Amir Arison (born March 24, 1978) is an American actor, best known for his work as FBI tech expert Aram Mojtabai on NBC’s ''The Blacklist'' for nine seasons.

Early life and education

Arison was born in Saint Louis, MO to father Ron Arison, a surgeon, and mother Zipora Arison, a psychiatrist. He has one older sibling. Amir grew up in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

from the age of 5, where he attended

Pine Crest School Pine Crest School is a private preparatory school with campuses in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, Florida, United States. It was founded in Fort Lauderdale in 1934 by Mae McMillan, who also served as the school's first president. The School has ...

from kindergarten through his senior year in high school. With an early penchant for theatre, Arison received the school's Drama Club Award in the 6th grade, as well as the Founder’s Council Fine Arts Award in Acting his Senior year. Amir performed with the Fort Lauderdale-based professional improv group

ComedySportz ComedySportz (CSz) is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Bob Orvis, Brian Green, and others. Match format The traditional format of a ComedySportz ...

throughout his junior and senior years. He received his SAG card, debuting in a

Sonic Drive-In Sonic Corporation, founded as Sonic Drive-In and more commonly known as Sonic (stylized as SONIC), or "The Drive-In," is an American drive-in fast food restaurant Chain store, chain owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of Arby's and Buf ...

commercial when he was 16. He attended Columbia University, where he earned a BA in English.

Television

In addition to his role as Aram Mojtabai on NBC’s

The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily s ...

, Arison’s television credits include recurring & guest starring roles on ''

American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...

'', Hulu’s '' Ramy'', '' Law & Order: SVU'',Showtime’s '' Billions'', and ''

Bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Neutering, castrated) adult male of the species ''Cattle, Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., Cattle, cows), bulls have long been an important symbol i ...

'' on CBS'','' NCIS, ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...

'', ''

Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...

'', ''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ob ...

,'' Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Warner Brothers' '' H+'' , and many more.

Film

Arison’s film highlights include: ''20 Weeks'', ''

Jane Wants a Boyfriend ''Jane Wants a Boyfriend'' is a 2015 American romantic comedy film directed by William C. Sullivan. The film had its world premiere on June 6, 2015 at the Greenwich International Film Festival and stars Louisa Krause and Eliza Dushku. The plot re ...

'', ''Big Words'', Tom McCarthy’s '' The Visitor'',

Amy Heckerling Amy Heckerling (born May 7, 1954) is an American filmmaker. An alumna of both New York University and the American Film Institute, she directed the commercially successful films ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982), ''National Lampoon's Europ ...

's '' Vamps'',

Nia Vardalos Antonia Eugenia Vardalos (born September 24, 1962) is a Canadian actress, director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known for starring in and writing the romantic comedy film ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' (2002), which garnered her nominati ...

' '' I Hate Valentine's Day'', and '' Merry Friggin' Christmas''.

References

External links

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Broadway Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arison, Amir Living people 1978 births American male film actors American male television actors People from St. Louis 21st-century American male actors American people of Israeli descent Jewish American male actors Columbia College (New York) alumni 21st-century American Jews