Cast Bio’s

SHOHREH AGHDASHLOO – Voice of Farah (Babak’s aunt)

Born in Tehran to an intellectual family, Aghdashloo was drawn to the theatre at an early age, and by her twenties was performing in various cutting-edge performance groups, like the acclaimed Drama Workshop of Tehran. Aghdashloo was soon cast by Abbas Kiarostami and Ali Hatami -- two towering figures of the nascent Iranian New Wave - to play starring roles in their formally adventurous, socially progressive productions, including 1977's “Gozaresh” and “Sutedelan.” But in the late '70s, with the Ayatollah Khomeini reintroducing an era of strict rule based on religious doctrine, Aghdashloo’s work as a performer was either censored or forbidden. Eager to escape the turmoil of the Iranian Revolution, Aghdashloo left Iran for London, where she earned a degree in international relations. Discouraged by the dearth of non-stereotyped roles for Middle Eastern women in Hollywood, Aghdashloo created meaningful work for herself. She focused her attention on stage work, creating a traveling theater troupe with her husband that performed plays in Farsi for Iranian audiences. Her film work includes roles in “America So Beautiful” and “Maryam,” both about the struggle of Iranian immigrants in the U.S. Her work caught the attention of director Vadim Perelman, who was looking to cast the supporting role of Nadi in the House of Sand and Fog. Having read the book upon its release, Aghdashloo had long envisioned ways that she could play Nadi, a strong but subservient Iranian-American wife and mother caught between her husband's wishes and her own conscience. Opposite a cast of established performers, Aghdashloo’s subtle, simmering performance brought her kudos from the Independent Spirit Awards, the New York Film Critics and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, all of which named her 2003's Best Supporting Actress. The Academy followed suit, nominating Shohreh as an Oscar contender for Best Supporting Actress against Renée Zellweger and Holly Hunter. Aghdashloo can next be seen guest starring this season on Fox's award-winning television drama, "24," opposite award winning actor, Kiefer Sutherland. She is also set to star in both the Screen Gems feature Exorcism of Emily Rose, opposite Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson as well as the motion picture adaptation of the best selling book, Reading Lolita in Tehran.

PARVIZ SAYYAD – Voice of Amoo Norooz

Born in Lahijan in 1939, Parviz Sayyad is considered on of Iran's top talents. A young Parviz cultivated his passion for acting by joining the theatre. From there, when the National Television of Iran was formed in 1960, Sayyad started producing tele-theater shows. Becoming one of the main leaders of Iranian Television, Sayyad along with Apick Youssefian, who later with her daughter Mary Apick played in many of Sayyad's films, created Amir Arsalan. Following the success of Amir Arsalan, Sayyad joined Parviz Kardan in another popular TV series called Sarkar Ostovar, where the infamous Samad was born. Innocent, funny, street-smart and the village idiot, all roled into one, Samad was a character that audiences fell in love with overnight. This popularity paved the way for Sayyad's directorial debut in Samad and the Flying Carpet. Sayyad continued his worked in television and was part of other Iranian classics such as Octopus, and Daie Jon Napoleon (My Uncle Napoleon) as the deceptive Assadallah Mirza. With Samad becoming a household name, Sayyad was able to produce more than seven Samad films. Over the next eight years, the adventures of Samad were produced in a series of funny and memorable movies, which included Samad goes to School, and Samad becomes an Artist. Sayyad next film The Mission (1983) gained entry into The Berlin Film Festival, The London Film Festival, and won The Jury Grand Prize at Locarno. Today, Parviz Sayyad remains one of the top figures of the Iranian film and theatre industry. His own theatre group called the Traveling Theatrical Troupe serves Iranian audiences around the world with fresh and poignant productions. He has also written a book, and continues to attend lectures and events to entertain his fans. In addition, he produced and stars in his own TV Show broadcast every Sunday on Iranian Satellite TV to millions of people worldwide. Parviz Sayyad's talent in creating topics that speak to the audience through humor, controversy, drama, and raw emotion remains appreciated by people around the world. With Babak and Friends – A First Norooz, Sayyad makes a great come back as the voice of Amoo Norooz. Millions of fans around the world will welcome him back into their home this Norooz.

Materials are reprinted with the permission of Norooz Productions and PersianMirror.com
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