List of Iranians

In the news

• Akbar Ganji
• Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, former Dictator of Iran
• Ali Dizaei, senior officer in the London Metropolitan Police
• Alireza Jafarzadeh, Fox News Channel foreign-affairs analyst
• Anousheh Ansari, first female space tourist, telecommunication entrepreneur and namesake of the Ansari X Prize
• Bahar Soomekh, Iranian-American actor
• Camila Batmanghelidjh, UK's Women of the Year 2006 Award winner; founder of London-based children's charity Kids Company
• Daryush Shokof, artist Maximalism, film director,
• Daryoush Ayyoubi
• Goli Ameri, Republican nominee for U.S. House of Representatives
• Hangi Tavakoli, Multi-Platinum music producer and songwriter
• Iran Zendan, philosopher
• Jimmy Delshad, Mayor of Beverly Hills, California
• Kia Joorabchian, businessman
• Ladan and Laleh Bijani
• Mohammad Khatami, former Dictator of Iran
• Nasser David Khalili, billionaire and art collector
• Nazanin Afshin-Jam, actress, singer-songwriter, human-rights activist; Miss World 2003 first runner-up; Miss Canada 2003
• Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay
• Ramona Amiri, Miss Canada 2005
• Reza Pahlavi, son of the deposed Shah of Iran
• Shermine Shahrivar, Miss Europe 2005
• Shirin Ebadi, recipient of 2003 Nobel Peace Prize
• Shiva Nazar-Ahari, human-rights activist
• Shohreh Aghdashloo, Iranian-American actress
• Zahra Kazemi
• Zeynab Jalaliyan, Kurdish prisoner
• Hossein Rajabian, imprisoned filmmaker
• Mehdi Rajabian, imprisoned musician
• Asghar Farhadi, Oscar winner

  Artists

Calligraphists

• Gholam Hossein Amirkhani
• Abolhassan Etessami
• Mir Emad Hassani
• Seyyed Jafar Kashfi
• Yadollah Kaboli Khansari
• Mishkín-Qalam
• Jalil Rasouli
• Mehdi Saeedi
• Mir Ali Tabrizi

  Cartoonists

• Golnar Servatian
• Javad Alizadeh
• Maziyar Bizhani
• Nikahang Kowsar
• Mana Neyestani

  Cinema artists

Actors

• Akbar Abdi
• Ali Mosaffa
• Ali Nassirian
• Amin Hayaee
• Amirhossein Arman
• Artemis Pebdani
• Azita Hajian
• Bahar Soomekh
• Bahram Radan
• Behrouz Vossoughi
• Behzad Farahani
• Bijan Daneshmand
• Bita Farrahi
• Bizhan Emkanian
• Catherine Bell
• Christiane Amanpour
• Daryoush Arjmand
• Daryush Shokof
• Davoud Rashidi
• Delkash
• Ezzatollah Entezami
• Faramarz Gharibian
• Farimah Farjami
• Fatemeh Motamed-Aria
• Golab Adineh
• Golshifteh Farahani
• Googoosh
• Hamed Behdad
• Hedyeh Tehrani
• Homa Rousta
• Homayoun Ershadi
• Jahangir Forouhar
• Jamileh Sheykhi
• Jamshid Mashayekhi
• Kamshad Kooshan
• Kazem HajirAzad
• Khosrow Shakibaee
• Leila Forouhar
• Leila Hatami
• Mahaia Petrosian
• Mahnaz Afshar
• Majid Majidi
• Maz Jobrani
• Mehdi Fat'hi
• Mehdi Hashemi
• Mehran Modiri
• Merila Zarei
• Mohammad Ali Fardin
• Mohammad Ali Keshavarz
• Mohammad Reza Foroutan
• Mohammad Reza Golzar
• Mohammad Reza Sharifinia
• Nazanin Afshin-Jam
• Nazanin Bayati
• Nematollah Aghasi
• Niki Karimi
• Parsa Pirouzfar
• Parviz Fannizadeh
• Parviz Parastouee
• Parviz Sayyad
• Pegah Ahangarani
• Reza Kianian
• Roxanne Pallett
• Roya Nonahali
• Saeed Rad
• Sarah Shahi
• Shaghayegh Farahani
• Shohreh Aghdashloo
• Sussan Taslimi
• Taraneh Alidousti
• Zahra Amir Ebrahimi

