List of Iranian Americans

Academia/Science

Alexander Abian, mathematician

Sarkis Acopian, inventor, industrialist, environmentalist, and humanitarian

Shahriar Afshar, physicist, namesake of Afshar experiment

Siavash Alamouti, CTO Broad Band and INTEL fellow, inventor of Alamouti Code, code-communication engineer

Abass Alavi, Professor of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and neurology; University of Pennsylvania.

Abbas Amanat, Professor of History & International Studies at Yale University

Nima Arkani-Hamed, physicist from Harvard

Shaul Bakhash, historian, expert in Iranian studies, George Mason University, Clarence J. Robinson Professor of History

Mina Bissell, scientist and biologist, LBL

George Bournoutian, professor, historian, and author

Houchang Chehabi, historian, expert in Iranian studies, Boston University

Hamid Dabashi, Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York City

Richard Danielpour, Professor of Composition, Manhattan School of Music

Touraj Daryaee, Iranologist

Rassoul Dastmozd, President and CEO of Saint Paul College, St. Paul, Minnesota

Sibel Edmonds, former translator who worked as a contractor for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and founder of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC)

Nader Engheta, Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania

Haleh Esfandiari, Middle East Scholar

Nariman Farvardin, Provost of University of Maryland

Bobak Ferdowsi, Systems Engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He served on the Cassini–Huygens and Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity mission

Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York

Ali Hajimiri, inventor, technologist, and Thomas G. Myers Professor of Electrical Engineering, Caltech

Babak Hassibi, Gordon M. Binder/AMGEN Professor of Electrical Engineering, Caltech

Payam Heydari, Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Irvine

Hamid Jafarkhani, leading communication theorist University of California, Irvine.

Ramin Jahanbegloo, philosopher at University of Toronto

Ali Javan, physicist, inventor of gas laser, Professor Emeritus of Physics at MIT

Sepandar Kamvar, computer scientist, Stanford University

Mehran Kardar, physicist, MIT.

Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, Founding Director of Center for Persian Studies, University of Maryland.

Homayoon Kazerooni, professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Berkeley Bionics, inventor of the HULC

Ali Khademhosseini, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

G. A. Mansoori, professor of chemical engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago

Bahram Mashhoon, General Relativity physicist

Robert Mehrabian, President of Carnegie Mellon

Abbas Milani, Director of Iranian Studies Program, Stanford University.

Maryam Mirzakhani, Stanford University Professor the first female winner of Fields Medal

Mohsen Mostafavi, Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design

Hamid Mowlana, Director of the Division of International Communication at American University

Firouz Naderi, NASA director of Mars project.

Majid M. Naini (مجید نایینی), computer scientist, former Professor at University of Pennsylvania, Rumi scholar, writer, poet, translator, speaker

Kayvan Najarian, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Virginia Commonwealth University

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, and a prominent Islamic philosopher. He is the author of many scholarly books and articles

Vali Nasr, a leading expert on Middle East and Islamic world, a best-selling author, influential commentator and Professor of International Politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University, Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings Institution, and a columnist for Bloomberg View

Camran Nezhat, Director, Stanford Endoscopy Center for Training & Technology.

Kaveh Pahlavan, Professor of Computer and Electrical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Gholam A. Peyman, Inventor of LASIK eye surgery

Nader Pourmand, Professor of biomolecular engineering at the Baskin School of Engineering

Majid Rafizadeh, political scientist scholar at Harvard University

Behzad Razavi, Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles

Nouriel Roubini, one of the leading economists of our age, professor of economics at the Stern School of Business, New York University and chairman of RGE Monitor

Pardis Sabeti, world-renowned computational geneticist, Associate Professor at Harvard University

Omid Safi, Professor of Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina and advocate of reform within Islam

Ahmad Salehi, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, in Palo Alto, California

David B. Samadi, vice Chairman of the Department of Urology and Chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Homayoun Seraji, Senior Research Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Ghavam Shahidi, IBM Fellow, Director of Silicon Technology

Manuchehr Shahrokhi, Professor, California State University, Founding Editor, Global Finance Journal and Executive Director, Global Finance Association,

Ray Takeyh, Middle East Scholar and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations

Kamran Talattof, Persian Literature and Iranian Culture, Director of Persian Program University of Arizona

Vahid Tarokh, leading communication theorist Harvard University.

