Golshifteh Farahani

Born as Rahavard Farahani (گلشیفته فراهانی), known more prominently as Golshifteh Farahani, she is a renowned Iranian and French actress. Her acting career boasts a range of performances in movies including 'M for Mother' (2006), 'Body of Lies' (2008), 'About Elly' (2009), 'The Patience Stone' (2012), 'Paterson' (2016), 'Girls of the Sun' (2018), 'Extraction' (2020), its sequel 'Extraction 2' (2023), and 'Invasion' (2021–present). She was nominated for the Most Promising Actress Award for 'The Patience Stone' at the 2014 César Awards. Farahani was born in Tehran and is the daughter of Behzad Farahani, a veteran theatre director, and actor. She showed a talent for music & piano from the age of five, and at 14 she bagged her first break in films, winning the Crystal Roc for Best Actress.

Farahani's performances have been praised internationally. She played the lead in 'About Elly', which won Best Picture at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival and a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Shunned by Iranian authorities for her appearance in 'Body of Lies' sans hijab and perceived collaboration with American propaganda, she has resided in France since 2009. She received accolades for her performance in 'The Patience Stone' and the stage performance of 'Anna Karenina' in Paris. Her collaboration with various directors including Jim Jarmusch's 'Paterson' opposite Adam Driver, in romantic besat the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales to dystopian action Extraction, her journey has been diverse. In addition to her acting career, Farahani is also invested in environmental causes and is an advocate for eradicating tuberculosis in Iran.