List of Iranians
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This is an alphabetic list of notable people from Iran or its historical predecessors.
In the news
- Akbar Ganji
- Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, former President of Iran
- Ali Dizaei, senior officer in the London Metropolitan Police
- Alireza Jafarzadeh, Fox News Channel foreign-affairs analyst
- Anousheh Ansari, first female space tourist, telecommunication entrepreneur and namesake of the Ansari X Prize
- Bahar Soomekh, Iranian-American actor
- Camila Batmanghelidjh, UK's Women of the Year 2006 Award winner; founder of London-based children's charity Kids Company
- Daryush Shokof, artist Maximalism, film director, Iran Zendan, philosopher Yekishim, singer
- Farzan Athari, international model
- Goli Ameri, Republican nominee for U.S. House of Representatives
- Jimmy Delshad, Mayor of Beverly Hills, California
- Kamshad Kooshan, Iranian-American film director
- Kia Joorabchian, businessman
- Ladan and Laleh Bijani
- Mohammad Khatami, former President of Iran
- Nasser David Khalili, billionaire and art collector
- Nazanin Afshin-Jam, actress, singer-songwriter, human-rights activist; Miss World 2003 first runner up; Miss Canada 2003
- Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay
- Ramona Amiri, Miss Canada 2005
- Reza Pahlavi, son of the deposed Shah of Iran
- Rosie Malek-Yonan
- Ross Mirkarimi
- Shermine Shahrivar, Miss Europe 2005
- Shirin Ebadi, recipient 2003 Nobel Peace Prize
- Shiva Nazar-Ahari, human-rights activist
- Shohreh Aghdashloo, Iranian-American actress
- Zahra Kazemi
- Zeynab Jalaliyan, Kurdish prisoner
Artists
Calligraphists
Cartoonists
Barbers
· Alireza Makandy
Cinema artists
Actors
- Akbar Abdi
- Ali Mosaffa
- Ali Nassirian
- Amin Hayaee
- Artemis Pebdani
- Azita Hajian
- Bahar Soomekh
- Bahareh Kian Afshar
- 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
- Nazanin Afshin-Jam
- Niki Karimi
- Parsa Pirouzfar
- Parviz Fannizadeh
- Parviz Parastouee
- Parviz Sayyad
- Pegah Ahangarani
- Reza Kianian
- Rosie Malek-Yonan
- Roxanne Pallett
- Roya Nonahali
- Saeed Rad
- Sarah Shahi
- Shaghayegh Farahani
- Shohreh Aghdashloo
- Sussan Taslimi
- Taraneh Alidousti
- Vahid Gharavi
- Zahra Amir Ebrahimi
Directors and filmmakers
- Abbas Kiarostami, director of Taste of Cherry
- Abdolhossein Sepanta
- Abolfazl Jalili
- Ali Ardekani
- Ali Hatami
- Amir Naderi
- Ardeshir Irani, director of first Indian sound film, Alam Ara
- 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
- Ebrahim Hatamikia
- Emud Mokhberi, Academy Award-nominated director/animator
- Esma'il Kooshan
- Iraj Ghaderi
- Jafar Panahi, director of The Circle
- Kamal Tabrizi
- Kami Asgar
- Kamran Shirdel
- Kamshad Kooshan
- Khosrow Sinai
- Kiarash Anvari
- Mahdi Bemani Naeini
- Majid Majidi, director of Children of Heaven
- Masoud Kimiai
- Mehran Modiri
- Mohsen Makhmalbaf, director of Kandahar
- Nasser Taghvai
- Parviz Kimiavi
- Parviz Nouri
- Shabnam Rezaei
- Parviz Shahbazi
- Parviz Sayyad
- 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
- Tina Gharavi
Film score composers
Designers
Fashion designers
Graphic designers
Entertainers
Comedians
Dancers
- Farzaneh Kaboli, folkloric
- Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam, folkloric
Music video directors
Choreographers
Musicians and singers
Classical
Iranian Classical/traditional
- Abolhasan Saba
- Alinaghi Vaziri
- Dariush Eghbali
- Delkash
- 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
- Nur Ali Elahi
- Parisa
- Parviz Meshkatian
- Parviz Yahaghi
- Ruhollah Khaleghi
- Shahram Nazeri
- Sima Bina
- Zyriab
Modern / traditional
Western Classical
Electronic
- Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia
- Ali Movasat (DJ Aligator)
- Deep Dish
- Leila Arab
- Omid Nourizadeh
- Senadee
- Steve Naghavi from And One
Pop
(Sorted according to the first letter of the most famous name)
- Afshin
- Alireza Assar
- 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
- Nooshafarin
- Omid
- Pyruz
- Reza Sadeghi
- Senadee
- Sepideh
- Shadmehr Aghili
- Shahkar Binesh Pazhooh
- Shahram Shabpareh
