Nazanin Boniadi
Nazanin Boniadi (/ˈnɑːzəniːn ˈboʊnjɑːdi/;[1] Persian: نازنین بنیادی, [nɑːzæˈniːn bonjɑːˈdiː]; born May 22, 1980)[2] is a British actress and activist.[3][4] Born in Tehran and raised in London, Boniadi went to university in the United States, where she landed her first major acting role as Leyla Mir in the medical drama General Hospital (2007–2009) and its spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift (2007). Since then, she has played Nora in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2011), Fara Sherazi in the Showtime spy thriller series Homeland (2013–2014), Esther in the historical drama film Ben-Hur (2016), Clare Quayle in the Starz sci-fi thriller series Counterpart (2017–2018), Zahra Kashani in the action thriller film Hotel Mumbai (2018), and Bronwyn in the Prime Video fantasy series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–present).
Nazanin Boniadi | |
|---|---|
Boniadi in 2018 | |
| Born | May 22, 1980 Tehran, Iran |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of California, Irvine (BS) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Website | nazaninboniadi |
Boniadi was an Amnesty International spokesperson from 2009 to 2015 and served as a board member for the Center for Human Rights in Iran from October 2015 until February 2021. Her focus has been on youth and women's rights.[5]
Early life Edit
Boniadi was born in Tehran, Iran in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution.[2] Less than a month after her birth, she and her parents left Iran and applied to become political refugees in London.[2][6][7] She performed violin and ballet as a young girl.[8][9]
She attended an independent school in Hampstead[10] and earned a bachelor's degree, with honours, in biological sciences from the University of California, Irvine (UCI). 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.[11] In 2009, she studied a contemporary drama short course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[12]
Career Edit
Boniadi changed her career path from science and started pursuing acting in 2006. Her first major acting role was as Leyla Mir on the daytime drama General Hospital and its SOAPnet spin-off series General Hospital: Night Shift, making her the first contract actor to play a Middle Eastern character in American daytime television history.[citation needed] She is also the first actress born in Iran to ever be on contract on an American soap opera.[13]
She was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 2008 for her role in General Hospital.[14]
Boniadi has also played supporting roles in several major Hollywood film productions, such as Charlie Wilson's War (directed by Mike Nichols), Iron Man (directed by Jon Favreau), and The Next Three Days (directed by Paul Haggis).
She played Nora, a love interest for Neil Patrick Harris' character Barney Stinson, on the sixth season of the hit CBS show How I Met Your Mother.[15] She reprised this role during the show's seventh and ninth seasons.
In May 2013, Boniadi joined the cast of Homeland season 3 as CIA analyst Fara Sherazi.[16] She was promoted to a series regular for the show's fourth season,[17] for which she shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2015.[18]
Boniadi also appeared in an eight episode arc on season 3 of Scandal as antagonist Adnan Salif.[19] She portrayed Esther, the title character's wife, in the 2016 remake of Ben-Hur.[20]
She narrated the soundtrack to the 2014 Iranian documentary film, To Light a Candle, made by Maziar Bahari and focusing on the state sanctioned persecution of Baháʼís in Iran.[21]
She starred with Dev Patel and Armie Hammer in the 2018 feature film Hotel Mumbai, a dramatisation of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.[6] For her role as British-Iranian heiress Zahra Kashani,[22] Boniadi received a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards in 2019.[23]
From 2018 to 2019, Boniadi received critical acclaim for portraying the series regular role of Clare Quayle in the Starz espionage drama Counterpart.[6][24][25]
In early 2020, it was revealed that Boniadi had been cast in an undisclosed role in The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime.[26] February 2022, it was announced she would be playing the character of Bronwyn, described as a single mother and healer.[27]
Activism Edit
She was a spokesperson for Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), with a focus on the unjust conviction and treatment of Iranian youth, women and prisoners of conscience, from 2009 until 2015.[28][29] She has her own official blog page on the AIUSA website[30] and continues to partner with them. In 2020, she was appointed as an ambassador for Amnesty International UK, with a focus on women and Iran.[31]
