List of Iranians
This is an alphabetic list of notable people from Iran or its historical predecessors.
In the news[]
- Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran
- Ebrahim Raisi, president of Iran, former Chief Justice of Iran.
- Hassan Rouhani, former president of Iran (2013–2021)
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former president of Iran (2005–2013)
- Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, former politician
- Qasem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force
- Ali Larijani, former Speaker of the Parliament of Iran from 2008 to 2020.
- Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, former Mayor of Tehran, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly
- Ali Dizaei, senior officer in the London Metropolitan Police
- Alireza Jafarzadeh, Fox News Channel foreign-affairs analyst
- Anousheh Ansari, space tourist, telecommunication entrepreneur and namesake of the Ansari X Prize
- Bahar Soomekh, Iranian-American actor
- Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of London-based children's charity Kids Company
- Daryush Shokof, artist Maximalism, film director,
- Reza Pahlavi, son of the deposed Shah of Iran, crown prince in exile.
- Shirin Ebadi, recipient of 2003 Nobel Peace Prize
- Akbar Ganji, Iranian journalist and writer. He has been described as "Iran's preeminent political dissident".
Artists[]
Calligraphists[]
- Gholam Hossein Amirkhani
- Abolhassan Etessami
- Mir Emad Hassani
- Seyyed Jafar Kashfi
- Yadollah Kaboli Khansari
- Mishkín-Qalam
- Jalil Rasouli
- Mehdi Saeedi
- Mir Ali Tabrizi
Cartoonists[]
- Golnar Servatian
- Javad Alizadeh
- Maziyar Bizhani
- Nikahang Kowsar
- Mana Neyestani
Painters, illustrators and sculptors[]
- Abolhassan Khan Sadighi
- Ali Akbar Sadeghi
- Amir Shayesteh Tabar
- Aydin Aghdashloo
- Bahram Soroush
- Daryush Shokof
- Farhad Sadeghi Amini
- Haydar Hatemi
- Hossein Behzad
- Hossein Valamanesh
- Hossein Zenderoudi
- Iran Darroudi
- Jazeh Tabatabai
- Kamal ol-Molk
- Kamaleddin Behzad
- Mahmoud Farshchian
- Mani
- Maryam Hashemi (Maryam Sandjari)
- Mohammad Ali Taraghijah
- Mohsen Vaziri-Moghaddam
- Mokarrameh Ghanbari
- Noreen Motamed
- Parviz Tanavoli
- Reza Abbasi
- Shahla Aghapour
- Shahla Arbabi
- Shirazeh Houshiary
- Siah Armajani
- Sohrab Sepehri
- Zhaleh Kazemi
Photographers[]
- Abbas
- Abbas Kiarostami
- Alfred Yaghobzadeh
- Ali Ghanbari
- Ali Khan Vali
- Jahangir Razmi
- Kaveh Golestan
- Maryam Zandi
- Mitra Tabrizian
- Morteza Avini
- Nader Davoodi
- Nasrollah Kasraian
- Newsha Tavakolian
- Reza Deghati
- Hossein Rajabian
- Sadegh Tirafkan
- Shadi Ghadirian
- Shahram Entekhabi
- Shirana Shahbazi
- Shirin Neshat
Designers[]
Architects[]
- Hossein Amanat
- Kamran Diba
- Heydar Ghiaï-Chamlou
- Fariborz Sahba
Fashion designers[]
- Pegah Anvarian
- Bijan
- Shirin Guild
- Arefeh Mansouri
- Behnaz Sarafpour
- Mahla Zamani
Graphic designers[]
- Reza Abedini
- Farshid Mesghali
- Morteza Momayez
- Mehdi Saeedi
- Ghobad Shiva
Business[]
- Kia Joorabchian, businessman
- Nasser David Khalili, billionaire and art collector
Entertainers[]
Comedians[]
- Baba Ali, Islamic comedy
- Max Amini
- Omid Djalili
- Negin Farsad
- Shahin Jamie
- Maz Jobrani
- Shaparak Khorsandi
- Hadi Khorsandi
- Ebrahim Nabavi
- Nasim Pedrad
Dancers and choreographers[]
- Jamileh
- Farzaneh Kaboli, folkloric
- Nima Kiann
- Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam, folkloric
Models, beauty pageant[]
- Nazanin Afshin-Jam, actress, singer-songwriter, human-rights activist; Miss World 2003 first runner-up; Miss Canada 2003
- Ramona Amiri, Miss Canada 2005
