Phoenix Raei is an Australian actor, director and producer of Iranian descent. Raei, who was born in

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 ...

in Iran, immigrated to Australia as a child. In 2019, he was the recipient of the Casting Guild of Australia, Rising Star Award. In 2021, he starred in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

series ''

Clickbait Clickbait is a text or a thumbnail link that is designed to attract attention and to entice users to follow that link and read, view, or listen to the linked piece of online content, being typically deceptive, sensationalized, or otherwise ...

''. He was a main cast member of the Perth two season TV soap ''The Heights'' (2018-2019).

Early life

Raei was born in

. He immigrated with his family to Australia and settled in

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

. He showed interest in acting at an early age, but he felt pressured to pursue higher education and studied law.

Acting and film career

Raei first appeared in a short film in 2014. He chose the stage name Nima Raei and used it for Seven Storeys Down, a 2017 film that he wrote and directed. Raei's TV debut was in the Australian soccer show Mustangs FC, He played his first major role in the 2017 film ''

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port J ...

'', and wrote and directed a miniseries, ''Murder''. He thereafter relocated to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

. In 2018, Raei appeared in Australian political thriller ''

Romper Stomper ''Romper Stomper'' is a 1992 Australian drama film written and directed by Geoffrey Wright in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie, Tony Le-Nguyen and Colin Chin. The film tell ...

''. In 2019 he featured in the Australian crime-drama series '' Wentworth''; that same year he was awarded the

Casting Guild of Australia The Casting Guild of Australia (CGA) is a professional society, founded in 2013 in Victoria, Australia. It consists over 90% of all Australian casting directors for film, television, and theatre. Formation According to Nick Hamon, casting director ...

Rising Star Award. In 2020, he appeared in '' Stateless'', a series about detention centers in Australia created by

Cate Blanchett Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received n ...

. Raei also co-starred in the 2021 Netflix series ''Clickbait'' alongside

Zoe Kazan Zoe Swicord Kazan (; born September 9, 1983) is an American actress, playwright, and screenwriter. She made her acting debut in the film ''Swordswallowers and Thin Men'' (2003) and later appeared in films such as '' The Savages'' (2007), '' Revo ...

Betty Gabriel Betty Gabriel (born January 6, 1981) is an American actress. She began her career in musical theater and made her screen debut with the short film ''In Memoriam'' (2011). She subsequently played Laney Rucker in the action film ''The Purge: Electi ...

, and

Adrian Grenier Adrian Sean Grenier (born July 10, 1976) is an American actor, producer, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of Vincent Chase in the television series ''Entourage'' (2004–2011). He has appeared in films such as ''Drive Me ...

. In ''Clickbait'', Raei plays the role of Roshan Amiri, a

missing person A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, ...

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads t ...

investigating a highly publicized murder. He is set to appear in ''

Black Site In military terminology, a black site is a location at which an unacknowledged black operation or black project is conducted. According to the Associated Press, "Black sites are clandestine jails where prisoners generally are not charged with ...

'', an American action-thriller film scheduled for release in 2022, and he is working on a self-authored, directed, and produced film, ''Schnook''.

Personal life

Raei is engaged to Australian actress

Kate Lister Kate name may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer * Lauren Kate (born 1981), American autho ...

. The two collaborated in various previous projects, and together they manage a production company, Little Fish Films.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raei, Phoenix 21st-century Australian actors Living people Iranian emigrants to Australia People from Shiraz Male actors from Perth, Western Australia Edith Cowan University alumni 1985 births