Nazanin Boniadi

Nazanin Boniadi was born in Tehran Iran at the height of the Iranian Revolution her parents relocated to London shortly thereafter She performed violin and ballet as a young girl She attended a private high school and later moved to the United States where she earned a bachelors degree with honors in biological sciences from the University of California Irvine At UCI she won the Chang PinChun Undergraduate Research Award for molecular research involving cancer treatment and heart transplant rejection She was also Assistant EditorinChief of MedTimes UCIs undergraduate medical newspaper Nazanin Boniadi is rapidly making her mark in both film and television She costarred as CIA analyst Fara Sherazi on seasons three and four of the Emmy and Golden Globe awardwinning drama Homeland 2011 for which she shared a 2015 SAG Award nomination in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series category Boniadi appeared in the 2016 MGMParamount remake of BenHur Directed by Timur Bekmambetov the film stars Ms Boniadi in the female lead role of Esther opposite Jack Huston Morgan Freeman and Toby Kebbell She will next appear in a leading role opposite Armie Hammer and Dev Patel in Anthony Marass Hotel Mumbai Among her many television credits Boniadi portrayed Nora a relatively longstanding love interest to Neil Patrick Harriss Barney Stinson in seasons six and seven of How I Met Your Mother 2005 She also appeared as the notorious Adnan Salif in season three of Shonda Rhimes hit political drama Scandal 2012 She will next star alongside JK Simmons in the original Starz series Counterpart 2017 created by Justin Marks and Executive Produced by Morten Tyldum On film Boniadi appeared as Amira Ahmed in Jon Favreaus Iron Man 2008 and portrayed a young mother Elaine in Paul Haggis The Next Three Days 2010 She also has several independent features to her credit Born in Tehran at the height of the Iranian Revolution Boniadis parents relocated to London England shortly thereafter where she was raised with an emphasis on education While she was involved in theatre early in life Boniadi later decided she wanted to become a physician She moved to the United States at the age of 19 to attend the University of California Irvine where she received her Bachelors Degree with Honors Deans Academic Achievement and Service Award in Biological Sciences and won the Chang Pin Chun Undergraduate Research Award for her work in hearttransplant rejection and cancer research Switching gears to pursue her first love Boniadi then decided to study acting which included training in Contemporary Drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London under the supervision of dramaturge Lloyd Trott Boniadi is fluent in both English and Persian She is a dedicated human rights activist Boniadi served as a spokesperson for Amnesty International USA AIUSA 20092015 and continues to partner with the nonprofit as an AIUSA Artist of Conscience