- Sahar Biniaz (born 1985), Miss Universe Canada 2012
- Aylar Lie (born 1984), Iranian-born Norwegian actress, model, singer, former pornographic actress
- Shermine Shahrivar, Miss Europe 2005
- Samantha Tajik (born 1983), Miss Universe Canada 2008
Film actors[]
- Akbar Abdi
- Ali Mosaffa
- Ali Nassirian
- Amin Hayaee
- Amirhossein Arman
- Artemis Pebdani
- Azita Hajian
- Bahar Soomekh
- Bahram Radan
- Behrouz Vossoughi
- Behzad Farahani
- Bijan Daneshmand
- Bita Farrahi
- Bizhan Emkanian
- Catherine Bell
- Christiane Amanpour
- Daryoush Arjmand
- Daryush Shokof
- Davoud Rashidi
- Delkash
- Ezzatollah Entezami
- Faramarz Gharibian
- Farimah Farjami
- Fatemeh Motamed-Aria
- Golab Adineh
- Golshifteh Farahani
- Googoosh
- Hamed Behdad
- Hedyeh Tehrani
- Homa Rousta
- Homayoun Ershadi
- Jahangir Forouhar
- Jamileh Sheykhi
- Jamshid Mashayekhi
- Kamshad Kooshan
- Kazem HajirAzad
- Khosrow Shakibaee
- Leila Forouhar
- Leila Hatami
- Mahaia Petrosian
- Mahnaz Afshar
- Majid Majidi
- Maz Jobrani
- Mehdi Fat'hi
- Mehdi Hashemi
- Mehran Modiri
- Merila Zarei
- Mohammad Ali Fardin
- Mohammad Ali Keshavarz
- Mohammad Reza Foroutan
- Mohammad Reza Golzar
- Mohammad Reza Sharifinia
- Navid Mohammadzadeh
- Nazanin Afshin-Jam
- Nematollah Aghasi
- Niki Karimi
- Parsa Pirouzfar
- Parviz Fannizadeh
- Parviz Parastouee
- Parviz Sayyad
- Pegah Ahangarani
- Reza Kianian
- Roxanne Pallett
- Roya Nonahali
- Saeed Rad
- Sarah Shahi
- Shaghayegh Farahani
- Shahab Hosseini
- Shohreh Aghdashloo
- Sussan Taslimi
- Taraneh Alidousti
- Zahra Amir Ebrahimi
- Asghar Farhadi, Oscar winner
Theatre and stage actors[]
- Mehdi Bajestani
- Taha Behbahani
- Mohsen Shah Ebrahimi
- Behzad Farahani
- Shamsi Fazlollahi
- Ali Nassirian
- Hayley Tamaddon
- Kazem HajirAzad
- Ahmad Saatchian
- Mohammad Reza Jozi
- Ramin Karimloo
- Roya Teymourian
- Shiva Boloorian
Filmmakers, directors[]
Filmmakers[]
- Abbas Kiarostami, director of Taste of Cherry
- Abdolhossein Sepanta
- Hassan Hajgozar
- Abolfazl Jalili
- Ali Ardekani
- Ali Hatami
- Ali Sajadi Hoseini
- Amir Naderi
- Asghar Farhadi, director of A Separation
- Babak Payami
- Bahman Farman-Ara
- Bahman Ghobadi, director of A Time for Drunken Horses
- Bahman Maghsoudlou
- Bahram Beizai
- Behrooz Gharibpoor
- Darius Khondji
- Darius Mehrjui
- Daryush Shokof, director of Seven Servants and Iran Zendan
- Desiree Akhavan, director of Appropriate Behavior
- Ebrahim Hatamikia
- Emud Mokhberi, Academy Award-nominated director and animator
- Esma'il Kooshan
- Houman Seyyedi
- Iraj Ghaderi
- Jafar Panahi, director of The Circle
- Kamal Tabrizi
- Kami Asgar
- Kamran Shirdel
- Kamshad Kooshan
- Khosrow Sinai
- Kiarash Anvari
- Kiumars Pourahmad
- Mahdi Bemani Naeini
- Majid Majidi, director of Children of Heaven
- Masoud Kimiai
- Mehran Modiri
- Mohsen Makhmalbaf, director of Kandahar
- Nasser Taghvai
- Parviz Kimiavi
- Hossein Rajabian, director of The Upside-down Triangle
- Parviz Nouri
- Shabnam Rezaei
- Parviz Shahbazi
- Parviz Sayyad
- Bob Yari, Iranian-born American film producer
- Pouran Derakhshandeh, award-winning film director and producer
- Rakhshan Bani-Etemad
- Ramin Farahani
- Rasoul Mollagholipour
- Reza Badiyi
- Sadaf Foroughi
- Samira Makhmalbaf, director of At Five in the Afternoon
- Samuel Khachikian
- Sohrab Shahid-Sales
- Saeed Roustayi
- Tina Gharavi
Theatre and stage directors[]
- Akbar Radi
- Bahram Bayzai
- Behrouz Gharibpour
- Ghotbeddin Sadeghi
- Hengameh Mofid
- Hossein Rajabian
- Mohammad Yaghoubi
- Mostafa Oskooyi
- Reza Shirmarz
- Shiva Boloorian
Musicians and singers[]
Classical[]
Iranian classical traditional[]
