List of Iranian Americans

This is a list of notable Iranian-Americans of all Iranian ethnic backgrounds, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Iranian American or must have references showing they are Iranian American and are notable.

List

Academia/Science

Below is the list of few of prominent Iranian-Americans in various scientific and other disciplines:

• Shahriar Afshar, physicist, namesake of Afshar experiment
• Siavash Alamouti, CTO Broad Band and INTEL fellow, inventor of Alamouti Code, code-communication engineer
• Abass Alavi, Professor of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and neurology; University of Pennsylvania.
• Nima Arkani-Hamed, physicist from Harvard
• Mina Bissell, scientist and biologist, LBL.
• Hamid Dabashi, Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies, Columbia University in New York.
• Touraj Daryaee, Iranologist
• Richard Danielpour, Professor of Composition, Manhattan School of Music
• Nader Engheta, Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.
• Haleh Esfandiari, Middle East Scholar
• Nariman Farvardin, Provost of University of Maryland
• Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York
• Ali Javan, physicist, inventor of gas laser, Professor Emeritus of Physics at MIT.
• Sepandar Kamvar, computer scientist, Stanford University.
• Mehran Kardar, physicist, MIT.
• Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, Founding Director of Center for Persian Studies, University of Maryland.
• Homayoon Kazerooni,professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley , Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Berkeley Bionics , inventor of the HULC .
• Bahram Mashhoon, General Relativity physicist
• Abbas Milani, Director of Iranian Studies Program, Stanford University.
• Maryam Mirzakhani, Stanford University Professor.
• Mohsen Mostafavi, Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design
• Hamid Mowlana, Director of the Division of International Communication at American University
• Firouz Naderi, NASA director of Mars project.
• Majid M. Naini, computer scientist, former Professor at University of Pennsylvania, Rumi expert.
• Kayvan Najarian, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Virginia Commonwealth University.
• Camran Nezhat, Director, Stanford Endoscopy Center for Training & Technology.
• Kaveh Pahlavan, Professor of Computer and Electrical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
• Behzad Razavi, Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles
• Nouriel Roubini, one of the leading economists of our age, professor of economics at the Stern School of Business, New York University and chairman of RGE Monitor
• David B. Samadi, vice Chairman of the Department of Urology and Chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine
• Homayoun Seraji, Senior Research Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Ghavam Shahidi, IBM Fellow, Director of Silicon Technology
• Manuchehr Shahrokhi, Professor, California State University, Founding Editor, Global Finance Journal and Executive Director, Global Finance Association, [12]
• Vahid Tarokh, leading communication theorist Harvard University.
• Ray Takeyh, Middle East Scholar and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
• Hamid Jafarkhani, leading communication theorist University of California, Irvine.
• Cumrun Vafa, String theorist in Harvard.
• Ehsan Yarshater, Hagop Kevorkian Professor Emeritus of Iranian Studies, Director of Center for Iranian Studies, Columbia University, Founder and Editor in Chief of Encyclopaedia Iranica.
• Lotfi A. Zadeh, Mathematician and computer scientist, and a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley; father of Fuzzy Logic.
• Mark Zandi, Economist and co-founder of Economy.com, now part of Moody's Analytics.
• Omid Safi, Professor of Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina and advocate of reform within Islam.

