People who share Iranian heritage are amazingly diverse and accomplished. It is true that America has the most Iranian expats in the world. But their brethren have done well around the globe. Here you see some of the people who have created something special. There are so many individuals of Iranian heritage who have done exciting things that it is always a pleasure to meet them.
Nasim Pedrad
You know her from Saturday Night Live and many other performances. Nasim was born in Tehran but came to the United States when she was three years old.
Andre Agassi
The #1 tennis player in the world during his day. His father was an Olympic boxer for Iran. But Andre was born in the USA, among the games of Las Vegas.
Bob Yari
Film producer Bob Yari was born in Tehran as Babar Yaghoubzadeh before growing up in New York. His films include The Illusionist and the Yellowstone TV series.
Mahsa Amini
Killed by Iran’s morality police for not properly wearing a headscarf. Mahsa’s death set off furious protests across Iran against repression.
Christiane Amanpour
International anchor for CNN, she left Tehran at age 11 for boarding school in England. Coming to the USA for college, she stayed to make and report the news.
JonTron
YouTube phenomenon Jonathan Jafari (aka JonTron) was born in California to an Iranian father. His YouTube channel has over 1.2 billion views.
Steven Beitashour
An international soccer player, Steven was born in the USA to Iranian parents. He has played for the Iran national team, Canadian clubs and USA club teams.
Anousheh Ansari
A high-tech entrepreneur, she came to the USA as a teenager and built several high-tech businesses. That let her sponsor the Ansari space prize, and fly into space.
And Many More
Great People of All Kinds
People who share Iranian heritage are as plentiful and diverse as snowflakes — with no two being exactly the same. Some were born in Iran and many others were born around the world to Iranian parents who taught their children the same traditions. It is a great feeling to revel in this diversity as well as the things which are shared. Enjoy meeting more of these wonderful people.
Cloud: People, Columbia University