Boniadi provided a voiceover to AIUSA's "Power of Words" public service announcement with Morgan Freeman, which won a Webby Award;[32] campaigned with the organization for the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA);[33] served as a panellist and emcee for events related to Iranian rights, and spearheaded The Neda Project with AIUSA.[34]
In December 2010, she initiated an Amnesty International petition for Iranian film directors Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, who had been convicted of "propaganda against the state". The petition generated more than 21,000 signatures, including prominent Hollywood directors and actors.[35] On 8 June 2011, she joined a delegation, led by Hollywood director Paul Haggis and AIUSA Executive Director Larry Cox, to deliver the petition to the Iran Mission to the United Nations in New York.[36][37]
On 3 June 2011, Boniadi joined Sarah Shourd in a rolling hunger strike and wrote an article in support of the Free the Hikers campaign, pertaining to the imprisonment of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal in Iran.[38]
Boniadi received the 2011 Social Cinema Award at the Ischia Global Film & Music Festival for her human rights work with Amnesty International.[39][40]
On 9 April 2012, Boniadi returned to her alma mater, University of California, Irvine, in support of the Education Under Fire campaign, calling for an end to state sanctioned discrimination and persecution of Baháʼís in Iran.[41]
Boniadi delivered the keynote closing remarks at the 2012 XX Factor, Amnesty International USA's annual town hall meeting on women's rights, in Washington, D.C.[42]
In December 2012, Boniadi worked with Roxana Saberi to launch an Amnesty International petition and campaign to free wrongfully imprisoned filmmaker Behrouz Ghobadi, brother of acclaimed filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi, in Iran.[43] The petition included signatures from prominent Hollywood directors and actors, as well as major film industry organizations and festivals.[43][44][45][46] On 22 January 2013, Amnesty International announced that Behrouz Ghobadi had been released on bail from prison in Iran.[47]
She has written op-eds for media outlets such as CNN,[49] The Washington Post,[50] and Defense One.[51]
In 2014, Boniadi was selected as a term member by the think tank Council on Foreign Relations.[21] She was subsequently selected as a lifetime member of the CFR in 2020.[52]
She served as a member of the board of directors of the Center for Human Rights in Iran from October 2015 until February 2021.[21]
In April 2019, she was interviewed by CBC News Network anchor Natasha Fatah about the fate of human rights lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, recently sentenced for up to 38 years in Tehran, Iran.[53] She has also appeared on BBC World News[54] and CNN International.[55]
The Program for Torture Victims awarded Boniadi their 2014 City of Second Chances Award. In 2018, she was selected by People Magazine as one of their '25 Women Changing the World'. In 2020, she received the Freedom House Raising Awareness Award, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.[56]
In September 2022, she became active during the Mahsa Amini protests, and urged foreign governments to aid the protesters.[57] On October 14, 2022, she met with Vice President Kamala Harris, following the protests in Iran.[58][59]
In an informal session of United Nations Security Council, she denounced as a "myth" the idea that the hijab was a part of Iran's culture.[60]
Personal life Edit
Boniadi is fluent in English and Persian.[61] She lives in Los Angeles, California.[10]
Since she and her parents fled in her infancy, Boniadi has only once visited Iran, as a teenager.[6]
Scientology Edit
In the mid 2000s, she was a dedicated Scientologist. Her mother had also been a Scientologist.[62]
In late 2004 to early 2005, she allegedly had a brief relationship with actor Tom Cruise. According to claims in the documentary Going Clear, her acquaintance with Cruise was not accidental and the Church of Scientology prepared and planted her for this role wanting to ensure his commitment to the church after he had drifted away from it during his marriage to Nicole Kidman.[63] The Church also vetted her along with dozens of other women as a potential wife for Cruise, but she was not selected.[64][65]
