Navid Negahban
Biography
Navid Negahban is an Iranian-American actor, producer, and director whose work spans four decades, three continents, and over 166 credits in film, television, and video games. Born in Mashhad, Iran, he discovered theater at eight years old. He left Iran in 1985, traveling through Turkey and Bulgaria before arriving at a refugee camp in Ingelheim, Germany, where he applied for asylum. He spent eight years performing with the Rheinland-Pfalz Theater in Kaiserslautern before moving to the United States in 1993. He is fluent in Persian, English, and German. He is best known for playing Abu Nazir in Showtime's Homeland (2011–2013), Amahl Farouk / Shadow King in FX's Legion (2017–2019), The Sultan in Disney's live-action Aladdin (2019), General Abdul Rashid Dostum in 12 Strong (2018), Sheikh Al-Obodi in American Sniper (2014), Faraz Hamzad in FX's The Old Man (2022–2024), and Abbas Mansuri in Netflix's The Night Agent (2025). As a producer, his film Baba Joon won five Ophir Awards including Best Picture at the Israeli Film Academy. As a director, his short film The Apple Tree won Best Short Film at the Japan Indies Film Festival (2025). He received a BAFTA Games Award nomination for Best Performer for his work on 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (2017). He is represented by Innovative Artists. Official website: https://navidnegahban.com
Known For
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
The Mentalist
2008
Law & Order
1990
The Fix
2026
Criminal Minds
2005
NCIS
2003
Scene of the Crime
1970
NCIS: Los Angeles
2009
CSI: Miami
2002
24
2001
24
2001
Filmography
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Sam Farhidi · 1999
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Rankesh Chanoor · 1999
The Mentalist
as Hassan Zarif · 2008
Law & Order
as Imam Ibrahim · 1990
The Fix
as Qasim · 2026
Criminal Minds
as Hassan Nadir · 2005
NCIS
as Jalil Shaloub · 2003
Scene of the Crime
as Harun · 1970
NCIS: Los Angeles
as Aziz Anshiri · 2009
CSI: Miami
as Rahim Farooq · 2002
24
as Abdullah · 2001
24
as Jamot · 2001
JAG
as Jamal Bin Fahad Al-Hadi · 1995
Arrow
as Al Ow-Al · 2012
The West Wing
as Maz · 1999
Lost
as Omar · 2004
Fringe
as Dr. Malik Yusef · 2008
The Night Agent
as Abbas Mansuri · 2023
Curb Your Enthusiasm
as Morsi · 2000
Person of Interest
as Ali Hasan · 2011
The Closer
as Dr. al-Thani · 2005
Without a Trace
as Nazar Rahim · 2002
Homeland
as Abu Nazir · 2011
Scorpion
as Agent Khara · 2014
Las Vegas
as Farouk Naeem · 2003
The Shield
as Zayed Al-Thani · 2002
The Cleaning Lady
as Hayak Barsamian · 2022
The Unit
as Faheed · 2006
Veep
as Abbas · 2012
Shark
as Amir Khan · 2006
The Agency
as Palestinian Officer · 2001
The Agency
as Arab Driver · 2001
Legion
as Amahl Farouk / Shadow King · 2017
Pantheon
as Farhad (voice) · 2022
God Friended Me
as Hasan · 2018
God Friended Me
as Hassan · 2018
Castlevania
as Sala (voice) · 2017
Tehran
as Masoud Tabrizi · 2020
The Old Man
as Faraz Hamzad · 2022
Dark Blue
as Ahmad Satar · 2009
American Sniper
as Sheikh Al-Obeidi · 2014
Aladdin
as Sultan · 2019
WondLa
as Loroc (voice) · 2024
Moonlight
as Amir Fayed · 2007
Threat Matrix
as Fred · 2003
Alias
as Foreman · 2001
American Assassin
as Minister Behurz · 2017
12 Strong
as General Dostum · 2018
Brothers
as Murad · 2009
The Serpent Queen
as Claude de Lorraine · 2022
Charlie Wilson's War
as Refugee Camp Translator · 2007
Over There
as Iraqi Father · 2005
Kandahar
as Mohammad 'Mo' Doud · 2023
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch
as Reza "Gunther" Karimi (voice) · 2025
Sniper: Ghost Shooter
as Mothershed · 2016
The Team
as Said Gharbour · 2015
Pretty Persuasion
as Mr. Azzouni · 2005
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham
as Ra's al Ghul (voice) · 2023
Sand Castle
as Kadeer · 2017
Ghosts of Beirut
as Ali Reza Asgari (2007) · 2023
Brain on Fire
as Dr. Najjar · 2017
Atlas Shrugged: Part I
as Dr. Robert Stadler · 2011
Powder Blue
as Doctor Brooks · 2009
Words and Pictures
as Rashid · 2014
The Stoning of Soraya M.
as Ali · 2009
Sitting in Bars with Cake
as Isaac · 2023
The Power of Few
as Sahel · 2013
In Full Bloom
as The Shepherd (voice) · 2019
Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming
as Mehran (voice) · 2017
Damascus Cover
as Sarraj · 2017
Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero
as Mohammad Mohammad-Mohammadi · 2016
The Marshal
as Lenny Gibbs
Murder 101: If Wishes Were Horses
as Sheik Ahmad · 2007
Broken
as Keith · 2007
War Stories
as Al Qaeda Rebel at Bridge · 2003
The Moment
as Malik Jamil · 2013
The Fallen Ones
as Ammon · 2005
Dead Air
as Abir · 2009
Heal
as Abdul · 2010
Boundaries
as Trombonist · 2000
Richard III
as Sir James Tyrrel · 2007
Saving Jessica Lynch
as Fedayeen Colonel · 2003
Saat des Terrors
as Kashif Baqri · 2018
Price for Freedom
as Victor Daniels · 2017
Tehranto
as Narrator (voice) · 2022
In the Garden of Tulips
· 2023
Am Abgrund
as Tofik Gasimov · 2024
Baba Joon
as Itzhak · 2015
The Ambassador's Wife
as Ambassador · 2009
Dark Corners
as Karim · 2021
Stellina Blue
as Amir Keshavarz · 2009
Day One
as Dr. Nasir · 2015
The First Goodbye
· 2021
Diplomacy
as Iranian Foreign Minister · 2009
Osprey
as Adam Zakaria · 2017
London Arabia
as Mo · 2019
Becoming the Enemy
as Victor Daniels · 2017
Carving a Life
as Dr. Kasem · 2017
Liberation
as Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi · 2009
Djinn
as Djinn · 2008