- Abolhasan Saba
- Alireza Eftekhari
- Alinaghi Vaziri
- Dariush Eghbali
- Elaheh
- Gholam-Hossein Banan
- Homayoun Shajarian
- Hossein Khaje Amiri
- Hossein Tehrani
- Hossein Alizadeh
- Jalal Zolfonun
- Javad Maroofi
- Kamkarha
- Kayhan Kalhor
- Mahmoud Zoulfonoun
- Marzieh
- Maryam Akhondy
- Mirza Abdollah Farahani
- Mohammad Reza Lotfi
- Mohammad Shams
- Mohammad-Reza Shajarian
- Mohsen Namjoo
- Morteza Hannaneh
- Mehdi Rajabian
- Nashit
- Nur Ali Elahi
- Parisa
- Parviz Meshkatian
- Parviz Yahaghi
- Ruhollah Khaleghi
- Shahram Nazeri
- Sima Bina
- Zyriab
Modern traditional[]
- Ahmad Pejman
- Axiom of Choice
- Farhad Fakhreddini
- Morteza Hannaneh
- Niyaz
- Ramin Rahimi
- Zohreh Jooya
- Mehdi Rajabian
Western classical[]
- Ali Rahbari
- Alireza Mashayekhi
- Aminollah Hossein
- Anoushiravan Rohani
- Armik
- Hangi Tavakoli
- Heshmat Sandjari
- Lily Afshar
- Loris Tjeknavorian (Loris Cheknavarian)
- Lotfi Mansouri
- Mahan Esfahani
- Sahba Aminikia
- Mehdi Hosseini
- Nader Mashayekhi
- Reza Najfar
- Shahrdad Rohani
- Hooman Khalatbari
Electronic[]
- Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia
- Ali Movasat (DJ Aligator)
- Ashkan Kooshanejad
- Deep Dish
- Leila Arab
- Sharam Tayebi
- Steve Naghavi from And One
Pop[]
(Sorted according to the first letter of the name)
- May J.
- Afshin
- Alireza Assar
- Alireza Talischi
- Andy Madadian
- Anousheh Khalili
- Arash
- Aref
- Arian Band
- Bijan Mortazavi
- Darius Danesh
- Dariush Eghbali
- Delkash
- Ebi (Ebrahim Hamedi)
- Faramarz Aslani
- Farhad
- Fereidoun Foroughi
- Googoosh
- Habib
- Hassan Sattar
- Hassan Shamaizadeh
- Hayadeh
- Homeyra
- Kouros
- Leila Forouhar
- Mahasti
- Mansour
- Mehrdad
- Moein
- Mohammad Esfahani
- Mohammad Nouri
- Omid
- Pyruz
- Reza Sadeghi
- Sepideh
- Shadmehr Aghili
- Shahkar Binesh Pazhooh
- Shahram Shabpareh
- Shahrum K
- Shohreh Solati
- Siavash Ghomeyshi
- Siavash
- Susan Roshan
- Vigen
Rap music[]
- Amir Tataloo
- Hichkas
- Zedbazi
- Yas
- Shahin Najafi
- Bahram
- Erfan
- Hangi Tavakoli, Multi-Platinum music producer and songwriter
Lyricists[]
- Aref Ghazvini
- Hangi Tavakoli
- Hossein Monzavi
- Leila Kasra
- Maryam Heydarzadeh
- Rahim Moeini Kermanshahi
- Shahyar Ghanbari
Rock and metal[]
- Amir Derakh, from the band Orgy
- Angband
- Barad
- Kiosk
Film score composers[]
- Hossein Alizadeh
- Ramin Djawadi
- Hangi Tavakoli
- Fariborz Lachini
- Ahmad Pejman
- Peyman Yazdanian
- Mehdi Rajabian
Journalists, media[]
Bloggers[]
- Hossein Derakhshan
- Massoumeh Ebtekar
- Mehdi Jami
- Mohammad Ali Abtahi
- Mojtaba Saminejad
- Omid Memarian
- Sina Motalebi
Journalists[]
- Akbar Ganji
- Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi
- Ali Akbar Dehkhoda
- Alireza Jafarzadeh
- Alireza Nourizadeh
- Arash Markazi
- Azadeh Ensha, The New York Times
- Azadeh Moaveni
- Christiane Amanpour
- Ebrahim Nabavi
- Emadeddin Baghi
- Farjam Behnam
- Farrokhi Yazdi, Pahlavi era
- Hashem Aghajari
- Hossein Shariatmadari
- Kaveh Golestan, BBC
- Kioumars Saberi Foumani
- Mahshid Amirshahi
- Masih Alinejad
- Masoud Dehnamaki
- Massoud Behnoud
- Mehran Ghassemi
- Mirzadeh Eshghi
- Hossein Rajabian
- Mohammad Taghi Bahar
- Nikahang Kowsar
- Omid Memarian
- Rudi Bakhtiar
- Saeed Hajjarian
- Saeed Kamali Dehghan
- Shadi Sadr
- Sina Motallebi
- Youness Shokrkhah
- Maziar Bahari
- Saeed Kamali Dehghan
- Kasra Nouri
- Mohammad Mosaed
News anchors[]
- Adel Ferdosipour, football announcer, Navad program
- Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi, correspondent, commentator, anchorman
- Mehrdad Kia, T.V. and Radio Broadcaster and executive producer in television and music industry.
