Faran Tahir

Although born in Los Angeles, CA, while his parents studied acting and directing at UCLA, Faran Tahir spent most of his childhood in Pakistan. Following in his parents' footsteps he returned to America in 1980 where he attended the University of California at Berkeley, graduating with a BA in Theatre followed by a graduate degree from the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University. A successful theatre actor, he made his film debut in Disney's live action adaptation of "Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book" (1994) before landing a lead role in indie drama "ABCD" (1999). He gained a cult following when he co-starred in superhero blockbuster "Iron Man" (2008) as one of the villains who takes Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) hostage and sets him on the road to becoming the armored avenger. His sci-fi credentials were strengthened by two JJ Abrams collaborations with a guest spot in "Lost" (ABC 2004-2010), then a small but pivotal role in 2009's "Star Trek" reboot as Federation Captain Richard Robau. A recurring role in cult series "Warehouse 13" (Syfy 2009-2014) and an appearance in "Supernatural" (WB/CW, 2005-) as Egyptian god Osiris helped seal his fantasy fanbase. However, Tahir opted for something very different in 2012 when he played 'Smiling' Frank Ashkani, Cliff Barnes' (Ken Kercheval) advisor and driver, in eight episodes of the re-launched night time soap "Dallas" (TNT 2012-). He returned to genre cinema with a key role in the Matt Damon-starring fantasy thriller "Elysium" (2013).