- Shahrum K
- Shohreh Solati
- Siavash Ghomeyshi
- Siavash
- Susan Roshan
- Vigen
Rap music
Lyricists
Rock/metal
- Amir Derakh, from the band Orgy
- Angband
- Barad
- Kiosk
Painters, illustrators and sculptors
- Abolhassan Khan Sadighi
- Ali Akbar Sadeghi
- Aydin Aghdashloo
- Bahram Soroush
- Daryush Shokof
- Farhad Sadeghi Amini
- Freydoon Rassouli
- 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
- Shirazeh Houshiary
- Siah Armajani
- Sohrab Sepehri
- Zhaleh Kazemi
Photographers
Theatre artists
Stage actors and actresses
Theatre directors
Journalism/media
Bloggers
Journalists
- Akbar Ganji
- Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi, television, radio, @Print Media (columnist, correspondent)
- Ali Akbar Dehkhoda
- Alireza Jafarzadeh
- Alireza Nourizadeh
- Arash Markazi
- Azadeh Ensha, The New York Times
- Azadeh Moaveni
- Christiane Amanpour
- Ebrahim Nabavi
- Emadeddin Baghi
- Farrokhi Yazdi, Pahlavi era
- Hashem Aghajari
- Hossein Shariatmadari
- Kaveh Golestan, BBC
- Kioumars Saberi Foumani
- Mahshid Amirshahi
- Masih Alinejad
- Masih Farzaneh
- Masoud Dehnamaki
- Massoud Behnoud
- Mehran Ghassemi
- Mirzadeh Eshghi
- Mohammad Ghouchani
- 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
Television personalities
- Adel Ferdosipour, football announcer, Navad program
- Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi, correspondent, commentator, anchorman
- 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
- Zia Atabay, TV presenter at NITV United
Leaders and politicians
The list here excludes the royalty. An extensive list of Persian royalty appears further down in this page.
See also Ministerial Head of Government in Iran Heads of Government of Iran (1699-1907) and List of Prime Ministers of Iran.
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
- Colonel Pesian
- Dr Talequani Heshmat, Jangali leader and ally of Mirza Kuchek Khan
- 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
Modern (post-Qajar)
Pahlavi period
- Abdol Karim Ayadi, personal physician to Reza Pahlavi
- Ali Akbar Davar, minister, and founder of Iran's modern Judiciary system
- 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 & Television and Pars News Agency
- Mahmoud Khayami, industrialist
- Mahmud Mahmud, politician
- Abbas Salour, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Head of the Land Reform, General Governor of Kermanshah, General Governor of Khoozestan, Board of directors of The National PetroChemical Company
- Manucher Mirza Farman Farmaian, director of sales for NIOC and Ambassador to Venezuela
- Mohammad Hosein Airom, senior military leader
- 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, current president
- Hossein Shariatmadari
- Iraj Fazel, minister of health
- 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 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
- Masoud Rajavi, militant opposition leader
- Mohsen Kadivar
- 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 Radio Aras
- Roozbeh Farahanipour, founder of Marze Por Gohar
- Shirin Ebadi, recipient 2003 Nobel Peace Prize
- Yadollah Sahabi
Other nations
- Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan; half-Iranian (mother Nusrat Bhutto)
- Dan Halutz, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces
- Goli Ameri, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
- Maryam Yazdanfar, member of the Swedish parliament (Riksdag), Sweden
- Moshe Katsav, former President of Israel
- Tahia Kazem, former first lady of Egypt, wife of President Gamal Abdel Nasser
- Nusrat Bhutto, former first lady of Pakistan
- Omid Nouripour, member of the German parliament (Bundestag), Germany
- 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
Literature figures
Authors and poets
- See main list: List of Persian poets and authors
Translators
- 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
- 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
- Muhammad ibn Ismail ad-Darazi
- Mulla Sadra
- Safi-ad-din Ardabili
- Salman the Persian
- Zahed Gilani
- Zoroaster, prophet
Royalty
See comprehensive list of Persian/Iranian royalty.