  Directors and filmmakers

• Abbas Kiarostami, director of Taste of Cherry
• Abdolhossein Sepanta
• Abolfazl Jalili
• Ali Ardekani
• Ali Hatami
• Ali Sajadi Hoseini
• Amir Naderi
• Ardeshir Irani, director of first Indian sound film, Alam Ara
• Asghar Farhadi, director of A Separation
• Babak Payami
• Bahman Farman-Ara
• Bahman Ghobadi, director of A Time for Drunken Horses
• Bahman Maghsoudlou
• Bahram Beizai
• Behrooz Gharibpoor
• Darius Khondji
• Darius Mehrjui
• Daryush Shokof, director of Seven Servants and Iran Zendan
• Desiree Akhavan, director of Appropriate Behavior
• Ebrahim Hatamikia
• Emud Mokhberi, Academy Award-nominated director and animator
• Esma'il Kooshan
• Iraj Ghaderi
• Jafar Panahi, director of The Circle
• Kamal Tabrizi
• Kami Asgar
• Kamran Shirdel
• Kamshad Kooshan
• Khosrow Sinai
• Kiarash Anvari
• Mahdi Bemani Naeini
• Majid Majidi, director of Children of Heaven
• Masoud Kimiai
• Mehran Modiri
• Mohsen Makhmalbaf, director of Kandahar
• Nasser Taghvai
• Parviz Kimiavi
• Hossein Rajabian, director of The Upside-down Triangle
• Parviz Nouri
• Shabnam Rezaei
• Parviz Shahbazi
• Parviz Sayyad
• Bob Yari, Iranian-born American film producer
• Pouran Derakhshandeh, award-winning film director and producer
• Rakhshan Bani-Etemad
• Ramin Farahani
• Rasoul Mollagholipour
• Reza Badiyi
• Sadaf Foroughi
• Samira Makhmalbaf, director of At Five in the Afternoon
• Samuel Khachikian
• Sohrab Shahid-Sales
• Tina Gharavi

  Film score composers

• Hossein Alizadeh
• Ramin Djawadi
• Hangi Tavakoli
• Fariborz Lachini
• Ahmad Pejman
• Peyman Yazdanian
• Mehdi Rajabian

  Theatre artists

• Taha Behbahani
• Mohsen Shah Ebrahimi

  Designers

Fashion designers

• Pegah Anvarian
• Nima Behnoud
• Bijan
• Shirin Guild
• Arefeh Mansouri
• Behnaz Sarafpour
• Mahla Zamani

  Graphic designers

• Reza Abedini
• Farshid Mesghali
• Morteza Momayez
• Mehdi Saeedi
• Ghobad Shiva

  Entertainers

Comedians

• Baba Ali, Islamic comedy
• Max Amini
• Omid Djalili
• Negin Farsad
• Shahin Jamie
• Maz Jobrani
• Shaparak Khorsandi
• Hadi Khorsandi
• Ebrahim Nabavi
• Nasim Pedrad

  Dancers

• Jamileh
• Farzaneh Kaboli, folkloric
• Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam, folkloric

  Music video directors

• Alec Cartio

  Choreographers

• Nima Kiann

  Musicians and singers

Classical

Iranian Classical/traditional

• Abolhasan Saba
• Alinaghi Vaziri
• Dariush Eghbali
• Elaheh
• Gholam-Hossein Banan
• Homayoun Shajarian
• Hossein Khaje Amiri
• Hossein Tehrani
• Hossein Alizadeh
• Jalal Zolfonun
• Javad Maroofi
• Kamkarha
• Kayhan Kalhor
• Mahmoud Zoulfonoun
• Marzieh
• Maryam Akhondy
• Mirza Abdollah Farahani
• Mohammad Reza Lotfi
• Mohammad Shams
• Mohammad-Reza Shajarian
• Mohsen Namjoo
• Morteza Hannaneh
• Mehdi Rajabian
• Nur Ali Elahi
• Parisa
• Parviz Meshkatian
• Parviz Yahaghi
• Ruhollah Khaleghi
• Shahram Nazeri
• Sima Bina
• Zyriab

  Modern / traditional

• Ahmad Pejman
• Axiom of Choice
• Farhad Fakhreddini
• Morteza Hannaneh
• Niyaz
• Ramin Rahimi
• Zohreh Jooya
• Mehdi Rajabian

  Western Classical

• Ali Rahbari
• Alireza Mashayekhi
• Aminollah Hossein
• Anoushiravan Rohani
• Armik
• Hangi Tavakoli
• Heshmat Sandjari
• Lily Afshar
• Loris Tjeknavorian
• Lotfi Mansouri
• Mahan Esfahani
• Sahba Aminikia
• Mehdi Hosseini
• Nader Mashayekhi
• Reza Najfar
• Shahrdad Rohani
• Hooman Khalatbari

  Electronic

• Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia
• Ali Movasat
• Ashkan Kooshanejad
• Deep Dish
• Leila Arab
• Senadee
• Sharam Tayebi
• Steve Naghavi from And One