In October 2004, Boniadi was volunteering for the Office of Special Affairs in Los Angeles when she was told by Church official Greg Wilhere that she had been selected for a special project. Boniadi was told that her dental braces had to be removed and that her red hair highlights had to be corrected; she was also encouraged to end her relationship with her longtime boyfriend. After being flown to New York by the church, Boniadi learned that her project was to become a suitable girlfriend for Cruise.[66]
According to Boniadi, Cruise initially overwhelmed her with the intensity of his affection but she was isolated from her family and the two of them were rarely alone, always surrounded by an entourage of Scientologists. Allegedly, he became cool and withdrawn after something she said to David Miscavige was misconstrued as an insult. She was later asked to leave and move into the Celebrity Centre. [67]
After their relationship ended in January 2005, Boniadi confessed her devastation to a friend and fellow church member. She was allegedly punished by having to dig ditches at midnight and scrub floor tiles. [68] The Church of Scientology denied that any such project existed or that David Miscavige has any involvement in Cruise's personal life.[67]
Afterward Edit
Boniadi left the Church of Scientology soon afterwards[69] and in October 2014 called herself a "non-practising Muslim".[70]
On 10 May 2017, American journalist Tony Ortega reported on FBI testimony that Boniadi had given in January 2010 regarding her relationship with Cruise through the Church of Scientology.[68] Boniadi's testimony describes how the Church's Office of Special Affairs selected her to be Cruise's girlfriend.[64]
In 2017, she tweeted congratulations to Leah Remini and Mike Rinder on their series Scientology and the Aftermath winning an Emmy Award.[71]
In a later interview with the Los Angeles Times, Boniadi described her role in Counterpart as cathartic and therapeutic, saying "sometimes there are personal traumas that you don't ever talk about publicly but you pour it into your work". She continued: "this idea of shedding indoctrination and finding out who you are for me is a strong one. It has been extremely therapeutic for me to be able to put it out into the world through my art as opposed to openly discussing it."[6]
Filmography Edit
Film Edit
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Kal: Yesterday & Tomorrow | Simmi | Short film |
| 2007 | Gameface | Taylor | |
| 2008 | Charlie Wilson's War | Afghan Refugee Woman | Uncredited |
| Iron Man | Amira Ahmed | Cameo | |
| 2009 | Diplomacy | Persian Interpreter | Short film |
| 2010 | The Next Three Days | Elaine | |
| 2012 | Shirin in Love | Shirin | |
| 2015 | Desert Dancer | Parisa Ghaffarian | |
| 2016 | Ben-Hur | Esther | |
| 2016 | Passengers | Wake-Up Hologram | Uncredited |
| 2018 | Hotel Mumbai | Zahra Kashani | |
| 2019 | Bombshell | Rudi Bakhtiar |
Television Edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Game | Josie | 2 episodes |
| General Hospital: Night Shift | Leyla Mir | 13 episodes | |
| 2007–2009 | General Hospital | Leyla Mir | 119 episodes |
| 2010 | The Deep End | Heather Mosson | Episode: "To Have and to Hold" |
| 24 | Blonde Woman | 2 episodes | |
| Hawthorne | Aneesa Amara | Episode: "Final Curtain" | |
| 2011 | Suits | Lauren Pearl | Episode: "Errors and Omissions" |
| 2011, 2014 | How I Met Your Mother | Nora | 10 episodes |
| 2012 | CSI | Nurse Lauren | Episode: "Seeing Red" |
| Best Friends Forever | Naya | 2 episodes | |
| 2013 | Go On | Hannah | Episode: "Gooooaaaallll Doll!" |
| Grey's Anatomy | Amrita | Episode: "The Face of Change" | |
| 2013–2014 | Homeland | Fara Sherazi | 12 episodes |
| 2014 | Scandal | Adnan Salif | 7 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | Counterpart | Clare Quayle | 17 episodes |
| 2022 | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power | Bronwyn[27] | Main role |
References Edit
