Mohammad-Ali Fardin ( fa, محمدعلی فردین, 4 February 1931 – 6 April 2000) was a prominent

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

and

freestyle wrestler Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestling i ...

Biography

Early life

Fardin was born and raised in a poor area in southern

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. He was the eldest of three children. After graduating from high school, Fardin joined the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

and became a freestyle wrestler in his twenties; he won a silver medal at the 1954 World Wrestling Championships and placed fourth in 1957.

Acting

Fardin was a popular lead actor in Iranian cinema, and was known by the title, ''King of Hearts'', after his lead role in an Iranian film of the same title (''Soltane Ghalbha''). He rose to fame in the 1960s. For the average Iranian, he was a heroic figure who served as an alternative to non Iranian movie stars. He was stereotypically cast as the poor tough guy with the heart of gold who got the girl at the end. His films include, ''Behesht Door Nist'', ''Ghazal'', and ''Ganje Qarun''. After the 1979

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

, he starred in only two more films, ''Bar Faraz -e- Asemanha'' and ''Barzakhiha''. He also acted in the Indo Iranian Bollywood film Subah O Sham (1972) starring alongside Waheeda Rehman, Sanjeev Kapoor, Simin Ghaffari and Azar. The film was directed by Tapi Chanakya. His voice in the film was dubbed by Satyen Kappu.

Post-Revolutionary Limitations

Fardin was banned from working for almost the entire time that he lived through the post-revolutionary period. He could only act in one film, ''The Imperilled'' (Barzakhi-ha), which was released in 1982 and resulted in his life-time ban. ''The Imperilled'' was directed by

Iraj Ghaderi Iraj Ghaderi ( fa, ایرج قادری‎; 17 April 1934 – 6 May 2012) was an Iranian film director and actor. He briefly studied to become a pharmacist, but soon dropped out. He died in Tehran on 6 May 2012, aged 77. Life Iraj Ghaderi ...

and had four pre-revolutionary male stars in the lead roles. With its patriotic story about resisting foreign invasion, it was a chance for Fardin, Malek-Motiei, Ghaderi and

Rad RAD or Rad may refer to: People * Robert Anthony Rad Dougall (born 1951), South African former racing driver * Rad Hourani, Canadian fashion designer and artist * Nickname of Leonardus Rad Kortenhorst (1886–1963), Dutch politician * Radley R ...

to renew their threatened careers as actors in the post-revolutionary atmosphere. The film was a hit and became the highest grossing Iranian film of all time in its short period of screening in theaters. But it was soon banned and consequently the four actors were banned from working. Saeed Motalebi, an established writer and director in the pre-revolutionary era, was the writer of the film. He is one of the people who has repeatedly recounted stories about how the film and the actors were banned. About how the film's success was turned into disaster Motalebi says:

In one friday Mr.
Mohsen Makhmalbaf Mohsen Makhmalbaf ( fa, محسن مخملباف, ''Mohsen Makhmalbaaf''; born May 29, 1957) is an Iranian film director, writer, film editor, and producer. He has made more than 20 feature films, won some 50 awards and been a juror in more than 1 ...
gathered a couple of people and they started collecting signatures for a petition which was written on a scroll, stating that "We have made a revolution while these actors are transgressors." They did it right in front of that theater in the Revolution Square near the university of Tehran. They said "Look how theaters are crowded while
friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth day ...
events are deserted." That's how they stopped my film. Then a reporter who was queued to ask something about our film, went and told the then prime minister (
Mir-Hossein Mousavi Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh ( fa, میرحسین موسوی خامنه, Mīr-Hoseyn Mūsavī Khāmené, ; born 2 March 1942) is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the forty-ninth and last Prime Minister of Ira ...
) "There is a film in theaters whose writer wants to convey that people who are fighting in the fronts are problematic persons." The prime minister replied "These are leftovers of junk intellectuals who will soon go to the dustbin of history." Malek-Motiei became jobless and turned his garage into a pastry shop. Ghaderi put some rice bags in his office and became a rice dealer. Fardin opened a pastry shop too and when I went to visit him, I used to wait outside as long as there were no customers so that he wouldn't feel ashamed when he saw me. These were all caused by those illogical efforts which I will never forgive.

Death

Fardin died as a result of

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

on 6 April 2000 at the age of 69. The news of his death was largely ignored by state radio and television, which was run according to the dictates of the Islamic establishment, who had disapproved of his acting career and had banned his films post the 1979 revolution. He was buried in the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery in Tehran. More than 20,000 mourners attended his funeral in