  Pop

• Afshin
• Alireza Assar
• Alireza Tlischi
• Andy Madadian
• Anousheh Khalili
• Arash
• Aref
• Arian Band
• Ali Hosseinzadeh
• Bijan Mortazavi
• Darius Danesh
• Dariush Eghbali
• Delkash
• Ebi
• Faramarz Aslani
• Farhad
• Fereidoun Foroughi
• Fazad Farzin
• Googoosh
• Habib
• Hassan Sattar
• Hassan Shamaizadeh
• Hayadeh
• Homeyra
• Kouros
• Leila Forouhar
• Mahasti
• Mansour
• Mehrdad
• Moein
• Mohammad Esfahani
• Mohammad Nouri
• Omid
• Pyruz
• Reza Bahram
• Reza Sadeghi
• Senadee
• Sepideh
• Shadmehr Aghili
• Shahkar Binesh Pazhooh
• Shahram Shabpareh
• Shahrum K
• Shohreh Solati
• Siavash Ghomeyshi
• Siavash
• Susan Roshan
• Vigen

  Rap music

• Hichkas
• Zedbazi
• Yas
• Shahin Najafi
• Bahram
• Erfan

  Lyricists

• Aref Ghazvini
• Hangi Tavakoli
• Hossein Monzavi
• Leila Kasra
• Maryam Heydarzadeh
• Rahim Moeini Kermanshahi
• Shahyar Ghanbari

  Rock/metal

• Amir Derakh, from the band Orgy
• Angband
• Barad
• Kiosk

  Painters, illustrators and sculptors

• Abolhassan Khan Sadighi
• Ali Akbar Sadeghi
• Amir Shayesteh Tabar
• Aydin Aghdashloo
• Bahram Soroush
• Daryush Shokof
• Farhad Sadeghi Amini
• Freydoon Rassouli
• Haydar Hatemi
• Hossein Behzad
• Hossein Valamanesh
• Hossein Zenderoudi
• Iran Darroudi
• Jazeh Tabatabai
• Kamal ol-Molk
• Kamaleddin Behzad
• Mahmoud Farshchian
• Mani
• Maryam Hashemi
• Mohammad Ali Taraghijah
• Mohsen Vaziri-Moghaddam
• Mokarrameh Ghanbari
• Noreen Motamed
• Parviz Tanavoli
• Reza Abbasi
• Shahla Aghapour
• Shahla Arbabi
• Shirazeh Houshiary
• Siah Armajani
• Sohrab Sepehri
• Zhaleh Kazemi

  Photographers

• Abbas
• Abbas Kiarostami
• Alfred Yaghobzadeh
• Ali Ghanbari
• Ali Khan Vali
• Jahangir Razmi
• Kaveh Golestan
• Maryam Zandi
• Mitra Tabrizian
• Morteza Avini
• Nader Davoodi
• Nasrollah Kasraian
• Newsha Tavakolian
• Reza Deghati
• Hossein Rajabian
• Sadegh Tirafkan
• Shadi Ghadirian
• Shahram Entekhabi
• Shirana Shahbazi
• Shirin Neshat
• Hooman noori

  Theatre artists

Stage actors and actresses

• Ahmad Saatchian
• Ali Nassirian
• Behzad Farahani
• Hayley Tamaddon
• Kazem HajirAzad
• Mehdi Bajestani
• Mohammad Reza Jozi
• Ramin Karimloo
• Roya Teymourian
• Shamsi Fazlollahi
• Shiva Boloorian

  Theatre directors

• Akbar Radi
• Bahram Bayzai
• Behrouz Gharibpour
• Ghotbeddin Sadeghi
• Hengameh Mofid
• Hossein Rajabian
• Mohammad Yaghoubi
• Mostafa Oskooyi
• Shiva Boloorian

  Journalism/media

Bloggers

• Hossein Derakhshan
• Massoumeh Ebtekar
• Mehdi Jami
• Mohammad Ali Abtahi
• Mojtaba Saminejad
• Omid Memarian
• Sina Motalebi