- ^ Nazanin Boniadi and Mikel Jollett (2012). Benefit Show - May 25th at the Echo. The Airborne Toxic Event. Event occurs at 0:03. Retrieved 6 September 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c Terrero, Nina. "This Iranian-Born Actress Is Changing the Acting World". Time. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ^ "Amnesty International UK / Amnesty Ambassadors - Nazanin Boniadi". Amnesty International UK. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ MacDiarmid, Campbell (8 April 2021). "Crown star Olivia Colman joins campaign calling for release of Briton jailed in Iran". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ "نازنین بنیادی". Filimo. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Blake, Meredith (3 January 2019). "The Conversation: Counterpart's Nazanin Boniadi on the complexities of playing Middle Eastern roles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "Nazanin Boniadi on a "very personal trip" to Calais". Care4Calais. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Nazanin Boniadi, a New Face in the Hollywood Cinema Industry" نازنين بنيادی، چهره ای جديد در صنعت سينمای هاليوود (in Persian). BBC Persian. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Human Rights Education a Priority for Iranian Actress". United States Department of State. 22 October 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ^ a b Sanghani, Radhika (31 May 2017). "Homeland's Nazanin Boniadi: 'It isn't safe for me to go back to Iran'". The Telegraph. from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ "UCI grads make good". University of California, Irvine. 6 June 2011. Archived from the original on 14 August 2013.
- ^ Bowler, Natasha (22 January 2016). "Nazanin Boniadi on Life, Acting & Human Rights". IranWire. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
I took the Contemporary Drama course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London in 2009
- ^ Morse, Jane (23 October 2008). "Human Rights Education a Priority for Iranian Actress". Payvand Iran News. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ De Leon, Kris (15 January 2008). "General Hospital Star Nominated for NAACP Image Award". buddytv.com. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ Gelman, Vlad (25 January 2011). "How I Met Your Mother: Nazanin Boniadi to guest as a love interest". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "Homeland Adds Boardwalk Empire Actor to Growing List of Guest Stars (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 22 May 2013.
- ^ "Homeland Ups Nazanin Boniadi to Series Regular". The Hollywood Reporter. 14 March 2014.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (10 December 2014). "SAG Awards: 'Birdman,' 'Modern Family' Land Most Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Scandal Enlists Homeland Actress for Major Season Three Arc (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 11 February 2014.
- ^ Fleming, Mike, Jr (2 December 2014). "Nazanin Boniadi to play Esther in remake of Ben Hur". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c "Bio: Nazanin Boniadi". from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
- ^ Heilbronn, Leora (28 March 2019). "Interview: Hotel Mumbai's Nazanin Boniadi". Brief Take. from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ^ "Winners & Nominees". www.aacta.org. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Are You Even Seeing What Nazanin Boniadi Is Doing On 'Counterpart'?". Decider. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Emmys 2018: Paste's Nominations Wish List". pastemagazine.com. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (14 January 2020). "'The Lord Of The Rings': Amazon Studios Sets Series Cast – TCA". Deadline. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ a b Breznican, Anthony; Robinson, Joanna (10 February 2022). "Amazon's Lord of the Rings Series Rises: Inside 'The Rings of Power'". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ "Tag Archives: Nazanin Boniadi". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ Bezai, John. . Human Writes. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ "Nazanin Boniadi profile". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ "News | The Media Eye". www.themediaeye.com. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "Morgan Freeman: The Power of Words". YouTube. 23 December 2009. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ . Amnesty International USA. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "I Am Neda". Amnesty International USA. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ . Amnesty International USA. Archived from the original on 29 March 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ "Iran Mission to the United Nations Accepts 21,000-Plus Petition Signatures from Amnesty International Delegation of Hollywood Luminaries". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ Boniadi, Nazanin (9 June 2011). "Hollywood Unites for Iranian Filmmakers". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ Zavis, Alexandra (4 June 2011). "Freed hiker fasts for two men still in Iran". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ "Giving Back". Nazanin Boniadi. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