Cumrun Vafa, String theorist in Harvard

Saba Valadkhan, Biomedical scientist, awarded with the Young Scientist Award

Ehsan Yarshater, Hagop Kevorkian Professor Emeritus of Iranian Studies, Director of Center for Iranian Studies, Columbia University, Founder and Editor in Chief of Encyclopaedia Iranica

Lotfi A. Zadeh, mathematician and computer scientist, and a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley; father of Fuzzy Logic

Reza Zadeh, Computer Scientist at Stanford University

Mark Zandi, economist and co-founder of Economy.com, now part of Moody's Analytics

Doreen Granpeesheh, clinical psychologist and producer of the independent award-winning documentary Recovered: Journeys Through the Autism Spectrum and Back

Arts and entertainment

Omid Abtahi, actor

Ray Aghayan, Emmy Award winning costume designer

Shohreh Aghdashloo Academy Award-nominated film/television actress

Dan Ahdoot, stand-up comedian

Jonathan Ahdout, actor

Morehshin Allahyari, artist

Mark Amin, film producer

Max Amini, comedian

Ali Ardekani, businessman, game developer, film developer, and Islamic comedian

Aram Avakian, director, editor

Reza Badiyi, TV director

Catherine Bell, actress (Iranian mother)

Nadia Bjorlin, TV/soap opera actress (Iranian mother)

Nazanin Boniadi, television and film actress

Ala Ebtekar, visual artist whose work explores the cultural intersection of contemporary hip hop and traditional Iran.

Robert Ekhart, film actor and editor-in-chief

Tanaz Eshaghian, documentary filmmaker

Siamak Ghahremani, founder of Noor Iranian Film Festival, radio host.

Nahid Hagigat, illustrator and painter

Taraneh Hemami, visual artist

Jonathan "Jon" Jafari, comedian, Internet personality, video game critic

Pouran Jinchi, contemporary artist

Maz Jobrani, comedian and actor

Cyrus Kar, film director

Bavand Karim, multi-media artist and filmmaker

Andre Khabbazi, actor, semi-professional tennis player

Marco Khanlian, actor

Nahnatchka Khan, screenwriter and producer

Cyrus King, actor

Kamshad Kooshan, screenwriter & director

Rosie Malek-Yonan, actress, author, director, and documentary filmmaker

Marshall Manesh, actor

Mozhan Marno, actress

Shiva Rose McDermott, actress (Iranian father)

Peyman Moaadi, actor, best known for his acting in the Oscar-winning A Separation

Arian Moayed, Tony nominated actor/director

Emud Mokhberi, Academy Award nominated director/animator

Amir Mokri, director of photography

Amir Naderi, film director

Amin Nazemzadeh, actor

Shirin Neshat, visual artist and director

Ali Nejad, Television Personality/Host

Nicky Nodjoumi, painter

Cyrus Nowrasteh, screenwriter and director

Bijan Pakzad noted fashion and perfume designer

Adrian Pasdar, actor (Iranian father)

Artemis Pebdani, actress

Nasim Pedrad, actress, comedian

Behnaz Sarafpour, fashion designer

Ali Sepasyar, actor, Cartoon Network

Sarah Shahi, actress (Iranian father)

Yara Shahidi, actor

Bahar Soomekh, actress

Aramazd Stepanian, actor, producer, playwright

Massy Tadjedin, screenwriter

Elie Tahari, fashion designer

Shaun Toub, actor

Bob Yari, Academy Award winning film producer

Business/Technology

Vahe Aghabegians, entrepreneur

Hamid Akhavan, CEO of Siemens Enterprise Communications.

Vahid Alaghband, founder and Chairman Balli Group PLC

Anousheh Ansari, Cofounder, Prodea systems, Inc.

