Leila Hatami ( fa, لیلا حاتمی; born October 1, 1972) is an Iranian actress. She has received numerous accolades, including a

Silver Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fes ...

, two Crystal Simorghs, two

Hafez Awards Hafez Awards is an annual awards ceremony which is held honoring cinematic achievements in Iranian cinema. The awards, first presented in 1997, are presented by Picture World Magazine (Aka. Donyaye Tassvir in Persian) which makes it to be known a ...

, two Iran Cinema Celebration Awards and three Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Awards. In 2012, the

Government of France The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...

has awarded her the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

Early life

Hatami was born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. She is the daughter of influential Iranian director

Ali Hatami Ali Hatami ( fa, علی حاتمی , August 14, 1944 – December 7, 1996) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, art director, and costume designer. The ''Tehran Times'' dubbed him "the Hafez of Iranian cinema due to the poetic ambiance of ...

and actress Zari Khoshkam. After finishing high school, she moved to

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and started her studies in

Mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...

at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne ( EPFL). After two years she changed her major to

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than F ...

. After completing her studies, she returned to live in

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 ...

Career

Hatami played several small roles in her father's productions throughout her youth, including in the ''

Hezar Dastan ''Hezardastan'' ( fa, هزاردستان, translit=Hezār Dastān) also known as ''Hezar Dastan'', was an Iranian epic historical drama television series from 1987, developed and directed by Ali Hatami. Hezar Dastan is considered one of the mos ...

'' television series and the ''

Kamalolmolk Mohammad Ghaffari ( fa, محمد غفاری), better known as Kamal-ol-Molk (), was an Iranian painter and part of the Ghaffari family in Kashan. Biography Mohammad Ghaffari, better known as Kamal-ol-Molk, born in Kashan in 1848, to a family wi ...

'' movie. Her first leading film appearance was the

title role The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

in the 1997 film '' Leila'', directed by

Dariush Mehrjui Dariush Mehrju'i ( fa, داریوش مهرجویی , born 8 December 1939, also spelled as ''Mehrjui'', ''Mehrjoui'', Mehrjooi, and ''Mehrjuyi'') is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, producer, editor and a member of the Iranian Academy of ...

. She received the Diploma of Honor for Best Actress from the 15th

Fajr Film Festival Iran's annual Fajr International Film Festival ( fa, جشنواره بین‌المللی فیلم فجر), or Fajr Film Festival (little: FIFF; fa, جشنواره فیلم فجر), has been held every February and April in Tehran since 1982. T ...

. Following this, she continued to act regularly in

Iranian cinema The Cinema of Iran (Persian: سینمای ایران), also known as the Cinema of Persia, refers to the cinema and film industries in Iran which produce a variety of commercial films annually. Iranian art films have garnered international fame a ...

. She has starred in dozens of films, and has often garnered critical acclaim and accolades. For her performance in ''

The Deserted Station ''The Deserted Station'' (Persian: ''Istgah-e Matrouk'') is a 2002 film by the Iranian director Alireza Raisian. It was scripted by Kambuzia Partovi (based on a story by Abbas Kiarostami) and lensed by Mohammad Aladpoush. The film starred Leila H ...

'' (2002), she was nominated for the

Award for Best Actress and she won the Best Actress Award at the 26th Montreal World Film Festival. She has appeared in her husband's films as a director, ''

Portrait of a Lady Far Away ''Portrait of a Lady Far Away'' (Persian: ''Sima-ye zani dar doordast'') is a 2005 film by the Iranian actor-director Ali Mosaffa. This was Mosaffa's directorial debut, and he also co-wrote the script with Safi Yazdanian. Homayun Payvar lensed the ...

'' (2005) and ''

The Last Step ''The Last Step'' ( fa, پله آخر, Pelle âxar) is Ali Mosaffa's second feature film following Portrait of a Lady Far Away (2005) featuring Leila Hatami, Ali Mosaffa, and Alireza Aghakhani. The screenplay was partly inspired by Leo Tolstoy's ...

