Leila Forouhar ( fa, لیلا فروهر, ''Leilâ Foruhar'') (born 23 February 1959) is an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

pop and classical singer. She was a child star, acting from the age of 3. She relocated to next door

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

in 1986, then to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, before emigrating to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in 1988.

Career

Leila is the daughter of the late Iranian actor

Jahangir Forouhar Jahangir Forouhar (; May 24, 1916 – November 6, 1997) was an Iranian actor. Biography Forouhar was born in 1916 in the city of Isfahan. His father was Mustafa Khan Davam al-Saltanah. His grandfather was Mirza Mohammad Ali Khan Ghavam al-Daw ...

. As a child she acted in movies in minor roles, receiving recognition for her part in ''

Soltane Ghalbha ''Soltane Ghalbha'' ( fa, سلطان قلب‌ها; literally: King of Hearts) is a 1968 melodrama film, melodrama Iranian cinema, Iranian film directed by Mohammad Ali Fardin and starring Azar Shiva, Victoria Nerssisian, Leila Forouhar and Mohamm ...

'' (''King of Hearts''). As a teenager she began modeling for fashion magazines. She continued to act in movies and has featured in over 47 films, including ''Ezteraab'', ''Four Sisters'' and ''The Thirsty Ones''.

Move to France

War with neighboring

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

had a negative impact on the Iranian movie and music industry. The Forouhar family stayed in Tehran until deciding to emigrate from the country.

Move to the United States

In 1988 Forouhar and her family moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Leila's songs are popular in countries including

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

and the

. She has released more than 20 albums. Her album "Planet of Harmony" included songs in English, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew,

Dari Persian Dari (, , ), also known as Dari Persian (, ), is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the term officially recognised and promoted since 1964 by the Afghan government for the Persian language,Lazard, G.Darī ...

, Armenian, Turkish and Kurdish. In August 2004 Leila married Los Angeles-based

Afghan-American Afghan Americans ( prs, آمریکایی‌های افغان‌تبار ''Amrikāyi-hāye Afghān tabar'', ps, د امريکا افغانان ''Da Amrīka Afghanan'') are Americans of Afghan descent or Americans who originated from Afghanistan. ...

businessman Esmaeil Nabi. Forouhar's nephew is American Muslim reformer Reza Aslan. In March 2010 she sang at an international celebration of the festival of

Nowruz Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...

at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

in Washington, D.C. Leila covered

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...

's '' Jolene'' on her 1976 album ''Do Parande'' ( fa, دو پرنده, English: ''Two Birds'').

Discography

Unknown Release * 1974: Hadis Avang Records Releases * 1977: Leila Forouhar 2 (Ham Parvaz) Caltex Records Releases * 1990: Makhmal-e-Naz * 1991: Hedieh (with

Shahram Solati Shahram ( persian, شهرام) is a masculine Persian given name. The name is made of two parts, 'shah' meaning king and 'ram' meaning doe (female deer). The meaning behind a "king of female deer" implies a benevolent ruler who cares for their sub ...

) * 1991: Shance * 1994: Attal Mattal (with Ebi) * 1995: Tapesh * 1996: Saraab * 1997: Love Songs * 1997: Planet of Harmony * 1997: Dance Beat * 1998: Love Story * 1999: Didar (with

Shahram Shabpareh Shahram Shabpareh ( fa, شهرام شب‌پره) is an Iranian Pop singer and songwriter. Career He started his career as a drum player A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that ...

) * 1999: Yek Samado Do Leila (soundtrack from the play "Yek Samado Do Leila") * 2000: Tasvir * 2001: Story of Yours, Story of Mine * 2003: Live in Concert at the Kodak Theatre * 2005: A Kiss * 2008: Jooni Joonom (Song) * 2008: My Moon * 2012: From My Heart Taraneh Record Releases * 1993: Hamsafar * 1994: Do Parandeh * 2012: From My Heart Pars Video Releases * 1990: Makhmal-e-Naaz * 1994: Parandeha (with

Mahasti Eftekhar Dadehbala), and others Eftekhar ( fa, افتخار). ( fa, افتخار دده‌بالا; 16 November 1946 – 25 June 2007), known by her stage name Mahasti ( fa, مهستی), was an Iranian singer of Persian classical, folk, and pop ...

and

) * 1999: Ghahremanane Vatan (with

Andy Andy may refer to: People *Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pia ...

and Dariush) MZM Records Releases * 1992: Bahaaneh * 2008: Maahe Man Other Records Releases * 2000: Lets party (with

Maxim & The Boyz Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...

) Single Tracks * 1992: Nobahar (with other singers) * 1994: Telesm (With Shamaei zadeh) * 1996: Zamin larzid (with other singers) * 2003: Sayad Nova * 2006: Music (with 23 singers) * 2007: IRAN(with Omid Soltani) * 2007: The Memories (dedicated to

) * 2009: Bedoon IRAN Nemimireh * 2011: Do Parandeh (Remix) * 2013: Kaashki * 2013: Eshgham * 2014: Ba Tou * 2014: Khayli Hasasam * 2014: Fereshtehaye Kucholo * 2015: Kheili Douset Daram * 2016: In Rooza * 2016: Hesse Taraneh * 2017: Begoo Baa Mani

Videography

* Rouzegar (VHS) * The Return (VHS) * Flashback (VHS) * A Kiss (DVD) * Live in Concert at the Kodak Theatre (DVD) * 4 DVD Collection #1

Filmography

* ''Khak'' * ''

King of Hearts The king of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. King of Hearts may also refer to: Games * The King of Hearts Has Five Sons, card game that may have been a precursor to Cluedo Books * King of Hearts (''Alice's Adventures ...

'' (1968) * ''Aramesh dar Hozooreh Digaraan'' * ''Baagheh Boloor'' * ''Shabeh Aftabi'' * ''Ezteraab'' * ''Four Sisters'' * ''The Thirsty Ones'' * ''Morad & laleh'' * ''Iman'' * ''The Beauty Sin'' * ''Golden Cage'' * ''The Springtime Connection'' * '' Gorbe Koor''

References

External links

Leila Forouhar's Official Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forouhar, Leila 1959 births Living people Iranian musicians People from Isfahan Actors from Isfahan Iranian women singers Iranian film actresses Musicians from Isfahan Caltex Records artists Taraneh Records artists Iranian child actresses Persian-language singers Kurdish-language singers Iranian classical singers Iranian women pop singers 20th-century Iranian actresses 20th-century Iranian women singers Iranian emigrants to the United States Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States