  Journalists

• Akbar Ganji
• Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi
• Ali Akbar Dehkhoda
• Alireza Jafarzadeh
• Alireza Nourizadeh
• Arash Markazi
• Azadeh Ensha, The New York Times
• Azadeh Moaveni
• Christiane Amanpour
• Ebrahim Nabavi
• Emadeddin Baghi
• Farjam Behnam
• Farrokhi Yazdi, Pahlavi era
• Hashem Aghajari
• Hossein Shariatmadari
• Kaveh Golestan, BBC
• Kioumars Saberi Foumani
• Mahshid Amirshahi
• Masih Alinejad
• Masoud Dehnamaki
• Massoud Behnoud
• Mehran Ghassemi
• Mirzadeh Eshghi
• Hossein Rajabian
• Mohammad Ghouchani
• Mohammad Taghi Bahar
• Nikahang Kowsar
• Omid Memarian
• Rudi Bakhtiar
• Saeed Hajjarian
• Saeed Kamali Dehghan
• Shadi Sadr
• Sina Motallebi
• Youness Shokrkhah
• Maziar Bahari
• Saeed Kamali Dehghan

  Television personalities

• Adel Ferdosipour, football announcer, Navad program
• Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi, correspondent, commentator, anchorman
• Mehrdad Kia, T.V. and Radio Broadcaster and executive producer in television and music industry.
• Alireza Jafarzadeh, Foreign Affairs Analyst, Fox News
• Asieh Namdar, news anchor at CNN
• Christiane Amanpour, television journalist, CNN
• Fereydoun Farrokhzad, TV personality and opposition figure
• Jian Ghomeshi, musician, writer, and former CBC radio broadcaster
• Maryam Namazi, news anchor at Al Jazeera
• Reza Fazeli, actor, film director and opposition figure
• Rudi Bakhtiar, news anchor, formerly with CNN and Fox News
• Zia Atabay, TV presenter at NITV United

  Leaders and politicians

Historical (pre-Pahlavi Dynasty)

• Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma, prime minister, multiple other roles
• Abu Muslim, leader of the Persian uprising against Arabs
• Amir-Kabir, Grand Vizier
• Babak Khorram Din, leader of the Persian uprising against Arabs
• Bagher Khan, constitutionalist leader
• Bozorgmehr, sage and Grand Vizier of Sasanids
• Dr Talequani Heshmat, Jangali leader and ally of Mirza Kuchek Khan
• Fazlollah Noori, conservative clergy opposing Constitutionalists; hanged
• Ghaem Magham Farahani, prime minister
• Hassan-e-Sabbah, sectarian political leader
• Kaveh the blacksmith, mythical leader and liberator against the rule of Zahhak, an Arab king
• Mahmud Khan Puladeen, senior military general
• Maziar, son of Karan; leader of the Persian uprising against Arabs
• Mirza Kuchek Khan, constitutionalist leader of Guilan
• Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi, Nader Shah's Chief Minister
• Mirza Reza Kermani, assassinated Nasereddin Shah
• Mohammad Khiabani, popular leader during Constitutionalist Revolution
• Mohammad Mossadegh, prime minister
• Mostowfi ol-Mamalek, prime minister
• Nosrat Dowleh Firouz Mirza, provincial governor
• Safi-ad-din Ardabili, spiritual founder of Safavid dynasty
• Sattar Khan, constitutionalist leader

  Modern (post-Qajar)

Pahlavi period

• Abdol Hossein Hamzavi, Iranian diplomat, author and representative to the United Nations
• Abdol Karim Ayadi, personal physician to Reza Pahlavi
• Ali Akbar Davar, minister, and founder of Iran's modern judiciary system
• Ali Gholi Ardalan, Iranian ambassador to the USA, West Germany and the USSR
• Amanullah Jahanbani, senior military leader, and father-in-law of Christiane Amanpour's father
• Amir Abdollah Tahmasebi, military leader
• Ardeshir Zahedi
• Bahram Aryana, military commander
• Dr Ahmad Ahmadi, prison interrogator
• Farokhroo Parsa, minister of education
• George Malek-Yonan, procured a seat in Iran's Parliament for Assyrians as a recognized minority
• Hasan Arfa, Army General, Ambassador to Russia, Ambassador to Turkey
• Hassan Modarres, member of Parliament
• Hassan Pakravan, head of SAVAK
• Heidar Arfaa, Conseiller d'État, Minister of Agriculture, Député-Majlis Fars Province
• Hossein Fardoust, deputy head of SAVAK
• Hossein Fatemi, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Hushang Ansary, Minister of Finance, President of NIOC
• Karim Buzarjomehri, Army General military aide of Reza Shah, Mayor of Tehran
• Mahmoud Jafarian, head of National Iranian Radio and Television and Pars News Agency
• Mahmoud Khayami, industrialist
• Mahmud Mahmud, politician
• Manucher Mirza Farman Farmaian, director of sales for NIOC and Ambassador to Venezuela
• Mohammad Ali Keshavarz Sadr, Mossadegh's Deputy and a leader of the Second National Front
• Nader Jahanbani, air force general, pilot
• Nasser Moghaddam, head of SAVAK
• Nematollah Nassiri, head of SAVAK
• Abbas Mirza Farman Farmaian, Minister of Parliament
• Sattareh Farman Farmaian, established first social worker schools in Iran
• Sepahbod Ahmad Amir-Ahmadi, military leader
• Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee
• Shapour Bakhtiar, prime minister
• Soraya Esfandiary Bakhtiari
• Teymour Bakhtiar, head of SAVAK
• Abdolhossein Teymourtash, Iranian statesman
• Mirza Javad Khan Ameri, Minister, MP