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- ^ Nazanin Boniadi on Women's Rights at Amnesty's XX Factor Event. YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ a b Boniadi, Nazanin (21 December 2012). "Join Hollywood and Amnesty International in Calling for the Release of Behrouz Ghobadi". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ "Hollywood Film Directors and Actors Demand Freedom for Brother of Acclaimed Iranian Filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi". Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ "Petition: Free Filmmaker Behrouz Ghobadi" (PDF). Amnesty International USA. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ . Amnesty International USA. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "Iranian Filmmaker Behrouz Ghobadi Released from Prison Following Amnesty Campaign with Hollywood Artists". Amnesty International USA. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ "Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson Hosts Her 13th Annual "A World of Women for World Peace" Conference". Eddie Bernice Johnson. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ Boniadi, Nazanin (2 May 2014). "Opinion: In Iran, an actress faces prison". CNN. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ "Opinion | Why Iran's coronavirus pandemic is also a crisis of human rights". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "I'm an Actor and Activist. Silence Is Just Not an Option". Defense One. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "Council on Foreign Relations". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "Natasha Fateh: We speak with actor & activist @NazaninBoniadi about female activists detained in Iran, the lack of support for ordinary people, and how the world has turned away". Twitter (video).
- ^ Nazanin Boniadi on Global -- BBC World News, archived from the original on 12 December 2021, retrieved 21 September 2021
- ^ CNN International's 'Connect the World.', archived from the original on 12 December 2021, retrieved 21 September 2021
- ^ "Nazanin Boniadi: Amnesty Ambassador". www.amnesty.org.uk. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "'LOTR: The Rings Of Power's Nazanin Boniadi Calls For Action After Death Of Mahsa Amini In Iran – Guest Column". Deadline. 30 September 2022.
- ^ "Readout of Vice President Harris's Meeting with Activist Nazanin Boniadi on Iran Protests". The White House. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ "نازنین بنیادی کیست؟/ اپوزیسیونی که مهمترین سابقهاش ارتباط عاطفی با تام کروز است!" [Who is Nazanin Fanadi? The opposition whose most important history is an emotional relationship with Tom Cruise!] (in Persian). Fars News Agency. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ "Parents of Iranian woman killed during protests 'harassed by security forces'". the Guardian. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ Official website of Nazanin Boniadi - Biography
- ^ Ball, Sarah (1 September 2012). "Scientology, Katie Holmes, and Tom Cruise: Who is Nazanin Boniadi?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ Alex Gibney (2015). Going Clear. Event occurs at 1:27:50.
- ^ a b Orth, Maureen (October 2012). "What Katie Didn't Know". Vanity Fair. New York City: Condé Nast. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ Wyatt, Daisy (9 October 2013). "New Homeland star Nazanin Boniadi 'vetted by Scientologists to become Tom Cruise's wife'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ^ Wright, Lawrence (2013). Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-307-70066-7. OL 25424776M.
- ^ a b Orth, Maureen (September 2012). "What Katie Didn't Know". Vanity Fair. Conde Nast. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ a b Ortega, Tony (10 May 2017). . The Underground Bunker. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ The crazy story of how Scientology allegedly once groomed a girlfriend for Tom Cruise — and then tore them apart, April 1, 2015, Business Insider
- ^ Elan, Priya (14 October 2014). "Homeland's Nazanin Boniadi on hijabs and tackling prejudice on primetime". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ^ Sanchez, Rosa (11 September 2017). "Tom Cruise's Ex Congratulates His Nemesis Leah Remini For Anti-Scientology Show". Radar Online.
Further reading Edit
- "Prolific Persian : Nazanin Boniadi". The Persian Observer.
- Wyatt, Daisy (3 December 2014). "Homeland actress Nazanin Boniadi to star in Ben-Hur remake". The Independent.
External links Edit
- Official website
- Nazanin Boniadi at IMDb