'' (2012). She also designed the sets and the costumes of ''The Last Step'' and, in addition to receiving the

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has becom ...

Award for Best Actress for her performance, she received a nomination for the

Crystal Simorgh The Crystal Simorgh ( fa, ‌سیمرغ بلورین) is an award given by Fajr International Film Festival Iran's annual Fajr International Film Festival ( fa, جشنواره بین‌المللی فیلم فجر), or Fajr Film Festival (litt ...

Award for Best Production Design and Costume Design for her work on the film. In 2012, she received international attention for her role in the critical acclaimed

Asghar Farhadi Asghar Farhadi ( fa, اصغر فرهادی, ; born 7 May 1972)Soureh Movie Database

film, ''

A Separation ''A Separation'' ( fa, جدایی, Jodâyi; also titled ''Nader and Simin, A Separation'') is a 2011 Iranian drama film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, starring Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, and Sarina Farhad ...

'', which won dozens of accolades, including the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. Her performance earned critical acclaim and various awards, including the Silver Bear Award for Best Actress at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

praised her portrayal as one of the best female performances of the 21st century. Jury Cannes 2014

In April 2014, she was announced as a member of the main competition jury at the

2014 Cannes Film Festival The 67th Cannes Film Festival was held from 14 to 25 May 2014. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the main competition section. The Palme d'Or was awarded to the Turkish film '' Winter Sleep'' directed by Nuri Bi ...

. Whilst there, she greeted Cannes President

Gilles Jacob Gilles Jacob (born 22 June 1930) is a French film critic and essayist, who served as president of the Cannes Film Festival between 2001 and 2014. Life and career Born in Paris, the son of an entrepreneur, Jacob studied at the Lycée Louis-le- ...

with a kiss on the cheek, which is a form of greeting in France.Cannes 2014: Iran Criticises Leila Hatami for Kissing Film Festival President
Ibtimes.co.uk (19 May 2014). Retrieved on 16 October 2015. Iran's Deputy Culture Minister Hossein Noushabadi offered criticism of her for this:

"I hope that those who attend international arenas as
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 ...
ian women would be careful about the chastity and dignity of
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 ...
ians so that the image of the
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 ...
ian woman is not tainted before the world," he said. "If they respect Islamic norms and the national culture and beliefs of Iran, it would be a desirable thing for Iranian celebrities to go abroad, but if their presence lacks regard for social values and ethical criteria, the Iranian nation is not going to accept it."

In May 2014, after receiving significant backlash for the kiss in Iran—including calls for her to be

flogged Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on ...

—Hatimi later apologized for her actions in a letter.

Personal life

She married her co-star in '' Leila'' (

Ali Mosaffa Ali Mosaffa ( fa, علی مصفا , born December 1, 1966) is an Iranian actor and director. Life and career Mosaffa was born in Tehran, Iran. His father, Mozaher Mosaffa (born in Tafresh), was a Persian poet and professor of Persian literat ...

) in 1998. They have two children: a son named Mani (born February 2007) and a daughter named Asal (born October 2008). Beside her native

Persian language Persian (), also known by its endonym Farsi (, ', ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken an ...

she is fluent in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Filmography

Film

Web

Television

References

External links

* * Interview with Leila Hatami, ''Leila Hatami answers your questions'', BBC Persian, 31 January 2006
TextVoice
* Script of ''Shāer-e Zobāle-hā'' (شاعر زباله ها), by

Mohsen Makhmalbaf Mohsen Makhmalbaf ( fa, محسن مخملباف, ''Mohsen Makhmalbaaf''; born May 29, 1957) is an Iranian film director, writer, film editor, and producer. He has made more than 20 feature films, won some 50 awards and been a juror in more than 1 ...

* An unofficial fan site
Leila-Hatami.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hatami, Leila 1972 births Iranian television actresses Iranian film actresses Actresses from Tehran Living people Silver Bear for Best Actress winners Iranian expatriates in Switzerland Iranian child actresses 20th-century Iranian actresses 21st-century Iranian actresses Crystal Simorgh for Best Actress winners École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne alumni