Nazanin Boniadi

Nazanin Boniadi is a British‑American actress and outspoken human‑rights activist whose career began in 2006 after she traded a promising scientific path for the stage. Born on May 22, 1980 in Tehran, Iran, she fled with her family to London as an infant and grew up in a multicultural environment that sparked her passion for storytelling and justice. After earning a bachelor’s degree with honors in biological sciences from the University of California, Irvine—where she received the Chang Pin‑Chun Undergraduate Research Award for cancer‑treatment research—Boniadi pivoted to acting, studying contemporary drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her breakthrough came with the role of Leyla Mir on General Hospital and its spin‑off Night Shift, making her the first contract player of Middle Eastern descent on an American daytime series. Since then she has built a versatile résumé, portraying Nora in How I Met Your Mother, CIA analyst Fara Sherazi on Homeland, Esther in the 2016 remake of Ben‑Hur, and Zahra Kashani in the harrowing film Hotel Mumbai. Most recently she appeared as Bronwyn, a healer and single mother, in the first season of Amazon’s fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and she joins the independent thriller The Saviors in 2024. Her performances have earned nominations from the NAACP Image Awards, SAG Awards, and the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.

Beyond the screen, Boniadi has leveraged her platform for advocacy, serving as an Amnesty International spokesperson (2009‑2015) and later as an ambassador for its UK branch. She has campaigned tirelessly for the release of imprisoned Iranian artists, championed women’s rights, and testified before the U.S. Congress on human‑rights abuses. Recognized by People magazine as one of “25 Women Changing the World,” she continues to speak out on Iran’s protests, urging global leaders and the entertainment industry to stand with the Iranian people. Her activism has been honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Sydney Peace Prize, and the Freedom House Raising Awareness Award.