  Served in Islamic Republic government

• Abdolkarim Mousavi-Ardabili
• Abdollah Noori, minister of interior
• Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, government spokesman
• Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari, minister of interior
• Abolhassan Banisadr, president
• Ahmad Jannati, chair of Council of Guardians
• Ahmad Khatami
• Ahmad Khomeini
• Ahmad Tavakkoli, minister of labour
• Akbar Torkan, minister of roads and transportation
• Ala'eddin Boroujerdi, member of parliament
• Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, president
• Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, member of parliament
• Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri, speaker of parliament
• Ali Akbar Salehi
• Ali Fallahian, minister of intelligence
• Ali Khamenei, supreme leader
• Ali Larijani, president of IRIB
• Ali Meshkini, chair of Assembly of Experts
• Ali Movahhedi-Kermani
• Ali Shamkhani, minister of defence
• Ali Younessi, minister of information
• Alireza Noori, member of parliament
• Asadollah Lajevardi
• Ata'ollah Mohajerani, minister of culture and Islamic guidance
• Ayatollah Amini, deputy chair of Assembly of Experts
• Ayatollah Mohammadi-Gilani
• Ayatollah Sane'i
• Ayatollah Va'ez-Tabasi
• Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi
• Behzad Nabavi, vice speaker of parliament
• Bizhan Namdar-Zangeneh, minister of oil
• Ebrahim Asgharzadeh
• Ebrahim Yazdi, foreign minister of interim government
• Elaheh Koulai, member of parliament
• Emad Afrough, member of parliament
• Ezzatollah Zarghami, president of IRIB
• Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani, member of parliament
• Fatemeh Haghighatjou, member of parliament
• Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel, speaker of parliament
• Gholam Hossein Elham
• Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi, minister of intelligence
• Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri
• Hadi Khamenei, member of parliament
• Hamid Reza Assefi, foreign affairs spokesman
• Hassan Habibi, first vice president
• Hassan Rouhani, current president
• Hossein Shariatmadari
• Iraj Fazel, minister of health
• Kamal Daneshyar, member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly
• Kamal Kharrazi, minister of foreign affairs
• Kazem Jalali, politician
• Kazem Rajavi, politician
• Kazem Seddiqi, politician
• Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former president
• Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, former chief justice
• Majid Ansari, member of parliament
• Manuchehr Eliasi, Jewish member of parliament
• Masoud Pezeshkian, minister of health
• Masoumeh Ebtekar, vice president
• Mehdi Bazargan, prime minister
• Mehdi Hashemi
• Mehdi Karroubi, speaker of parliament
• Mir-Hossein Mousavi, prime minister
• Mohammad Abaee-Khorasani, member of parliament
• Mohammad Ali Abtahi, vice president
• Mohammad Ali Najafi, minister of education
• Mohammad Ali Rajai, president
• Mohammad Beheshti, head of judiciary
• Mohammad Emami-Kashani
• Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani
• Mohammad Javad Bahonar, prime minister
• Mohammad Javad Larijani, member of parliament
• Mohammad Khatami, president
• Mohammad Reyshahri
• Mohammad Reza Aref, first vice president
• Mohammad Reza Bahonar, vice speaker of parliament
• Mohammad Reza Khatami, deputy speaker of parliament
• Mohammad Reza Mahdavi-Kani
• Mohammad Sattarifar, vice president
• Mohammad Yazdi, head of judiciary
• Mohsen Armin, member of parliament
• Mohsen Mirdamadi, member of parliament
• Mohsen Nourbakhsh, head of Central Bank of Iran
• Mohsen Rezaee, member of Expediency Discernment Council
• Mohsen Safaee-Farahani, member of parliament and head of Iranian Football Federation
• Mohseni-Ezhe'i
• Morteza Motahhari
• Mostafa Chamran, Minister of Defense
• Mostafa Tajzadeh, deputy minister of interior
• Nasrollah Jahangard, chair of Supreme Council of ICT
• Rahim Safavi
• Rasoul Montajebnia, member of parliament
• Ruhollah Hosseinian
• Ruhollah Khomeini, supreme leader, founder of the Islamic Republic
• Sadegh Ghotbzadeh, minister of foreign affairs
• Sadegh Khalkhali, Sharia ruler
• Sadegh Larijani
• Saeed Emami, vice minister of intelligence
• Saeed Hajjarian, Tehran council member
• Saeed Mortazavi
• Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli, head of Central Bank of Iran, Ambassador to United Kingdom