Arts/Entertainment

• Omid Abtahi, actor
• David Ackert, actor and writer
• Shohreh Aghdashloo Academy Award-nominated film/television actress
• Dan Ahdoot, stand-up comedian
• Jonathan Ahdout, actor
• Max Amini, comedian
• Reza Badiyi, TV director
• Catherine Bell, actress
• Nadia Bjorlin, TV/soap opera actress
• Nazanin Boniadi, television and film actress
• Maz Jobrani, comedian
• Cyrus Kar, film director
• Andre Khabbazi, actor, semi-professional tennis player
• Kamshad Kooshan, screenwriter & director
• Rosie Malek-Yonan, actress, author, director, and documentary filmmaker
• Marshall Manesh, actor
• Mozhan Marno, actress
• Emud Mokhberi, Academy Award nominated director/animator
• Amir Mokri, director of photography
• Amir Naderi, film director
• Amin Nazemzadeh, actor
• Cyrus Nowrasteh, screenwriter and director
• Bijan Pakzad noted fashion and perfume designer
• Adrian Pasdar, actor
• Nasim Pedrad, actress, comedian
• Artemis Pebdani, actress
• Behnaz Sarafpour, fashion designer
• Sarah Shahi, actress
• Bahar Soomekh, actress
• Massy Tadjedin, screenwriter
• Elie Tahari, fashion designer
• Amir Talai, actor
• Shaun Toub, actor
• Bob Yari, Academy Award winning film producer
• Shiva Rose McDermott, actress

Business/Technology

• Vahid Alaghband, founder and Chairman Balli Group PLC
• Anousheh Ansari, Cofounder, Prodea systems, Inc.
• Hamid Akhavan, CEO of Siemens Enterprise Communications.
• Sardar Biglari, CEO and founder of Biglari Holdings
• J. Darius Bikoff, CEO and founder of Energy Brands
• Shahram Dabiri, video game producer, lead producer of World of Warcraft
• Arash Ferdowsi, Co-Founder & CTO of Dropbox
• Vartan Gregorian, President of The Carnegie Corporation of New York.
• Salar Kamangar, CEO of YouTube, VP of Google's web applications
• Dara Khosrowshahi, President and CEO, Expedia, Inc.
• Omid Kordestani, Former Senior Vice President of Google
• Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment, manufacturer of Bratz dolls
• Manny Mashouf, founder and Chairman of bebe stores
• Alex Mehr and Shayan Zadeh, founders of Zoosk.
• David Merage, co-founder of Chef America Inc., manufacturer of Hot Pockets
• Paul Merage, co-founder of Chef America Inc., manufacturer of Hot Pockets
• Sam Nazarian, CEO of the SBE Entertaintment Group
• Farzad Nazem, former CTO of Yahoo!
• Mehrdad Nikoonahad, founder & CEO, Nikoo Technology, Inc.
• Pierre Omidyar, founder of e-Bay (born to Iranian parents).
• Sina Tamaddon, Senior Vice President of Applications for Apple Computer.

Literature

• Reza Aslan, writer
• Mahnaz Badihian, poet
• Najmieh Batmanglij, chef, writer
• Firoozeh Dumas, author of Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America
• Roya Hakakian, writer
• Rosie Malek-Yonan, author of The Crimson Field
• Azar Nafisi, writer
• Majid M. Naini, writer, speaker
• Shahrnoosh Parsipour, writer
• Dalia Sofer, writer
• Mahbod Seraji, writer

Media/Journalism

• Christiane Amanpour, Anchor of ABC Sunday morning political affairs program, former CNN chief international correspondent
• Davar Ardalan, NPR producer of Morning Edition
• Rudi Bakhtiar, Voice of America employee, former Director of Public Relations for the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), former FOX news anchor, former CNN anchor
• Shmuley Boteach, rabbi, radio and television host, author
• Farnaz Fassihi, journalist, Wall Street Journal
• Alireza Jafarzadeh, FOX News Channel Foreign Affairs Analyst
• Arash Markazi, journalist, Sports Illustrated
• Azadeh Moaveni, journalist, Time Magazine
• Asieh Namdar, former CNN anchor
• Atoosa Rubenstein, former Seventeen (magazine) and CosmoGIRL! editor-in-chief
• Roxana Saberi, photojournalist whose 2009 arrest in Iran became a cause celebre (Iranian Father)
• Jahan Salehi, President, Agence Global, Inc. syndicate
• Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon and MTV Networks Kids & Family Group

