Golshifteh Farahani

Iranian actress Golshifte Farahani became well-known in America in 2016 for her starring role in Director Jim Jarmusch's "Paterson." Born and raised in Tehran, Farahani initially began playing the piano at age 5, but soon turned her focus to acting. She began appearing in local plays all throughout Tehran, thus honing her chops for acting, and by her early teens was already a seasoned performer. She landed her first big break at 14 when she was cast as the lead in the Iranian romantic drama "The Pear Tree" (1998). The film received wide critical praise, both in Iran and throughout the world, thus making Farahani an overnight sensation. Over the next several years she followed "The Pear Tree" up with starring roles in numerous acclaimed films, including "Two Angels" (2003), "The Fish Fall in Love" (2006), and "The Music Man" (2007). Then in 2008 Farahani became a breakout star in America by appearing alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe in the action thriller "Body of Lies" (2008). The high-profile film raised her status as one of the most important young film actresses to ever hail from Iran, and before long the film roles began pouring in. Over the next several years she starred in the films "Just Like a Woman" (2013), "Rosewater" (2014), and "Exodus: Gods and Kings" (2014), thus further cementing her status as an internationally recognized star. In 2016 Farahani was cast alongside Adam Driver in the comedy drama "Paterson." The film, directed by the indie icon Jim Jarmusch, was released in December of 2016.