  Not served or opposition

• Abbas Amir-Entezam
• Abdolrahman Ghasemlou
• Abolghasem Kashani
• Ahmad Zirakzadeh
• Ali Shariati, sociologist
• Alireza Rajaei
• Asghar Parsa
• Azam Taleghani
• Bijan Jazani
• Dariush Forouhar
• Daryush Shokof, director of films Iran Zendan and Hitler's Grave
• Ezzatollah Sahabi
• Gholam-Hossein Sadighi
• Habibollah Peiman
• Hashem Aghajari
• Jafar Pishevari
• Mahmoud Taleghani
• Mansoor Hekmat
• Maryam Rajavi
• Massoud Rajavi, militant opposition leader
• Mehdi Khalaji
• Mohsen Sazegara
• Mousa Sadr
• Nasser Zarafshan
• Navvab Safavi, militant cleric
• Parviz Varjavand
• Reza Alamouti, Central Committee Member of the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas; founder of Radio Aras
• Roozbeh Farahanipour, founder of Marze Por Gohar
• Shirin Ebadi, recipient of 2003 Nobel Peace Prize
• Yadollah Sahabi

  Other nations

• Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan; half-Iranian
• Dan Halutz, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces
• Goli Ameri, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
• Maryam Yazdanfar, member of the Swedish parliament, Sweden
• Moshe Katsav, former President of Israel
• Tahia Kazem, former first lady of Egypt, wife of President Gamal Abdel Nasser
• Nusrat Bhutto, former first lady of Pakistan
• Omid Nouripour, member of the German parliament, Germany
• Reza Moridi, member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada
• Shaul Mofaz, Israeli Minister of Transport and a Deputy Prime Minister, and former Minister of Defense

  Literature figures

Authors and poets

• See main list: List of Persian poets and authors

  Translators

• Abdolmajid Eskandari, academic and translator
• Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi, author and translator
• Karim Emami, author and translator
• Majid M. Naini, author and translator
• Mohammad Ghazi, translator
• Shahrokh Meskoob, author and translator

  Religious figures

• Majlesi
• The Báb, Prophet-Founder of the Bábi Faith
• Bahá'u'lláh, Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í Faith
• 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Centre of the Covenant of the Bahá'í Faith
• Haik Hovsepian Mehr, bishop and Christian martyr
• Jamal al-Din Asadabadi
• Mani, founder of Manichaeism
• Mazdak, Religious and Social Reformer
• Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master born to Iranian immigrant parents
• Hamza ibn-'Ali ibn-Ahmad, founder of the Druze
• Muhammad ibn Ismail ad-Darazi
• Mulla Sadra
• Saeed Abedini, Iranian American Christian pastor
• Safi-ad-din Ardabili
• Salman the Persian
• Zahed Gilani
• Zayn al-Din Taybadi mystic and Sufi
• Zoroaster, prophet
• Imam Tawhidi, Australian Iman of Arab and Iranian descent

  Royalty

Scientists, scholars, and academics

Architects and Mi'mars

• Hossein Amanat
• Kamran Diba
• Heydar Ghiaï-Chamlou
• Fariborz Sahba

  Explorers and travellers

• Ahmad ibn Rustah, 10th-century Persian explorer of Russia, Scandinavia and Arabia
• Naser Khosrow, traveller, writer and poet

  Historians, archaeologists and Iranologists

• Abbas Alizadeh
• Abbas Amanat
• Abdolhossein Zarinkoob
• Ahmad Kasravi
• Alireza Shapour Shahbazi
• Badiozzaman Forouzanfar
• Ezzatolah Neghban
• Fereydun Adamiyat
• Hamdallah Mustawfi
• Kaveh Farrokh
• Majid Adibzadeh
• Mehrdad Bahar
• Mohammad Ali Eslami Nodooshan
• Nasser Fakouhi
• Sadegh Malek Shahmirzadi
• Touraj Atabaki
• Touraj Daryaee

  Linguists

• Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak
• Ahmad Tafazzoli
• Ali Akbar Abdolrashidi
• Ehsan Yarshater
• Jaleh Amouzgar
• Mehrdad Bahar
• Parviz Natel-Khanlari
• Zabihollah Safa

