Navid Negahban

Navid Negahban (born June 2, 1968) is an Iranian‑American actor whose career bridges the dramatic traditions of Persian theatre and the fast‑paced world of Hollywood television and film. He was born in Mashhad, Khorasan, in what was then the Imperial State of Persia, and discovered a love for performance at the tender age of eight when he amused a large audience by impersonating an elderly man on stage. The young Negahban’s passion for acting survived the turbulence of the Iranian Revolution, and at seventeen he embarked on a journey that took him first to Turkey and then to Germany, where he spent eight formative years working with a local theatre company. During his time in Europe he mastered German in addition to his native Persian, and he later added English to his linguistic repertoire, becoming trilingual before moving to the United States in 1993. His multicultural background and fluency in three languages have frequently informed the complex, often antagonistic characters he portrays on screen. Since arriving in the United States, Negahban quickly established himself as a versatile character actor, appearing in critically acclaimed series such as The Shield, The West Wing, Lost, and CSI: Miami. He gained widespread recognition for his chilling performance as terrorist mastermind Abu Nazir in the Emmy‑winning series Homeland, and later as the mystical villain Amahl Farouk, also known as the Shadow King, in the second and third seasons of FX’s Legion. His film work includes the role of General Abdul Rashid Dostum in the 2018 war drama 12 Strong and the iconic part of the Sultan in Disney’s 2019 live‑action remake of Aladdin. In addition to on‑screen work, Negahban lent his voice and likeness to Dr. Challus Mercer in the video game Dead Space, showcasing his adaptability across media. He earned a Best Actor award at the 2009 Noor Iranian Film Festival for the short Liberation and served as a festival judge the following year. Most recently, he portrayed Iranian Ambassador Abbas Mansuri in Netflix’s political thriller The Night Agent (2025), delivering his dialogue entirely in Persian, a testament to his enduring commitment to authenticity and cultural representation.