Music

• Lily Afshar, female classical guitarist
• Pouyan Afkary, synthesizer musician, member of Scary Kids Scaring Kids
• Axiom of Choice, world music group
• Leila Bela, Avant-garde musician, actress, writer and former member of Pigface
• Cyrus Bolooki, drummer of New Found Glory
• Richard Danielpour, composer, Professor of Composition, Manhattan School of Music
• Deep Dish, electronic music group
• Ramin Djawadi, composer
• Rostam Batmanglij, keyboard player of Vampire Weekend, music producer.
• Anousheh Khalili, vocalist
• Lotfi Mansouri, opera director
• Daron Malakian, guitarist/vocalist of four-piece Alternative metal band System Of A Down (Armenian-Iranian mother)
• Tony Petrossian, music video director
• Ali Tabatabaee, one of the lead singers of Orange County, California-based pop-punk band Zebrahead
• Kourosh Zolani, composer, soloist and inventor. Zolani is best known for designing and playing the world's only playable Chromatic Santour.

Politics

• Goli Ameri, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, former U.S. delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, former U.S. public delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, and former Republican candidate for the United States House of Representatives from the 1st district of Oregon
• Cyrus Amir-Mokri, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions.
• Hushang Ansary, former Iranian Minister of Finance and Chairman of National Finance Committee of Bush-Cheney 2004 Campaign
• Ramin Asgard, Highest ranking Iranian-American Career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. Current Director for Voice of America Persian News Network. Former Political Advisor to General David Petraeus and General James Mattis at the U.S. Central Command. Former Director of the Iran Regional Presence Office in Dubai, the U.S. Government's primary field operation concerning Iran.
• Michael Benjamin, 1996 Republican candidate for the U.S. House from the 8th district of New York, and 2004 United States Senate Republican Primary candidate from New York
• Jimmy Delshad, Mayor of Beverly Hills, California
• Ross Mirkarimi, Member of San Francisco City Council from the Green Party.
• David Safavian, disgraced former Chief of Staff of the United States General Services Administration
• Faryar Shirzad, former Deputy National Security Advisor and White House Deputy Assistant for International Economic Affairs to President George W. Bush

Sports

• Esfandiar Baharmast, World Cup referee, FIFA Instructor, known as Esse Baharmast
• Farzad Bonyadi, world champion of poker
• Shawn Daivari, professional wrestler and manager, better known by his stage names of Sheik Abdul Bashir or simply Daivari
• Hamid Dastmalchi, world champion of poker
• Antonio Esfandiari, champion poker player
• Alecko Eskandarian, American soccer player
• Andranik Eskandarian, former soccer player
• Matt Ghaffari, Olympic silver-medal winning wrestler
• Afshin Ghotbi, soccer coach, former assistant coach of Korea Republic national football team, Los Angeles Galaxy and Iran national team
• Hamed Haddadi, NBA center for the Memphis Grizzlies, first Iranian NBA player
• T.J. Houshmandzadeh, NFL wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, father is Iranian.
• King Kamali, IFBB pro bodybuilder
• George Malek-Yonan, Iran's "Champion of Champions" in Track & Field and Pentathlon
• Amin Abraham Paul Nikfar, Shot Put for the Iranian National Team and 1st Iranian Asian Indoor Champion 2004
• Amir Sadollah, Professional mixed martial artist and winner of the ultimate fighter 7
• Behdad Sami, First Pro Iranian Basketball player to play in USA history.
• Michael Shabaz, tennis player, 2005 Wimbledon boys' doubles championship
• Amir Vahedi, professional poker player
• Leila Vaziri, The current world record holder of the 50 m women's backstroke
• Khosrow Vaziri, retired professional wrestler, better known by his stage name of The Iron Sheik

victor djavaherian, really good tennis player, better than his father

See also

• Iranian American
• Modern Iranian scientists and engineers
• List of Iranians
• List of British Iranians
• US-Iran relations
• Famous Americans in Iran