- Alireza Jafarzadeh, Foreign Affairs Analyst, Fox News
- Asieh Namdar, news anchor at CNN
- Christiane Amanpour, television journalist, CNN
- Fereydoun Farrokhzad, TV personality and opposition figure
- Jian Ghomeshi, musician, writer, and former CBC radio broadcaster
- Maryam Namazi, news anchor at Al Jazeera (English section)
- Reza Fazeli, actor, film director and opposition figure
- Rudi Bakhtiar, news anchor, formerly with CNN and Fox News
Leaders, politicians, activists[]
This list excludes royalty, which can be accessed by the main article link above.
Historical (pre-Pahlavi Dynasty)[]
- Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma, prime minister, multiple other roles
- Abu Muslim, leader of the Persian uprising against Arabs
- Amir-Kabir, Grand Vizier
- Babak Khorram Din, leader of the Persian uprising against Arabs
- Bagher Khan, constitutionalist leader
- Bozorgmehr, sage and Grand Vizier of Sasanids
- Cyrus the Great, Iranian emperor And the founder of Iran
- Nader Shah, Iranian king and military commander
- Darius the Great, Iranian emperor
- Mithridates I of Parthia, Iranian emperor
- Ismail I, Iranian king
- Fazlollah Noori, conservative clergy opposing Constitutionalists; hanged
- Ghaem Magham Farahani, prime minister
- Hassan-e-Sabbah, sectarian political leader
- Kaveh the Blacksmith, mythical leader and liberator against the rule of Zahhak, an Arab king
- Mahmud Khan Puladeen, senior military general
- Maziar, son of Karan; leader of the Persian uprising against Arabs
- Mirza Kuchek Khan, constitutionalist leader of Guilan
- Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi, Nader Shah's Chief Minister
- Mirza Reza Kermani, assassinated Nasereddin Shah
- Mohammad Khiabani, popular leader during Constitutionalist Revolution
- Mohammad Mossadegh, prime minister
- Mostowfi ol-Mamalek, prime minister
- Nosrat Dowleh Firouz Mirza, provincial governor
- Safi-ad-din Ardabili, spiritual founder of Safavid dynasty
- Sattar Khan, constitutionalist leader
- Heshmat Taleqani, Jangali leader and ally of Mirza Kuchek Khan
Modern (post-Qajar)[]
Pahlavi period[]
- Abdol Hossein Hamzavi, Iranian diplomat, author and representative to the United Nations
- Abdol Karim Ayadi, personal physician to Reza Pahlavi
- Ali Akbar Davar, minister, and founder of Iran's modern judiciary system
- Ali Akbar Siassi, Chancellor of Tehran University
- Ali Gholi Ardalan, Iranian ambassador to the US, West Germany and the USSR
- Amanullah Jahanbani, senior military leader, and father-in-law of Christiane Amanpour's father
- Amir Abdollah Tahmasebi, military leader
- Ardeshir Zahedi
- Bahram Aryana, military commander
- Dr Ahmad Ahmadi, prison interrogator
- Farokhroo Parsa, minister of education
- George Malek-Yonan, procured a seat in Iran's Parliament for Assyrians as a recognized minority
- Hasan Arfa, Army General, Ambassador to Russia, Ambassador to Turkey
- Hassan Modarres, member of Parliament
- Hassan Pakravan, head of SAVAK
- Heidar Arfaa, Conseiller d'État, Minister of Agriculture, Député-Majlis Fars Province
- Hossein Fardoust, deputy head of SAVAK
- Hossein Fatemi, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Hushang Ansary, Minister of Finance, President of NIOC
- Karim Buzarjomehri, Army General military aide of Reza Shah, Mayor of Tehran
- Mahmoud Jafarian, head of National Iranian Radio and Television and Pars News Agency
- Mahmoud Khayami, industrialist
- Mahmud Mahmud, politician
- Manucher Mirza Farman Farmaian, director of sales for NIOC and Ambassador to Venezuela
- Mohammad Ali Keshavarz Sadr, Mossadegh's Deputy and a leader of the Second National Front
- Nader Jahanbani, air force general, pilot
- Nasser Moghaddam, head of SAVAK
- Nematollah Nassiri, head of SAVAK
- Abbas Mirza Farman Farmaian, Minister of Parliament
- Sattareh Farman Farmaian, established first social worker schools in Iran
- Sepahbod Ahmad Amir-Ahmadi, military leader
- Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee
- Shapour Bakhtiar, prime minister
- Soraya Esfandiary Bakhtiari
- Teymour Bakhtiar, head of SAVAK
- Abdolhossein Teymourtash, Iranian statesman
- Mirza Javad Khan Ameri, Minister, MP
Served in Islamic Republic government[]
- Abdolkarim Mousavi-Ardabili
- Abdollah Noori, minister of interior
- Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, government spokesman
- Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari, minister of interior
- Abolhassan Banisadr, president
- Ahmad Jannati, chair of Council of Guardians
- Ahmad Khatami
- Ahmad Khomeini
- Ahmad Tavakkoli, minister of labour
- Akbar Torkan, minister of roads and transportation
- Ala'eddin Boroujerdi, member of parliament
- Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, president
- Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, member of parliament
- Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri, speaker of parliament
- Ali Akbar Salehi
- Ali Fallahian, minister of intelligence
- Ali Khamenei, supreme leader
- Ali Larijani, president of IRIB
- Ali Meshkini, chair of Assembly of Experts
- Ali Movahhedi-Kermani
- Ali Shamkhani, minister of defence
