Omid Abtahi
| Omid Abtahi | |
|---|---|
 Abtahi speaking at the 2016 Wondercon in Los Angeles, California | |
| Born |
12 July 1979 Tehran, Iran |
| Alma mater |
University High School California State University Fullerton |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Omid Abtahi (born 12 July 1979) is an Iranian-born American actor.[1] He is best known for his roles as Salim in Showtime's Sleeper Cell and that of Homes in the final installment of the Hunger Games film series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.
Early life and education
Abtahi was born in Tehran, Iran. At the age of 5 he moved to Paris with his family and later they moved to the United States, finally moving to Irvine, Orange County, California when he was 10.[1][2]
Abtahi graduated from University High School in Irvine and attended the California State University, Fullerton. He began studying advertising then he picked up a second major in theater and graduated in 2002.[2]
Career
Before acting on television, Abtahi performed on stage in many theatrical productions including Fraulein Else at the Berkeley Repertory, McCarter Theatre and Longwarf Theatre; Adoration of the Old Woman at the Sundance Theatre Lab and Your Everyday Typical Romantic Comedy at the Kennedy Centre. He has also guest starred on the television series JAG, Judging Amy and 24. He played Justin Yates in Ghost Whisperer.
After arriving in Los Angeles, Omid was a series regular on FX's Over There and Showtime's Sleeper Cell. While preparing for the role of Pvt. Tariq Nassiri on the television series Over There, Abtahi learned how to speak French fluently.
Abtahi made his New York stage debut in Urge for Going by Mona Mansour.[3] The actor is also the voice of Farid in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and of Sergeant John Lugo in Spec Ops: The Line.
Filmography
| Film and Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | JAG | Wahid | Episode "Heart of Darkness" |
| Judging Amy | Reza Ajami | Episode "The New Normal" | |
| Over There | Tariq Nassiri | 12 episodes | |
| 2005-2009 | 24 | Safa / Jibraan Al-Zarian | Episodes "Day 4: 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m." "Day 7: 3:00 a.m.-4:00 a.m." "Day 7: 4:00 a.m.-5:00 a.m." "Day 7: 5:00 a.m.-6:00 a.m. |
| 2006 | Running with Scissors | Restaurant manager | |
| 2006-2007 | Sleeper Cell | Salim | 7 episodes |
| 2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Chandru 'Dru' Kambhatla | Episode "The Good, the Bad and the Dominatrix" |
| The Unit | The Boss | Episode "Play 16" | |
| 2007-2008 | Ghost Whisperer | Justin Yates | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Sumner | Episode "Gnothi Seauton" |
| The Mysteries of Pittsburgh | Mohammed | ||
| Ocean of Pearls | Amrit Singh | ||
| The Last Lullaby | Van | ||
| Space Chimps | Dr. Jagu (voice) | ||
| Eli Stone | Amir Khan | Episode "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" | |
| My Own Worst Enemy | Tony Nazari | 9 episodes | |
| 2009 | Not Necessary | Larry Dallas | Short film |
| Can Openers | Ali | TV movie | |
| Bones | Hal Shirazi | Episode "The Bones That Foam" | |
| Diplomacy | American Interpreter | Short film | |
| NCIS | Saleem Ulman | 2 episodes | |
| Brothers | Yusuf | ||
| Stars | The Pimp | Short film | |
| 2009-2010 | FlashForward | Ed Fiore | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Pleading Guilty | Jonathan Ziven | TV movie |
| An Idle Dream | Pascal | Short film | |
| Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back | Dr. Jagu / Reporter #2 (voice) | ||
| Three Rivers | Dr. Yousef Khouri | 2 episodes | |
| The Event | William | Episode "Protect Them from the Truth" | |
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Cadet Amis (voice) | Episode "The Academy" | |
| Nikita | Amir Komera | Episode "Resistance" | |
| The Mentalist | Markham Shankar | Episode "Red Hot" | |
| Grey's Anatomy | Aasif | Episode "Something's Gotta Give" | |
| 2011 | The Perfect Meal | Social Worker (voice) | Short film |
| Fringe | Simon Phillips | Episode "Concentrate and Ask Again" | |
| Homeland | Raqim Faisel | 3 episodes | |
| Hide | Neil | TV movie | |
| 2012 | The Good Wife | Samir | Episode "Live From Damascus" |
| Family Guy | Prince Faisal (voice) | Episode "Leggo My Meg-O" | |
| Covert Affairs | Sayid al-Muqri | Episode "Hello Stranger" | |
| Boys of Abu Ghraib | Ghazi Hammoud | Feature Film | |
| Spec Ops: The Line | Staff Sergeant John Lugo | Video game | |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops II | Farid | Video game | |
| Argo | Reza | ||
| 2012-2013 | Last Resort | Nigel | 5 episodes |
| 2013 | Family Guy | Mahmoud (voice) | Episode "Turban Cowboy" |
| Castle | Waqas Rasheed | Episode "Dreamworld" | |
| 2014 | Legends | Bashir Al-Kanazer | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 | Homes | |
| 2015 | Better Call Saul | Detective Abbasi | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Damien | Amani Golker | 10 episodes |
| 2017 | American Gods | Salim | 2 episodes |
References
- 1 2 " Omid Abtahi Confirms as a Judge". noorfilmfestival.com Accessed 2016-1-28
- 1 2 " Omid Abtahi cast in Hunger Games". ocregister.com Accessed 2016-1-29
- ↑ Desk, BWW News. "Photo Flash: Public Theater's URGE FOR GOING". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
- Interviews with Young Iranians: Omid Abtahi, Actor by ParsArts.com - 24 Jan 2007
External links
- TITANS OF HOLLYWOOD: Tinsel Town's Spotlights Shine on CSUF Alumni by Cathi Douglas '80, California State University, Fullerton TITAN Magazine (calstate.fullerton.edu), 2011
- ‘Mockingjay’ casts Omid Abtahi as Homes by Andrew Sims (hypable.com), September 24, 2013
- Alumnus Omid Abtahi cast in Hunger Games by Ethan Hawke (ocregister.com), Sept. 17, 2014 (Updated: Sept. 30, 2014)
- Omid Abtahi on IMDb