  Intellectuals and philosophers

• See main list: List of pre-modern Iranian scientists and scholars
• See main list: List of contemporary Iranian scientists, scholars, and engineers
• Mirza Fath Ali Akhundzadeh
• Mohammad-Ali Foroughi
• Mostafa Malekian
• Mirza Malkam Khan
• Abbas Milani
• Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari
• Seyyed Hossein Nasr
• Ali Shariati
• Daryush Shokof
• Sadegh Zibakalam

  Technology

• Rouzbeh Yassini, Inventor of the Cable Modem
• Amir Taaki, hacker, computer programmer and early developer for Bitcoin
• Habib Zargarpour, visual effects specialist, video game art director
• Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, former CEO of Expedia
• Erfan Nouraee, Young inventor and researcher

  Sports

• Yu Darvish, MLB baseball player for the Texas Rangers
• Ali Azari Karki, footballer
• Sardar Azmoun, soccer player, Iran's National Team player
• Farhad Ghaemi, volleyball player, Iran's National Team player
• Abbas Jadidi, wrestler, Olympic silver medalist
• Abdollah Movahed, wrestler, Olympic gold medalist
• Adel Kolahkaj, football player
• Alex Agase, American football player
• Ali Daei, football player, top international goalscorer, world record holder
• Ali Karimi, football player
• Ali Parvin, football player and coach
• Alireza Dabir, wrestler, Olympic gold medalist
• Alireza Heidari, wrestler, Olympic bronze Mmdalist
• Alireza Rezaei, wrestler, Olympic silver medalist
• Amir Reza Khadem, Olympic Bronze Medalist wrestler
• Andre Agassi, tennis player; his father was Assyrian-Armenian
• Arash Miresmaili, judo world champion
• Aravane Rezaï, tennis player
• Behdad Salimi, weightlifter World Champion
• Ebrahim Javadi, wrestler, Olympic bronze medalist
• Ehsan Ghaemmaghami, chess grandmaster
• Ehsan Hadadi, discus thrower, Asian record holder
• Elshan Moradi, chess grandmaster
• Emamali Habibi Goudarzi, wrestler, first Iranian Olympic gold medalist
• Emmanuel Agassi, boxer at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, father of Andre Agassi
• George Issabeg, boxer at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics
• George Malek-Yonan, Iran's Champion of Champions in track & field and pentathlon
• Ghasem Dehnavi, football player
• Ghasem Hadadifar, football player
• Ghasem Rezaei, wrestler
• Hooman Tavakolian, Sport Diplomat and Lobbyist, Hall of Fame, wrestler
• Hossein Rezazadeh, weightlifter, double Olympic champion
• Javad Nekounam, football player
• Khodadad Azizi, football player
• Kianoush Rostami, weightlifter, world champion
• Kimia Alizadeh, Taekwondo player, the first Iranian woman to win a medal at the Olympic Games
• Mahmoud Namjoo, weightlifter, Olympic silver medalist
• Mahyar Monshipour, World Super Bantamweight Boxing Champion
• Mansour Bahrami, tennis player
• Mansour Barzegar, wrestler, Olympic silver medalist
• Masoud Jokar, wrestler, Olympic silver medalist
• Mehdi Haghizadeh, football player
• Mehdi Mahdavikia, football player
• Mohammad Ali Fardin, wrestler and actor
• Mohammad Khadem, wrestler
• Mohammad Mousavi, volleyball player
• Mohammad Nassiri, weightlifter, Olympic gold medalist
• Mohammad Reza Heidarian, futsal player
• Rahman Rezaei, football player
• Rasoul Khadem, Olympic gold medalist wrestler
• Ruhollah Bigdeli, football player
• Shima Mehri, Motorcycle Biker
• Saeid Marouf, volleyball player
• Shadi Paridar, chess Woman Grandmaster
• Shawn Daivari, professional wrestler
• Shoura Osipov, boxer at 1948 Olympics
• T. J. Houshmandzadeh, NFL player
• Vahid Hashemian, football player
• Yossef Karami, Taekwondo world champion, Olympic bronze medalist
• Andranik Teymourian, football player
• Fereydoon Zandi, football player
• Gholamreza Takhti, wrestler, Olympic gold medalist
• Hadi Saei, taekwondo world champion, Olympic gold medalist
• Hossein Tavakoli, weightlifter, Olympic gold medalist
• Jaber Rouzbahani, basketball player
• Khosrow Vaziri, professional wrestler
• Leila Vaziri, swimmer, World Champion, world record holder
• Vahid Shamsaei, futsal player, top international futsal goalscorer
• Mika Zibanejad, ice hockey player for Ottawa Senators of the NHL
• Daniel Rahimi, ice hockey player for San Jose Sharks of the NHL