- Ali Younessi, minister of information
- Alireza Noori, member of parliament
- Asadollah Lajevardi
- Ata'ollah Mohajerani, minister of culture and Islamic guidance
- Ayatollah Amini, deputy chair of Assembly of Experts
- Ayatollah Mohammadi-Gilani
- Ayatollah Sane'i
- Ayatollah Va'ez-Tabasi
- Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi
- Behzad Nabavi, vice speaker of parliament
- Bizhan Namdar-Zangeneh, minister of oil
- Ebrahim Asgharzadeh
- Ebrahim Yazdi, foreign minister of interim government
- Elaheh Koulai, member of parliament
- Emad Afrough, member of parliament
- Ezzatollah Zarghami, president of IRIB
- Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani, member of parliament
- Fatemeh Haghighatjou, member of parliament
- Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, speaker of parliament
- Gholam Hossein Elham
- Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi, minister of intelligence
- Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri
- Hadi Khamenei, member of parliament
- Hamid Reza Assefi, foreign affairs spokesman
- Hassan Habibi, first vice president
- Hassan Rouhani, former president
- Hossein Shariatmadari
- Iraj Fazel, minister of health
- Kamal Daneshyar, member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly
- Kamal Kharrazi, minister of foreign affairs
- Kazem Jalali, politician
- Kazem Rajavi, politician
- Kazem Seddiqi, politician
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former president
- Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, former chief justice
- Majid Ansari, member of parliament
- Manuchehr Eliasi, Jewish member of parliament
- Masoud Pezeshkian, minister of health
- Masoumeh Ebtekar, vice president
- Mehdi Bazargan, prime minister
- Mehdi Hashemi
- Mehdi Karroubi, speaker of parliament
- Mir-Hossein Mousavi, prime minister
- Mohammad Abaee-Khorasani, member of parliament
- Mohammad Ali Abtahi, vice president
- Mohammad Ali Najafi, minister of education
- Mohammad Ali Rajai, president
- Mohammad Beheshti, head of judiciary
- Mohammad Emami-Kashani
- Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani
- Mohammad Javad Bahonar, prime minister
- Mohammad Javad Larijani, member of parliament
- Mohammad Khatami, president
- Mohammad Reyshahri
- Mohammad Reza Aref, first vice president
- Mohammad Reza Bahonar, vice speaker of parliament
- Mohammad Reza Khatami, deputy speaker of parliament
- Mohammad Reza Mahdavi-Kani
- Mohammad Sattarifar, vice president
- Mohammad Yazdi, head of judiciary
- Mohsen Armin, member of parliament
- Mohsen Mirdamadi, member of parliament
- Mohsen Nourbakhsh, head of Central Bank of Iran
- Mohsen Rezaee, member of Expediency Discernment Council
- Mohsen Safaee-Farahani, member of parliament and head of Iranian Football Federation
- Mohseni-Ezhe'i
- Morteza Motahhari
- Mostafa Chamran, Minister of Defense
- Mostafa Tajzadeh, deputy minister of interior
- Nasrollah Jahangard, chair of Supreme Council of ICT
- Rahim Safavi
- Rasoul Montajebnia, member of parliament
- Ruhollah Hosseinian
- Ruhollah Khomeini, supreme leader, founder of the Islamic Republic
- Sadegh Ghotbzadeh, minister of foreign affairs
- Sadegh Khalkhali, Sharia ruler
- Sadegh Larijani
- Saeed Emami, vice minister of intelligence
- Saeed Hajjarian, Tehran council member
- Saeed Mortazavi
- Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli, head of Central Bank of Iran, Ambassador to United Kingdom
Not served in Islamic Republic government or opposition[]
- Abbas Amir-Entezam
- Abdolrahman Ghasemlou
- Abolghasem Kashani
- Ahmad Zirakzadeh
- Ali Shariati, sociologist
- Alireza Rajaei
- Asghar Parsa
- Azam Taleghani
- Bijan Jazani
- Dariush Forouhar
- Daryush Shokof, director of films Iran Zendan and Hitler's Grave
- Ezzatollah Sahabi
- Gholam-Hossein Sadighi
- Habibollah Peiman
- Hashem Aghajari
- Jafar Pishevari
- Mahmoud Taleghani
- Mansoor Hekmat
- Maryam Rajavi
- Massoud Rajavi, militant opposition leader
- Mehdi Khalaji
- Mohsen Sazegara
- Mousa Sadr
- Nasser Zarafshan
- Navvab Safavi, militant cleric
- Parviz Varjavand
- Reza Alamouti, Central Committee Member of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas; founder of
- Roozbeh Farahanipour, founder of Marze Por Gohar
- Shirin Ebadi, recipient of 2003 Nobel Peace Prize
- Yadollah Sahabi
Politicians in other nations[]
- Goli Ameri, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
- Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan; half-Iranian (mother Nusrat Bhutto)
- Nusrat Bhutto, former first lady of Pakistan
- Jimmy Delshad, mayor of Beverly Hills, California
- George Deukmejian, former Governor of California
- Dan Halutz, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces
- Saadat Khan, first Nawab of Oudh in India
- Farah Karimi, Iranian female Dutch Member of Parliament[1]
- Moshe Katsav, former President of Israel
- Tahia Kazem, former first lady of Egypt, wife of President Gamal Abdel Nasser
- Omid Nouripour, member of the German parliament (Bundestag), Germany
- Ross Mirkarimi, former member of San Francisco City Council from Green Party; American of Iranian and Russian descent.