Sardar Biglari, CEO and founder of Biglari Holdings

J. Darius Bikoff, CEO and founder of Energy Brands

Shahram Dabiri, video game producer, lead producer of World of Warcraft

Kamran Elahian, founder and Chairman Global Catalyst Partners

Fardad Fateri, CEO of International Education Corporation

Arash Ferdowsi, Co-Founder & CTO of Dropbox

Nasir Gebelli, video game developer, programmer of several Nintendo titles including Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy II, Secret of Mana, and Rad Racer

Vartan Gregorian, President of The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Salar Kamangar, CEO of YouTube, VP of Google's web applications

Dara Khosrowshahi, President and CEO, Expedia, Inc.

Omid Kordestani, Former Senior Vice President of Google

Darius Lahoutifard, Serial Internet Entrepreneur, Author, Inventor

Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment, manufacturer of Bratz dolls

Fariborz Maseeh, Pioneer of MEMS & Philanthropist

Manny Mashouf, founder and Chairman of bebe stores

David Merage, co-founder of Chef America Inc., manufacturer of Hot Pockets

Paul Merage, co-founder of Chef America Inc., manufacturer of Hot Pockets

Bob Miner, co-founder of Oracle Corporation and the producer of Oracle's relational database management system.

Ron Najafi, CEO of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals

Izak Parviz Nazarian, business mogul and philanthropist

Sam Nazarian, CEO of the SBE Entertaintment Group

Farzad Nazem, former CTO of Yahoo!

Mehrdad Nikoonahad, founder & CEO, Nikoo Technology, Inc.

Pierre Omidyar, founder of e-Bay (born to Iranian parents)

Hooman Radfar, Founder AddThis

Ali Rowghani, COO of Twitter

Henry D. Sahakian, founder and owner of Uni-Mart

Sina Tamaddon, Senior Vice President of Applications for Apple Computer.

Sean Rad, Founder & CEO of Tinder

Bobby Yazdani. Founder & Former CEO of Saba Software

Zaya Younan, CEO of Younan Properties

Shayan Zadeh, Founder of Zoosk

Literature

Reza Aslan, writer

Laleh Bakhtiar, writer and scholar

Najmieh Batmanglij, chef, writer

Firoozeh Dumas, author of Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America

Arion Golmakani. Author of Solacers, Alireza and Welcome to Circuit City

Roya Hakakian, writer

Rosie Malek-Yonan, author of The Crimson Field

Azar Nafisi, writer

Ghazal Omid (غزل امید), non fiction political writer, non fiction children book writer, speaker, NGO Executive

Shahrnoosh Parsipour, writer

Dalia Sofer, writer

Mahbod Seraji, writer

Sholeh Wolpe, poet, editor and literary translator

Media/Journalism

Sohrab Ahmari, journalist at The Wall Street Journal

Christiane Amanpour, anchor of ABC Sunday morning political affairs program, former CNN chief international correspondent

Davar Ardalan, NPR producer of Tell Me More

Rudi Bakhtiar, Voice of America employee, former Director of Public Relations for the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), former FOX news anchor, former CNN anchor

Shmuley Boteach, rabbi, radio and television host, author

Lisa Daftari, journalist, TV commentator, Founder - The Foreign Desk

Farnaz Fassihi, journalist, Wall Street Journal

Susie Gharib, Anchor of Nightly Business Report distributed by American Public Television

Alireza Jafarzadeh, FOX News Channel Foreign Affairs Analyst

Arash Markazi, journalist, Sports Illustrated

Azadeh Moaveni, journalist, Time Magazine

Asieh Namdar, former CNN anchor

Jason Rezaian, Washington Post Tehran correspondent

Atoosa Rubenstein, former Seventeen (magazine) and CosmoGIRL! editor-in-chief

Roxana Saberi, photojournalist whose 2009 arrest in Iran became a cause celebre (Iranian Father)

Jahan Salehi, President, Agence Global, Inc. syndicate

Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon and MTV Networks Kids & Family Group

Music

Pouyan Afkary, synthesizer musician, member of Scary Kids Scaring Kids

Lily Afshar, classical guitarist

Axiom of Choice, world music group

Rostam Batmanglij, keyboard player of Vampire Weekend, music producer

Leila Bela, Avant-garde musician, actress, writer and former member of Pigface

Cyrus Bolooki, drummer of New Found Glory

Richard Danielpour, composer, Professor of Composition, Manhattan School of Music

Vigen Derderian, singer

Deep Dish, electronic music group

Ramin Djawadi, composer

Kayhan Kalhor, kamancheh player, composer and master of classical Kurdish and Persian music (two of his works were nominated for Grammy Awards in 2004).