Scientists, scholars, and academics
See comprehensive List of Iranian scientists and engineers of the pre-modern age.
See comprehensive List of Iranian scientists and engineers of the modern age.
Architects and Mi'mars
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
Linguists
Intellectuals and philosophers
Technology
Data Center Technologies
- Saman Naeen, Infrastructure Manager, Computer Engineer
Video game, visual effects, computer imagery
- Reza Mohammady, Human–computer interaction engineer
- Habib Zargarpour, visual effects specialist, video game art director
Sports
* Yu Darvish, MLB baseball player for the Texas Rangers
- 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, football player
- 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
- Arian Ramezani,teenager basketball player and runner
- 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
- 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 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
- Rahman Rezaei, football player
- Rasoul Khadem, Olympic gold medalist wrestler
- Ruhollah Bigdeli, football player
- 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.
Other
- Ali Dashti
- Alireza Afzalipour, businessman and philanthropist; founder of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman
- Bijan Pakzad, designer
- Farah Karimi, Iranian female Dutch Member of Parliament[1]
- George Deukmejian, former Governor of California
- Mehran Karimi Nasseri
- Moshe Katsav, President of Israel
- Ross Mirkarimi, former member of San Francisco City Council from Green Party
- Saadat Khan, first Nawab of Oudh in India
- Shahram Entekhabi, Iranian-born artist and architect[2]
- Shahram Jazayeri
- Shahram Dabiri, lead producer responsible for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft
- Shaul Mofaz, Israeli Defense Minister
- Wajid Ali Shah, last Nawab of Oudh, disposed of by the British East India Company
- Zahra Eshraghi, granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini and wife of Mohammad Reza Khatami
Famous Iranians of Armenian Descent
- Alenush Terian, scientist
- Andranik Eskandarian, footballer
- Andranik Teymourian, footballer
- Andre Agassi, tennis champion
- 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
Famous 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
- Rosie Malek-Yonan, actress, activist and author of book The Crimson Field
- Shoura Osipov, 1948 Olympics boxer representing Iran
- Shoura Osipov, Olympic boxer
- Mar Youhannan Semaan Issayi, Archbishop of Assyro-Chaldean Metropolitan Tehran
- Paul Caldani, composer, writer and music researcher
Emigrants and immigrants
Famous Americans in Iran
- Howard Baskerville, Iran's first American martyr
- Joseph Cochran, second-generation American missionary in Urmiah; established first Iranian medical college
- Arthur Millspaugh, Treasury General, Persia
- Arthur Pope and Phyllis Ackerman, Persian culture revivalists
- 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
- Samuel M. Jordan, namesake of "Jordan Ave." in Tehran
- William M. Miller
Famous Germans in Iran
- Annemarie Schimmel, German-born Harvard expert on Iranian literature
- Wilhelm Wassmuss, German diplomat, spy and military hero, Iran, World War I
Famous Iranians in America
See separate article: List of Iranian Americans.
Famous Iranians in Canada
See article: Iranian-Canadian
Famous Iranians in Britain
Famous Iranians in Germany
Iranians in Australia
Iranians in the Netherlands
Iranians in Sweden
Iranians in Egypt
- Tahia Kazem, wife of president Gamal Abdel Nasser; born in Egypt to Iranian parents
Famous 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