  Iranian women

• Shima Mehri, Harley Davidson biker
• Behnaz Shafiei, motocross rider

  Other

• Ali Dashti
• Alireza Afzalipour, businessman and philanthropist; founder of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman
• Bijan Pakzad, designer
• Farah Karimi, Iranian female Dutch Member of Parliament
• George Deukmejian, former Governor of California
• Ramezan Hajjimashhadi, lawyer
• Mehran Karimi Nasseri
• Moshe Katsav, President of Israel
• Ross Mirkarimi, former member of San Francisco City Council from Green Party
• Saadat Khan, first Nawab of Oudh in India
• Shahram Entekhabi, Iranian-born artist and architect
• Shahram Dabiri, lead producer responsible for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft
• Shaul Mofaz, Israeli Defense Minister
• Wajid Ali Shah, last Nawab of Oudh, disposed of by the British East India Company
• Zahra Eshraghi, granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini and wife of Mohammad Reza Khatami

  Famous Iranians of Armenian Descent

• Alenush Terian, scientist
• Andranik Eskandarian, footballer
• Andranik Teymourian, footballer
• Andre Agassi, tennis champion
• Arefeh Mansouri, Inventor, Designer
• Arakel of Tabriz, historian
• Armik, flamenco guitarist and composer
• Arsen Minasian, philanthropist, pharmacologist
• Bogdan Saltanov, painter
• Emmanuel Agassi, 1948 and 1952 Olympics boxer representing Iran; father of Andre Agassi
• Gegard Mousasi, MMA fighter
• George Bournoutian, historian
• Haik Hovsepian Mehr, bishop and Christian martyr
• Raffi, prominent writer
• Hayk Bzhishkyan, Soviet military commander
• Hovhannes Masehyan, diplomat and translator
• Hrant Markarian, politician
• Irene Zazians, actress
• Ivan Galamian, violin teacher
• Ivan Lazarevich Lazarev, jeweler
• Khosrow Khan Gorji, influential figure from the Qajar era
• Leon Khachatourian, boxer
• Loris Tjeknavorian, artist
• Marcos Grigorian artist, scholar and actor
• Mirza Malkam Khan, modernist and politician
• Mkhitar Heratsi, physician
• Mushegh Soruri
• Ovannes Ohanian, first Iranian film director
• Robert Beglarian, MP
• Samuel Khachikian, film director
• Sarkis Djanbazian, artist
• Sayat-Nova, poet
• Vartan Gregorian, academic
• Varuzh Karim-Masihi, film editor and director
• Vigen Derderian, singer
• Viguen
• Yeprem Khan, revolutionary hero

  Famous Iranians of Assyrian descent

• Freydun Atturaya, co-founder of the Assyrian Socialist Party
• George Issabeg, 1948 and 1952 Olympics boxer representing Iran
• George Malek-Yonan, politician and Champion of Champions of Iran
• Issa Benyamin, calligraphist
• Ivan Kakovitch, activist and writer
• Milton Malek-Yonan, inventor of converted rice
• Paulus Khofri, composer and painter
• Ramona Amiri, Miss Canada 2005
• Shoura Osipov, 1948 Olympics boxer representing Iran
• Shoura Osipov, Olympic boxer
• Mar Youhannan Semaan Issayi, Archbishop of Assyro-Chaldean Metropolitan Tehran

  Emigrants and immigrants

Famous Americans in Iran

• Howard Baskerville, Iran's first American martyr
• Joseph Cochran, second-generation American missionary in Urmia; established first Iranian medical college
• Arthur Millspaugh, Treasury General, Persia
• Arthur Pope and Phyllis Ackerman, Persian culture revivalists
• David Stronach
• Elgin Groseclose, Treasury General, Persia
• John Limbert
• Justin Perkins, first American resident of Iran
• Morgan Shuster, Treasury General, Persia
• Richard Nelson Frye
• Samuel M. Jordan, namesake of Jordan Ave. in Tehran
• William M. Miller

  Famous Germans in Iran

• Annemarie Schimmel, German-born Harvard expert on Iranian literature
• Wilhelm Wassmuss, German diplomat, spy and military hero, Iran, World War I

  Famous Iranians in America

Famous Iranians in Canada

Famous Iranians in Britain

Famous Iranians in Germany

Iranians in Australia

Iranians in the Netherlands

Iranians in Sweden

Iranians in Egypt

• Tahia Kazem, wife of president Gamal Abdel Nasser; born in Egypt to Iranian parents

  Famous Iranians in Pakistan

• Nusrat Bhutto, Iranian father and mother moved with family to Karachi, British India, before partition; married Zulfikar Ali Bhutto; father of Benazir Bhutto

  Persian Roman Catholic saints