Khalil Vossoughi ( fa, خلیل وثوقی; born 11 March 1938) known professionally as Behrouz Vossoighi (بهروز وثوقی), is an Iranian actor. He has also worked in

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transm ...

and

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

. His work has earned him recognition at several international film festivals, including for Best Actor at the International Film Festival of India in 1974 and

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in in ...

in 2006.

Personal life

Behrouz was born in

Khoy Khoy ( Persian and az, خوی; ; ; also Romanized as Khoi), is a city and capital of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2012 census, its population was 200,985. Khoy is located north of the province's capital and largest cit ...

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 Turkm ...

. He moved to

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the Capital city, 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 th ...

when he was in his teenage years. He has two brothers: Changiz Vossoughi and Shahrad Vossoughi. Vossoughi was briefly married in the 1970s, to the Iranian singer Googoosh. He currently lives in

Marin County Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is a ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

with his wife, Katayoun "Katty" Amjadi (also known as Catherine Vossoughi).

Career

He started acting in films with Samuel Khachikian in ''Toofan dar Shahre Ma'' and Abbas Shabaviz's ''Gole gomshodeh'' (1962), and became a major star as the brooding hero of the revenge drama '' Qeysar'' (1969), directed by

Masoud Kimiai Masoud Kimiai (or Masoud Kimiaei, fa, مسعود کیمیایی, born 29 July 1941) is an Iranian director, screenwriter and producer. Biography Kimiai started his career as an assistant director and made his debut, ''Come Stranger'', in 19 ...

. Vossoughi received the Best Actor Award at the Sepas Film Festival for this role. He went on to collaborate with Kimiai on five more films including ''

Dash Akol ''Dash Akol'' ( fa, داش آکُل, Dāsh Ākol) is a 1971 in film, 1971 Iranian cinema, Iranian drama film directed by Masoud Kimiai. It was adopted from a short story of the same name written by Sadegh Hedayat in his short story collection '' ...

'' (1971). His next collaboration with Kimiai was ''

The Deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

'' (1974) in which he played the role of Seyed Rasoul. Vossoughi's most acclaimed performance was as Zar Mohamad, a peasant seeking justice in ''

Tangsir Tangsir (in Persian : تنگسیر) refers to a person who is originally from a region in Bushehr Bushehr, Booshehr or Bushire ( fa, بوشهر ; also romanised as ''Būshehr'', ''Bouchehr'', ''Buschir'' and ''Busehr''), also known as Bandar Bu ...

'' (1973) directed by Amir Naderi. In 1975 Vossoughi appeared in

The Beehive The Beehive ( mi, Te Whare Mīere) is the common name for the Executive Wing of New Zealand Parliament Buildings, located at the corner of Molesworth Street and Lambton Quay, Wellington. It is so-called because its shape is reminiscent of that ...

in the role of Ebi. In 1978, Vossoughi partnered with

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 ...

in another film, Sooteh-Delan. He was one of the first Iranians to appear in American and European co-productions, such as '' Caravans'' (1978), co-starring with

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental ...

, Jennifer O'Neill and Michael Sarrazin. He also appeared in '' The Invincible Six'' (1970) with

Curd Jürgens Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens (13 December 191518 June 1982) was a German-Austrian stage and film actor. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens. He was well known for playing Ernst Udet in '' Des Teufels Gen ...

, and ''

Sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches o ...

'' (1981) with Frank Langella and

Lesley-Anne Down Lesley-Anne Down (born 17 March 1954) is a British actress, singer and former model. She achieved fame as Georgina Worsley in the ITV drama series ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1973–75). She received further recognition for her performances in ...

. In 2000, at the San Francisco Film Festival award ceremony, Abbas Kiarostami was awarded the Akira Kurosawa Prize for lifetime achievement in directing, but then gave it to Vossoughi for his contribution to Iranian cinema. In addition to his acting career, in 2012 Vossoughi was an official festival judge for the

Noor Iranian Film Festival The Noor Iranian Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Los Angeles, California, founded by cultural producer Siamak Ghahremani and co-founder Anthony Azizi in 2007. The festival's namesake comes from the word Nur, also spelled Noor, me ...

. He is currently a judge on '' Persian Talent Show''.

Notable films

His most famous film works are '' Qeysar'' (1969), '' The Invincible Six'' (1970), ''Reza Motori'' (1970), ''

'' (1971), ''Toughi'' (1971), ''Deshne'' (1972), ''Baluch'' (1972), ''

'' (1973), ''

'' (1974), ''Zabih'' (1975), ''Mamal Amricayi'' (1975)'', Kandoo'' (1975), '' Hamsafar'' (1975), '' Sooteh-Delan'' (1978), '' Caravans'' (1978) and ''

'' (1981).

Filmography

Film

Television

*''Falcon Crest'' (1981) – directed by Reza Badiyi *''Nightingales'' (1989) – directed by Reza Badiyi

Awards and nominations

* Winner Statue Sepas for Best Actor Sepas Film Festival – 1969 * Winner Statue Sepas for Best Actor Sepas Film Festival – 1970 * Nominated Statue Sepas for Best Actor Sepas Film Festival – 1971 * Honorary Diploma for Best Actor Tashkent International Film Forum – 1972 * Best Actor Award International Film Festival of India – 1974 * Winner Winged Goat Award for Best Actor

Tehran International Film Festival 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 populo ...

– 1974 * Nominated Winged Goat Award for Best Actor Tehran International Film Festival – 1975 * Nominated Winged Goat Award for Best Actor Tehran International Film Festival – 1977 *

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dy ...

Award

– 2000 * Lifetime Achievement Award

– 2006 * Lifetime Achievement Award

Thessaloniki International Film Festival The Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF), organized by the cultural institution of the same name under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture, is held every November in Thessaloniki.TIFF features international competition secti ...

– 2012 * Special Achievement Award Tokyo Filmex – 2012 * Winner of people's heart, presented by a heart, from a disabled Iranian-American U.S. Army ex-serviceman from Berkeley, California – January 14, 2017

References

External links

Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vossoughi, Behrouz Iranian male stage actors Iranian male film actors Iranian male television actors People from Khoy 1938 births Living people Actors from San Rafael, California American people of Iranian-Azerbaijani descent Iranian emigrants to the United States Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States Iranian expatriates in the United States Iranian Azerbaijanis