
Navid Negahban
Navid Negahban is an Iranian-American actor, producer, and director whose work spans four decades, three continents, and over 166 credits in film, television, and video games. Born in Mashhad, Iran, he discovered theater at eight years old. He left Iran in 1985, traveling through Turkey and Bulgaria before arriving at a refugee camp in Ingelheim, Germany, where he applied for asylum. He spent eight years performing with the Rheinland-Pfalz Theater in Kaiserslautern before moving to the United States in 1993. He is fluent in Persian, English, and German. He is best known for playing Abu Nazir in Showtime's Homeland (2011–2013), Amahl Farouk / Shadow King in FX's Legion (2017–2019), The Sultan in Disney's live-action Aladdin (2019), General Abdul Rashid Dostum in 12 Strong (2018), Sheikh Al-Obodi in American Sniper (2014), Faraz Hamzad in FX's The Old Man (2022–2024), and Abbas Mansuri in Netflix's The Night Agent (2025). As a producer, his film Baba Joon won five Ophir Awards including Best Picture at the Israeli Film Academy. As a director, his short film The Apple Tree won Best Short Film at the Japan Indies Film Festival (2025). He received a BAFTA Games Award nomination for Best Performer for his work on 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (2017). He is represented by Innovative Artists. Official website: https://navidnegahban.com
35 TV shows
TV Shows

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
NBC

NCIS
CBS

The Mentalist
CBS

Law & Order
NBC

Criminal Minds
CBS

Lost
ABC

24
FOX

CSI: Miami
CBS

Homeland
Showtime

Arrow
The CW

Person of Interest
CBS

The Cleaning Lady
FOX

Fringe
FOX

NCIS: Los Angeles
CBS

JAG
NBC

Curb Your Enthusiasm
HBO

The Closer
TNT

The West Wing
NBC

The Night Agent
Netflix

Scene of the Crime
ORF 1

Las Vegas
NBC

The Unit
CBS

The Old Man
FX

Tehran
Kan 11

Shark
CBS

Legion
FX

Pantheon
Netflix

Castlevania
Netflix

God Friended Me
CBS

The Serpent Queen
STARZ

Moonlight
CBS

WondLa
Apple TV

Alias
ABC

Dark Blue
TNT

Threat Matrix
ABC
Other Credits
Scorpion, Ghosts of Beirut, The Shield, The Team, Veep, Without a Trace, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, Over There, The Agency