Omid Abtahi

Iranian-born American actor, Omid Abtahi appeared on numerous high-profile television shows throughout his career, most notably "Homeland" (Showtime, 2011- 2020), "Better Call Saul" (AMC, 2013-), and "American Gods" (Starz, 2013- 2021). Born in Tehran, Abtahi had a bit of a nomadic childhood. He lived in Iran until the age of 5, before moving with his family to Paris. He would stay in the French capital until the age of 10, before moving once again, although this time to the United States. Abtahi and his family eventually settled in Irvine, California, where Abtahi would stay for the remainder of his childhood. He lived a relatively normal life in California, and soon entered California State University, Fullerton to study advertising. While attending the school, however, Abtahi became intrigued with the idea of becoming a professional actor. With that in mind, he added theater as his second major, where he fell in love with the craft. After graduating in 2002, Abtahi decided to embark on an acting career. He auditioned for film and TV roles, and landed his first part in 2005 on the legal drama "JAG" (NBC/CBS, 1995-2005). Abtahi's TV career quickly took off, and in just a year's time he had nabbed a recurring part on the Showtime series "Sleeper Cell" (2005-06). After his yearlong run on "Sleeper Cell" ended, Abtahi continued appearing on television shows, as well as movies, throughout the 2000s. His more notable TV roles during this time included recurring parts on "My Own Worst Enemy" (NBC, 2008) and "24" (Fox, 2001-2010). Then in 2012 Abtahi appeared in the Oscar-winning historical drama "Argo," thus further elevating his already growing acting profile. He continued appearing primarily on television shows throughout the 2010s, most notably with recurring roles on "Homeland" and "Better Call Saul," while also voicing roles for video games such as "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare" (2016). In 2017 Abtahi returned to TV once again with a recurring role on "American Gods." The series premiered on the Starz network in early 2017.