- Reza Moridi, member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada
- Shaul Mofaz, Israeli Minister of Transport and a Deputy Prime Minister, and former Minister of Defense
- Wajid Ali Shah, last Nawab of Oudh, disposed of by the British East India Company
- Maryam Yazdanfar, member of the Swedish parliament (Riksdag), Sweden
Activists[]
- Mahnaz Afkhami (born 1941), politician and human rights and women's rights activist, served in the Cabinet of Iran (1976–1978)
- Neda Agha-Soltan (1983–2009), shot during the 2009 Iranian election protests; her name quickly became a rallying cry for the opposition
- Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi (1858/9 – 1921), author and pioneer of the Persian women's movement in modern Iran
- Shiva Nazar-Ahari, human-rights activist
Prisoners and detainees[]
- Zahra Bani Ameri (1980–2007), physician, died in a prison in Hamedan after being arrested for breaching modesty laws by sitting in a park with her fiancée.
- Zahra Amir Ebrahimi (born 1981), photographer, television actress, subject of a 2006 sex tape scandal in Iran
- Zeynab Jalaliyan, Kurdish prisoner
- Zahra Kazemi, Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer, who according to the medical examiner was raped, tortured and killed by Iranian officials following her arrest in Iran.
- Hossein Rajabian, imprisoned filmmaker
- Mehdi Rajabian, imprisoned musician
Literature figures[]
Authors and poets[]
- See main list: List of Persian poets and authors
Translators[]
- Abdolmajid Eskandari, academic and translator
- Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi, author and translator
- Karim Emami, author and translator
- Majid M. Naini, author and translator
- Mohammad Ghazi, translator
- Shahrokh Meskoob, author and translator
Religious figures[]
See List of Marjas.
See List of Ayatollahs.
- Majlesi
- The Báb, Prophet-Founder of the Bábi Faith
- Bahá'u'lláh, Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í Faith
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Centre of the Covenant of the Bahá'í Faith
- Ganzibra Jabbar Choheili (1923–2014), head of the Mandaean community in Iran until his death in 2014.
- Rishama Salah Choheili, Iranian Mandaean who is the current patriarch and head of the Mandaean community in Australia
- Haik Hovsepian Mehr, bishop and Christian martyr
- Jamal al-Din Asadabadi
- Mani, founder of Manichaeism
- Mazdak, Religious and Social Reformer
- Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master born to Iranian immigrant parents
- Hamza ibn-'Ali ibn-Ahmad, founder of the Druze
- Muhammad ibn Ismail ad-Darazi
- Mulla Sadra
- Saeed Abedini, Iranian American Christian pastor
- Safi-ad-din Ardabili
- Salman the Persian
- Zahed Gilani
- Zayn al-Din Taybadi (died 1389) mystic and Sufi
- Zoroaster, prophet
- Imam Tawhidi, Australian Iman of Arab and Iranian descent
Royalty[]
Scientists, scholars, and academics[]
Explorers and travellers[]
- Ahmad ibn Rustah, 10th-century Persian explorer of Russia, Scandinavia and Arabia
- Naser Khosrow, traveller, writer and poet
Historians, archaeologists and Iranologists[]
- Abbas Alizadeh
- Abbas Amanat
- Abdolhossein Zarinkoob
- Ahmad Kasravi
- Alireza Shapour Shahbazi
- Badiozzaman Forouzanfar
- Ezzatolah Neghban
- Fereydun Adamiyat
- Hamdallah Mustawfi
- Kaveh Farrokh
- Majid Adibzadeh
- Mehrdad Bahar
- Mohammad Ali Eslami Nodooshan
- Nasser Fakouhi
- Sadegh Malek Shahmirzadi
- Touraj Atabaki
- Touraj Daryaee
Linguists[]
- Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak
- Ahmad Tafazzoli
- Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi
- Ehsan Yarshater
- Jaleh Amouzgar
- Mehrdad Bahar
- Parviz Natel-Khanlari
- Zabihollah Safa
Intellectuals and philosophers[]
- See main list: List of pre-modern Iranian scientists and scholars
- See main list: List of contemporary Iranian scientists, scholars, and engineers
- Mirza Fath Ali Akhundzadeh
- Mohammad-Ali Foroughi
- Mostafa Malekian
- Mirza Malkam Khan
- Abbas Milani
- Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari
- Seyyed Hossein Nasr
- Ali Shariati
- Daryush Shokof
- Sadegh Zibakalam
- Ali Abdolrezaei
Technology and computer engineering[]
