Marshall Manesh (born August 16, 1950) is an Iranian-American actor.

Biography

When Manesh was young, his father died; he was raised by his mother, from whom he feels he got his strength to make it in show business. He went to the United States in the mid-70s, joined the Persian Theater Group, and traveled extensively throughout the US, Canada and Europe for eight years. His debut film was ''

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'', directed by

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability ...

. He has since appeared in more than 100 feature films, in television projects, and in more than 40 commercials. Manesh has appeared in recurring roles on the

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s ''

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'', '' Scrubs'', '' Andy Barker, P.I.'', ''

Hot in Cleveland ''Hot in Cleveland'' is an American television sitcom on TV Land starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, and Betty White. The series, which was TV Land's first original series, premiered on June 16, 2010, and was TV Land's ...

'', ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004 ...

'', and, most notably, ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and ...

'', where he played taxi driver Ranjit. Though Ranjit was depicted as

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

in the series, Manesh delivered several lines in his native Persian. He has also guest starred on many shows, including ''

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'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''

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'', '' Persons Unknown'', ''

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'', '' Scrubs'', '' ER'', '' JAG'', '' NYPD Blue'', ''

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'' and ''

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''. Manesh has acted in several

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s, including ''

'', ''

Stealing Harvard ''Stealing Harvard'' is a 2002 American crime comedy film directed by Bruce McCulloch and written by Martin Hynes and Peter Tolan, about a man who resorts to crime to pay for his niece's Harvard tuition. The film stars Jason Lee and Tom Gree ...

'', ''

The Big Lebowski ''The Big Lebowski'' () is a 1998 crime comedy film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler. He is assaulted as a result of mistake ...

'', '' Kazaam'', '' The Poseidon Adventure'', '' Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'', '' Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'' (with fellow Iranian-descended actor and friend

Omid Djalili Omid Djalili ( fa, امید جلیلی; born 30 September 1965) is a British actor, comedian and writer. Early life and education Djalili was born on 30 September 1965 in Chelsea, London, to Iranian Baháʼí parents. He attended Holland Park ...

), '' Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero'', and the

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western '' A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night''. He made a cameo appearance as the cab driver on Madonna's 2005 video for "

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". He served as a judge at the 6th annual

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 ...

Selected filmography

*''Checkpoint'' (1987) .... Abe *''Guests of Hotel Astoria'' (1989) .... Dr. Parto *''

'' (1994) .... Jamal Khaled *'' Barb Wire'' (1996) .... Sheik *'' Kazaam'' (1996) .... Malik *''Univers'l'' (1997) *''

'' (1998) .... Doctor *''Word of Mouth'' (1999) .... Hertzog *''Wasted in Babylon'' (1999) .... Land Lord *'' The Last Producer'' (2000) .... Cabbie *''Face the Music'' (2000) .... Indian Man *''Guardian'' (2001) .... Iraqi Colonel *''

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...

'' (2002) .... Convenience Store Owner *''Hip, Edgy, Sexy, Cool'' (2002) *''

'' (2002) .... Toy Store Manager *'' Hidalgo'' (2004) .... Camel Skinner *'' Raise Your Voice'' (2004) .... Cabbie *'' Surviving Christmas'' (2004) .... Janitor (uncredited) *'' The L.A. Riot Spectacular'' (2005) .... Nephi *''

Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World ''Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World'' is a 2005 film starring and directed by Albert Brooks. It was shown at the Dubai International Film Festival. Synopsis Albert Brooks, a Jewish-American comedian, is asked by the United States government ...

'' (2005) .... Shaif Al-Rafi *''

Car Babes ''Car Babes'' is a 2006 independent comedy film starring Ben Savage and directed by Nick Fumia and Chris Wolf. The title of producer Ben Rekhi's ''Car Babes'' comes from the term car salesmen use for each other. He realizes that some might suspe ...

'' (2006) .... Babu Gulab *'' Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'' (2007) .... Sri Sumbhajee *''

Carts A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed ...

'' (2007) .... Fab *'' The Onion Movie'' (2008) .... Announcer (uncredited) *''Pants on Fire'' (2008) .... Aram *'' Crossing Over'' (2009) .... Sanjar Baraheri *'' Year One'' (2009) .... Slave Trader *''The Things We Carry'' (2009) .... Manager *''Tom Cool'' (2009) .... Mr. Azu *''Pickin' & Grinnin (2012) .... Clerk *''Commander and Chief'' (2012) .... Sheikh *'' Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'' (2012) .... Indian Man *'' Afternoon Delight'' (2013) .... Taxi Driver *''All American Christmas Carol'' (2013) .... Car Salesman *'' A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night'' (2014) .... Hossein 'The Junkie' *'' Shirin in Love'' (2014) .... Nader *''Benjamin Troubles'' (2015) .... Genie *'' Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero'' (2016) .... Mehdi the Butcher *''A Life Lived'' (2016) .... Danesh *''The Next Big Thing'' (2016) .... Mr. Shah *''

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

'' (2018) .... Kulwant

References

External links

* * 1950 births American male film actors American male television actors Iranian emigrants to the United States Living people People from Mashhad 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Iranian diaspora film people Iranian male television actors 21st-century Iranian male actors {{Iran-actor-stub