), as Pouri
- *Matlock* (1986), series, as Sales Lady
- *Desiderium* (1977), as Aghdas
- *The Report* (1977), as Azam Firuzkui
- *Chess of the Wind* (1976), as Kanizak
- *Spring Behind the Window* (1973), Actor
- *The Dregs*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://film.one/media/person/21264/gallery-8a48ea4ed1ae.jpg) Shohreh Aghdashloo — Jeff Hitchcock from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Shohreh_Aghdashloo_%284%29_%2838088279786%29.jpg/1280px-Shohreh_Aghdashloo_%284%29_%2838088279786%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- !['Chess of the Wind' Press Conference (1976)](https://film.one/media/person/21264/gallery-a4b89b1a5367.jpg) 'Chess of the Wind' Press Conference (1976) — Tehran International Film Festival and Mohammadreza Aslani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/%27Chess_of_the_Wind%27_Press_Conference.jpg/1280px-%27Chess_of_the_Wind%27_Press_Conference.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![شطرنج باد (1976)](https://film.one/media/person/21264/gallery-0b2b6c9c0e3c.jpg) شطرنج باد (1976) — Mohammadreza Aslani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Chess_of_the_Wind.jpg/1280px-Chess_of_the_Wind.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![In the Signing Line (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/21264/gallery-33b57b0b5b59.jpg) In the Signing Line (2016) — Jeff Hitchcock from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/In_the_Signing_Line_%2831242754096%29.jpg/1280px-In_the_Signing_Line_%2831242754096%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://film.one/media/person/21264/gallery-4c72bb82577c.jpg) Shohreh Aghdashloo — Image via TMDB
- ![Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://film.one/media/person/21264/gallery-6730c5351e5a.jpg) Shohreh Aghdashloo — Image via TMDB
- ![Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://film.one/media/person/21264/gallery-00469b35082b.jpg) Shohreh Aghdashloo — Image via TMDB
- ![Schiedam, The Netherlands: After Hooshang Tozie and Shohreh Aghdashloo theater play, people were chanting "death with dictator". Photo by Pejman Akbarzadeh (2010)](https://film.one/media/person/21264/gallery-e6f16a53296e.jpg) Schiedam, The Netherlands: After Hooshang Tozie and Shohreh Aghdashloo theater play, people were chanting "death with dictator". Photo by Pejman Akbarzadeh (2010) — PersianDutchNetwork, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Schidampersianplay.JPG/1280px-Schidampersianplay.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Shohreh Aghdashloo and Cobie Smulders speaking at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Entertainment Weekly: Women Who Kick Ass", at the San Diego C](https://film.one/media/person/21264/gallery-00efc78c792a.jpg) Shohreh Aghdashloo and Cobie Smulders speaking at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Entertainment Weekly: Women Who Kick Ass", at the San Diego C — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Shohreh_Aghdashloo_%26_Cobie_Smulders_%2848460088441%29.jpg/1280px-Shohreh_Aghdashloo_%26_Cobie_Smulders_%2848460088441%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://film.one/media/person/21264/gallery-11d2dc91c731.jpg) Shohreh Aghdashloo — Image via TMDB
- ![Shohreh Aghdashloo](https://film.one/media/person/21264/gallery-872c8d5f17dd.jpg) Shohreh Aghdashloo — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 2004: Best Supporting Actress (nominated), for *House of Sand and Fog*

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 1 won

- 2009: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (won), for *House of Saddam*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/shohreh-aghdashloo