Filmography

Director #

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

: ''Hungry Wolves'' (Gorg-haye Gorosneh) #

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

: ''Love and Revenge'' (Eshgh-o Entegham) #

: ''The Prettiest of All'' (Khoshgel-e Khoshgela) #

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

: ''The Beggars of Tehran'' (Gedayan-e Tehran) #

: ''The Most Bounteous'' (Hatam-e Tahei) #

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

: '' King of the Hearts'' ( Solatan-e Ghalb-ha) #

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

: ''The Golden Castle'' (Ghasr-e Zarrin) #

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

: ''Hell + Me'' (Jahannam + Man) #

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

: ''Story of the Night'' (Ghesse-ye Shab) #

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

: ''The Great Promise'' (Gharar-e Bozorg) #

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

: ''Over the Clouds'' (Bar Faraz-e Aseman-ha) Producer # ''Gorg-haye Gorosne'' (1962) # ''Khoshgel-e Khoshgela'' (1965) # ''Sekke-ye Shans'' (1970) # ''Jahanam + Man'' (1972) # ''Ghesse-ye Shab'' (1973) # ''Gharar Bozorg'' (1975) # ''Bar Faraz-e Aseman-ha'' (1978) Writer # ''Eshgh-o Entegham'' (1965) # ''Khoshgel-e Khoshgela'' (1965) # ''Hatam-e Tahei'' (1966) # '' Solatan-e Ghalb-ha'' (1968) # ''Ghesse-ye Shab'' (1973) Actor # ''Cheshme-ye Ab-e Hayat'' (1960) # ''Farda Roshan Ast'' (1960) # ''Faryad-e Nime Shab'' (1961) - Amir # ''Bive-haye Khandan'' (1961) # ''Dokhtari Faryad Mikeshad'' (1962) # ''Tala-ye Sefid'' (1962) # ''Gorg-haye Gorosne'' (1962) # ''Zamin-e Talkh'' (1962) # ''Zan-ha Fereshte-and'' (1963) # ''Sahel-e Entezar'' (1963) - Ahmad # ''Agha-ye Gharn-e Bistom'' (1964) - Dash Habib # ''Masir-e Roodkhaneh'' (1964) - Mahmood # ''Ensan-ha'' (1964) - Amir # ''Tarane-haye Roostaei'' (1964) # ''Jahanam Zir-e Pa-ye Man'' (1964) - Yargholi # ''Dehkade-ye Talaei'' (1965) # ''Ghahraman-e Gharamanan'' (1965) - Hassan Ferfere # ''Babr-e Koohestan'' (1965) - Majid # ''Eshgh-o Entegham'' (1965) # ''Khoshgel-e Khoshgela'' (1965) # '' Ganj-e Gharoon'' (1965) - Ali bigham # ''Moo Tatalei-e Shahre Ma'' (1965) # ''Hatam-e Taei'' (1966) - Jalal # ''AmirArsalan-e Namdar'' (1966) - Amir Arsalan # ''Mardi az Tehran'' (1966) # ''Gadayan-e Tehran'' (1966) # ''Jahan Pahlavan'' (1966) # ''Wadi al mot'' (1967) # ''Toofan-e Nooh'' (1967) # ''Charkh-e Falak'' (1967) - Mamal Feshfesheh # ''Toofan Bar Faraz-e Patra'' (1968) # ''Ed ora... raccomanda l'anima a Dio!'' (1968) - Stanley Maserick # '' Soltan-e Ghalb-ha'' (1968) - Saeed # ''Shokooh-e Javanmardi'' (1968) # ''Khashm-e Kowli'' (1968) # ''Mardan-e Bokos'' (1968) # ''Na’re Toofan'' (1969) - Toofan # ''Donya-ye Por Omid'' (1969) # ''Ghasr-e Zarrin'' (1969) - The Youngest Son # ''Donya-ye poromid'' (1969) # '' Behesht Door Nist'' (1969) # ''Sekke-ye Shans'' (1970) # ''Yaghoot-e Se Cheshm'' (1970) # ''Mardi az Jonoob-e Shahr'' (1970) - Hadi # ''Kooche Mard-ha'' (1970) - Ali # ''Ayoob'' (1971) - Ayyoob # ''Yek Khoshkel va Hezar Moshkel'' (1971) # ''Mard-e Hezar Labkhand'' (1971) # ''Baba Shamal'' (1971) - Baba Shamal # ''Mi’adGah-e Khashm'' (1971) - Ghadam # ''Mardan-e Khashen'' (1971) - Nasir # ''Homa-ye Sa’adat'' (1971) - Aram # ''Raze Derakhte Senjed'' (1971) # ''Jahanam + Man'' (1972) # ''

Subah-O-Shaam ''Subah-O-Sham'' ( fa, همای سعادت) is a 1972 Indo-Iranian film directed by Tapi Chanakya.The film was shot simultaneously in Hindi and Persian. The Iranian version was released as Homaye Saadet in 1971. Plot The film is based in Tehran, ...

(Persian: همای سعادت) is a 1972 Indo-Iranian film # ''Jabbar, Sarjookhe Farari'' (1973) # ''Ghesse-ye Shab'' (1973) - Mohsen # ''Shekast Napazir'' (1974) - Akbar # ''Salam bar Eshgh'' (1974) # '' Najoor-ha'' (1974) # ''Javanmard'' (1974) # ''Movazebe Kolat Bash'' (1975) - Farhad # ''Ta’asob'' (1975) # ''Gharar-e Bozorg'' (1975) - Amir # ''

Ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

'' (1976) - Hojjat # ''Bar Faraz-e Aseman-ha'' (1978) - Ramin / Shahin # ''Barzakhi-ha'' (1982) - Seyyed Yaqub (final film role)

References

Sources

External links

*
Photograph of Mohammad-Ali Fardin

Photograph of Mohammad-Ali Fardin's grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fardin, Mohammad Ali 1931 births 2000 deaths Iranian wrestlers People from Tehran Iranian screenwriters Iranian film directors Male actors from Tehran Sportspeople from Tehran Iranian male film actors Iranian male sport wrestlers 20th-century Iranian male actors World Wrestling Championships medalists Burials at artist's block of Behesht-e Zahra