- Shahram Dabiri, lead producer responsible for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft
- Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, former CEO of Expedia
- Amir Taaki, hacker, computer programmer and early developer for Bitcoin
- Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay
- Rouzbeh Yassini, Inventor of the Cable Modem
- Habib Zargarpour, visual effects specialist, video game art director
Sports[]
- Yu Darvish, MLB baseball player for the Texas Rangers
- Ariajasuru Hasegawa, professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Nagoya Grampus
- Ali Azari Karki, footballer
- Sardar Azmoun, soccer player, Iran's National Team player
- Farhad Ghaemi, volleyball player, Iran's National Team player
- Abbas Jadidi, wrestler, Olympic silver medalist
- Abdollah Movahed, wrestler, Olympic gold medalist
- Adel Kolahkaj, football player
- Alex Agase, American football player
- Ali Daei, football player, top international goalscorer, world record holder
- Ali Karimi (footballer, born 1978)
- Ali Karimi (footballer, born 1982)
- Ali Karimi (footballer, born 1994)
- Ali Parvin, football player and coach
- Alireza Dabir, wrestler, Olympic gold medalist
- Alireza Heidari, wrestler, Olympic bronze Mmdalist
- Alireza Rezaei, wrestler, Olympic silver medalist
- Amir Reza Khadem, Olympic Bronze Medalist wrestler
- Andre Agassi, tennis player; his father was Assyrian-Armenian
- Arash Miresmaili, judo world champion
- Aravane Rezaï, tennis player
- Behdad Salimi, weightlifter World Champion
- Ebrahim Javadi, wrestler, Olympic bronze medalist
- Ehsan Ghaemmaghami, chess grandmaster
- Ehsan Hadadi, discus thrower, Asian record holder
- Elshan Moradi, chess grandmaster
- Emamali Habibi Goudarzi, wrestler, first Iranian Olympic gold medalist (Melbourne 1956)
- Emmanuel Agassi, boxer at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, father of Andre Agassi
- George Issabeg, boxer at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics
- George Malek-Yonan, Iran's Champion of Champions in track & field and pentathlon
- Ghasem Dehnavi, football player
- Ghasem Hadadifar, football player
- Ghasem Rezaei, wrestler
- Hooman Tavakolian, Sport Diplomat and Lobbyist, Hall of Fame, wrestler
- Hossein Rezazadeh, weightlifter, double Olympic champion (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004)
- Javad Nekounam, football player
- Khodadad Azizi, football player
- Kianoush Rostami, weightlifter, world champion
- Kimia Alizadeh, Taekwondo player, the first Iranian woman to win a medal at the Olympic Games (Rio de Janeiro 2016)
- Mahmoud Namjoo, weightlifter, Olympic silver medalist
- Mahyar Monshipour, World Super Bantamweight Boxing Champion
- Mansour Bahrami, tennis player
- Mansour Barzegar, wrestler, Olympic silver medalist
- Masoud Jokar, wrestler, Olympic silver medalist
- Mehdi Haghizadeh, football player
- Mehdi Mahdavikia, football player
- Mohammad Ali Fardin, wrestler and actor
- Mohammad Khadem, wrestler
- Mohammad Mousavi, volleyball player
- Mohammad Nassiri, weightlifter, Olympic gold medalist
- Mohammad Reza Heidarian, futsal player
- Mohammad Reza Tupchi, wrestler
- Rahman Rezaei, football player
- Rasoul Khadem, Olympic gold medalist wrestler
- Ruhollah Bigdeli, football player
- Shima Mehri, Motorcycle Biker
- Saeid Marouf, volleyball player
- Shadi Paridar, chess Woman Grandmaster
- Shawn Daivari, professional wrestler
- Shoura Osipov, boxer at 1948 Olympics
- T. J. Houshmandzadeh, NFL player
- Vahid Hashemian, football player
- Yossef Karami, Taekwondo world champion, Olympic bronze medalist
- Andranik Teymourian, football player
- Fereydoon Zandi, football player
- Gholamreza Takhti, wrestler, Olympic gold medalist
- Hadi Saei, taekwondo world champion, Olympic gold medalist
- Hossein Tavakoli, weightlifter, Olympic gold medalist
- Jaber Rouzbahani, basketball player
- Khosrow Vaziri, professional wrestler
- Leila Vaziri, swimmer, World Champion, world record holder
- Vahid Shamsaei, futsal player, top international futsal goalscorer
- Mika Zibanejad, ice hockey player for Ottawa Senators of the NHL
- Daniel Rahimi, ice hockey player for San Jose Sharks of the NHL
Iranian women[]
See separate articles: Persian woman and List of Persian women.
