Sam Golzari ( fa, سام گلزاری; born 12 July 1979) is a British actor of

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 descent active in the United States. He is known for his debut role in ''

American Dreamz ''American Dreamz'' is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Paul Weitz. It satirizes both popular entertainment and American politics during the second Bush administration, called a "cultural satire" by Weitz. Reviews were mixed and the f ...

.'' Golzari was born in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England, to parents of

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

origin. He received his BA from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

in 2003, where he worked in the Conservatory Acting Program. Golzari got his start at the age of four as a

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

impersonator. Besides his work at UCLA, Golzari has also been a lab member of the

Latino Theater Company The Latino Theater Company (LTC) is a theatre producing organization based in Los Angeles, California. History Latino Theater Company was founded in 1985 by its Artistic Director, Jose Luis Valenzuela. Founding members included Lupe Ontiver ...

under Jose Luis Valenzuela. Golzari's plans were to stay in the theater, but while at college he started working on student films. It was there that he began to find a love for the craft of filmmaking. His short film ''The Break'' won an award for the "best ensemble cast" at the Method Fest film festival. After this, he got his TV debut when the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

network aired his film ''The Invisible Man'', directed by UCLA film student Angela Mrema. After college graduation, Golzari landed the first Hollywood film for which he auditioned, ''

''. In the film he stars alongside

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...

Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her debut studio album, '' So Real'' (1999), recei ...

and

Dennis Quaid Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor known for a wide variety of dramatic and comedic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the late 1970s, some of his notable credits include ''Breaking Away'' (1979), '' The ...

. Since that film, he plays the role of Kameron in the film '' 21'' alongside

Jim Sturgess James Anthony Sturgess''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 16 May 1978) is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His first major role was as Jude in the musical romance drama film ''Acros ...

and

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolades ...

. He has also worked with

Tony Shalhoub Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( ; born October 9, 1953), is an American actor. His accolades include five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, six Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award nomination. He played Adrian Monk in the USA Net ...

on the film ''

AmericanEast ''AmericanEast'' is a 2008 American drama film about Arab-Americans living in Los Angeles after the September 11 attacks. The story examines long-held misunderstandings about Arabic and Islamic culture by focusing on the points-of-view of three m ...

'', as well as an all-improv mockumentary, ''Juan Francis: Live'', produced by

Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (born July 27, 1922) is an American producer and screenwriter, who has produced, written, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear is known for many popular 1970s sitcoms, including the multi-award winning ''All in the Famil ...

. Golzari is also a founding member of the LA-based band the ''Elevaters'', who have released a self-titled EP as well as a full-length album entitled "Rising." He has also appeared in 2016 American film, Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Golzari, Sam 1979 births English expatriates in the United States English male film actors English people of Iranian descent Living people Male actors from London People from Hammersmith UCLA Film School alumni 20th-century English male actors English male television actors