Tara Kamangar, pianist and composer

Anousheh Khalili, vocalist

Bahador Kharazmi, Singer/Songwriter & Producer

Daron Malakian, guitarist and vocalist of System of a Down

Lotfi Mansouri, opera director

Tony Petrossian, music video director

Ilya Salmanzadeh, music producer

Ali Tabatabaee, one of the lead singers of Orange County, California-based pop-punk band Zebrahead

Kourosh Zolani, composer, soloist and inventor. Zolani is best known for designing and playing the world's only playable Chromatic Santour

Politics

Roozbeh Aliabadi, Senior Advisor to Director of Strategic Studies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Iran & current affairs commentator New York City

Goli Ameri, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, former U.S. delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, former U.S. public delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, and former Republican candidate for the United States House of Representatives from the 1st district of Oregon

Cyrus Amir-Mokri, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions

Hushang Ansary, former Iranian Minister of Finance and Chairman of National Finance Committee of Bush-Cheney 2004 Campaign

Michael Benjamin, 1996 Republican candidate for the U.S. House from the 8th district of New York, and 2004 United States Senate Republican Primary candidate from New York

Jimmy Delshad, Mayor of Beverly Hills, California

Cyrus Habib, 16th Lieutenant Governor of Washington, first and so far only Iranian-American elected to state office

Ross Mirkarimi, Former Member of San Francisco City Council and current San Francisco Sheriff

Shayan Modarres, 2014 Democratic primary candidate for the U.S. House from the 10th district of Florida

Alex Nowrasteh, immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute, a national expert on immigration policy.

Sahar Nowrouzzadeh, Director for Iran on the White House National Security Council Staff under President Barack H. Obama

Azita Raji, United States Ambassador to Sweden

David Safavian, disgraced former Chief of Staff of the United States General Services Administration

Faryar Shirzad, former Deputy National Security Advisor and White House Deputy Assistant for International Economic Affairs to President George W. Bush

Bob Yousefian, former mayor of Glendale, California

Sports

Andre Agassi, professional Tennis player

Esfandiar Baharmast, World Cup referee, FIFA Instructor, known as Esse Baharmast

David Bakhtiari, football offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), father is Iranian

Eric Bakhtiari, linebacker in the NFL, father is Iranian

Steven Beitashour, Iranian-American soccer player

Farzad Bonyadi, world poker champion

Shawn Daivari, professional wrestler and manager, better known by his stage names of Sheik Abdul Bashir or simply Daivari

Yu Darvish, Japanese-Iranian-American MLB player

Hamid Dastmalchi, world champion of poker

Antonio Esfandiari, champion poker player

Alecko Eskandarian, American soccer player

Andranik Eskandarian, former soccer player

Matt Ghaffari, Siamak Matt Ghaffari - Olympic Silver-Medal Winning Wrestler [[3]]

Afshin Ghotbi, soccer coach, former assistant coach of Korea Republic national football team, Los Angeles Galaxy and Iran national team

Hamed Haddadi, NBA player, center for Phoenix Suns

Andre Heidari, American soccer player

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, NFL wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, father is Iranian.

King Kamali, IFBB pro bodybuilder

Arsalan Kazemi, NBA player

Ameen Khosravian, professional Basketball player

George Malek-Yonan, Iran's "Champion of Champions" in Track & Field and Pentathlon

Garnik Mehrabian, soccer player and coach

Omid Namazi, soccer coach

Amin Abraham Paul Nikfar, Shot Put for the Iranian National Team and 1st Iranian Asian Indoor Champion 2004

Amir Sadollah, Professional mixed martial artist and winner of the ultimate fighter 7

Behdad Sami, First Pro Iranian Basketball player to play in USA history.

Michael Shabaz, tennis player, 2005 Wimbledon boys' doubles championship

Amir Vahedi, professional poker player

Leila Vaziri, The current world record holder of the 50 m women's backstroke

Khosrow Vaziri, retired professional wrestler, better known by his stage name of The Iron Sheik