Military[]
Aviation[]
- Abbas Doran, fighter pilot
- Fereidoon Izadseta, Colonel of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
- Javad Fakoori, fighter pilot
- Jalil Zandi, fighter pilot
- Manouchehr Khosrodad, general
- Nader Jahanbani, general, distinguished fighter pilot
- Shapour Azarbarzin, fighter pilot
- Shahram Rostami, fighter pilot
Other[]
- Reza Zadeh, computer science
- Ali Dashti, Iranian senator
- Alireza Afzalipour, businessman and philanthropist; founder of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman
- Ramezan Hajjimashhadi, lawyer
- Mehran Karimi Nasseri, Iranian refugee who lived in the departure lounge of Terminal One in Charles de Gaulle Airport for many years.
- Zahra Eshraghi, granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini and wife of Mohammad Reza Khatami
Iranians of Armenian Descent[]
- Alenush Terian, scientist
- Andranik Eskandarian, footballer
- Andranik Teymourian, footballer
- Andre Agassi, tennis champion
- Arefeh Mansouri, Inventor, Designer
- Arakel of Tabriz, historian
- Armik, flamenco guitarist and composer
- Arsen Minasian, philanthropist, pharmacologist
- Bogdan Saltanov, painter
- Emmanuel Agassi, 1948 and 1952 Olympics boxer representing Iran; father of Andre Agassi
- Gegard Mousasi, MMA fighter
- George Bournoutian, historian
- Haik Hovsepian Mehr, bishop and Christian martyr
- Raffi, prominent writer
- Hayk Bzhishkyan, Soviet military commander
- Hovhannes Masehyan, diplomat and translator
- Hrant Markarian, politician
- Irene Zazians, actress
- Ivan Galamian, violin teacher
- Ivan Lazarevich Lazarev, jeweler
- Khosrow Khan Gorji, influential figure from the Qajar era
- Leon Khachatourian, boxer
- Loris Tjeknavorian, artist
- Marcos Grigorian artist, scholar and actor
- Mirza Malkam Khan, modernist and politician
- Mkhitar Heratsi, physician
- Mushegh Soruri
- Ovannes Ohanian, first Iranian film director
- Robert Beglarian, MP
- Samuel Khachikian, film director
- Sarkis Djanbazian, artist
- Sayat-Nova, poet
- Vartan Gregorian, academic
- Varuzh Karim-Masihi, film editor and director
- Vigen Derderian, singer
- Viguen (see Vigen Derderian)
- Yeprem Khan, revolutionary hero
Iranians of Assyrian descent[]
- Freydun Atturaya, co-founder of the Assyrian Socialist Party
- George Issabeg, 1948 and 1952 Olympics boxer representing Iran
- George Malek-Yonan, politician and Champion of Champions of Iran
- Issa Benyamin, calligraphist
- Ivan Kakovitch (1933–2006), activist and writer (novel Mount Semele (2001))
- Milton Malek-Yonan, inventor of converted rice
- Paulus Khofri, composer and painter
- Ramona Amiri, Miss Canada 2005
- Shoura Osipov, 1948 Olympics boxer representing Iran
- Shoura Osipov, Olympic boxer
- Mar Youhannan Semaan Issayi, Archbishop of Assyro-Chaldean Metropolitan Tehran
Emigrants and immigrants[]
Americans in Iran[]
- Howard Baskerville, Iran's first American martyr
- Joseph Cochran, second-generation American missionary in Urmia; established first Iranian medical college
- Arthur Millspaugh, Treasury General, Persia
- Arthur Upham Pope (1881–1969) and Phyllis Ackerman (1893–1977), Persian culture revivalists, scholars of Persian art and architecture history
- David Stronach
- Elgin Groseclose, Treasury General, Persia
- John Limbert
- Justin Perkins, first American resident of Iran (1835)
- Morgan Shuster, Treasury General, Persia
- Richard Nelson Frye (1920–2014), former Harvard University professor, scholar of Persian art history
- Samuel M. Jordan, namesake of Jordan Ave. in Tehran
- William M. Miller
Germans in Iran[]
- Annemarie Schimmel, German-born Harvard expert on Iranian literature
- Wilhelm Wassmuss, German diplomat, spy and military hero, Iran, World War I
Iranians in America[]
See separate article: List of Iranian Americans.
Iranians in Canada[]
See article: Iranian-Canadian
Iranians in Britain[]
List of British Iranians
Iranians in Germany[]
Iranians in Germany
Iranians in Australia[]
Iranian Australian
Iranians in the Netherlands[]
Iranians in the Netherlands
Iranians in Sweden[]
Iranians in Sweden
Iranians in Egypt[]
- Tahia Kazem, wife of president Gamal Abdel Nasser; born in Egypt to Iranian parents
Iranians in Pakistan[]
- Nusrat Bhutto, Iranian father and mother moved with family to Karachi, British India, before partition; married Zulfikar Ali Bhutto; father of Benazir Bhutto
Persian Roman Catholic saints[]
See article List of Persian Roman Catholic saints
See also[]
- List of Iran-related topics
- List of people by nationality
- Iranian peoples
References[]
Categories:
- Lists of Iranian people