Azita Ghanizada
| Azita Ghanizada | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Azita Ghanizada November 17, 1979 Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2004–present |
Azita Ghanizada (pronounced "Ghani-za-da";[1] born November 17,[2] 1979)[3] is an American actress in the United States who has appeared in a number of television series.
Life and career
Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, her family fled her birth country when she was still a baby in the wake of the Soviet war in Afghanistan.[4][5] They travelled to the United States and were granted asylum as political refugees.[6] Raised in a multi-cultural conservative family, she has two sisters; her parents separated when she was in middle school.[4] Ghanizada is a graduate of James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia[3] and has a degree in English and Communications from Virginia Tech.[5][7]
Ghanizada learned to speak English from watching American television; that combined with the family's regular trips to a local cinema that showed Bollywood movies, and her mother's passionate love of Indian and American film stars, inspired her to become an actress.[8] She relocated to Los Angeles and began her on-camera career by working in television commercials and guest starring on popular television shows. Her multi-ethnic appearance has enabled her to play Indian, Arabic, Iranian, Mediterranean and the All-American girl next door.[8] In the Laura Neri film A Kiss on the Nose, Ghanizada played the lead role of Chiara, a performance for which she received a film festival best actress nomination. A few of her notable television guest-starring roles include How I Met Your Mother, Entourage, Veronica Mars, The Mentalist , Bones, Psych, Ghost Whisperer, Castle, and Up All Night.
In 2008, Ghanizada joined the cast of the General Hospital prime-time spin-off General Hospital: Night Shift for season 2 as Dr. Saira Batra, a specialist in holistic medicine.[3] In 2009, Ghanizada played Kelly, a Prada sales girl on HBO's Entourage (season 6, episode 2) and joined the cast of the television pilot Tough Trade starring Sam Shepard and Cary Elwes, from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan, and executive producer T Bone Burnett. In 2010, she joined David Strathairn as a primary cast member of the American Syfy Channel series Alphas where she played Rachel Pirzad, a woman with enhanced sensory abilities.[4] "Alphas" was picked up to series in 2011, but only lasted two seasons. In 2014, she filmed the comedy pilot "Ellen More or Less" for NBC directed by Peyton Reed.
The Hollywood Reporter announced in 2015[9] that the actress would be filming the "The Untitled Joshua Marston" feature opposite Michael Shannon and Rachel Weisz.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Kiss on the Nose, AA Kiss on the Nose | Chiara | Short film |
| 2007 | X's & O's | Anita | |
| 2009 | Why Men Go Gay in L.A. | ||
| 2010 | You, Only Better... | Kali Parker | |
| 2011 | Blood Shot | Zahra | |
| 2016 | Untitled Joshua Marston Project | Ramina |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Closer, TheThe Closer | Neighbor | Episode: "Batter Up" |
| 2006 | Numb3rs | Prita | Episode: "Harvest" |
| 2007 | Bones | Girlfriend | Episode: "The Man in the Mansion" |
| 2007 | Wedding Bells, TheThe Wedding Bells | Jody | Episode: "Wedding from Hell" |
| 2007 | Veronica Mars | Amira Krimani | Episode: "Un-American Graffiti" |
| 2008 | General Hospital: Night Shift | Dr. Saira Batra | 14 episodes |
| 2009 | How I Met Your Mother | Sexy Female Cop | Episode: "As Fast as She Can" |
| 2009 | Entourage | Kelly | Episode: "Amongst Friends" |
| 2009 | Psych | Mina | Episode: "Bollywood Homicide" |
| 2009 | Ghost Whisperer | Charee | Episode: "Devil's Bargain" |
| 2010 | Tough Trade | Sabina | TV movie |
| 2010 | Castle | Mistress Sapphire | Episode: "The Mistress Always Spanks Twice" |
| 2010 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Rochelle Stanton | Episode: "Disorder" |
| 2011 | Friends with Benefits | Tasi | Episode: "The Benefit of Full Disclosure" |
| 2011–2012 | Alphas | Rachel Pirzad | Main role |
| 2012 | Body of Proof | Annabelle Kip | Episode: "Cold Blooded" |
| 2012 | Up All Night | Natasha | Episode: "The Game of Life" |
| 2013 | The Mentalist | Defiance | Episode: "Green Thumb" |
| 2014 | Major Crimes | Angela Soames | Episode: "Frozen Assets" |
| 2014 | Ellen More or Less | Lucy | Episode: "Pilot" |
References
- ↑ Lane, Laura (2011). "Esquire + Me in My Place: Azita Ghanizada". esquire.com. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ↑ Unknown. "Status Update". Alpha Media. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved Aug 2011.
- 1 2 3 Krystal, Becky (2008-10-05). "At This 'Hospital,' Virginia Doctors Are In". The Washington Post (Washington DC: WPC). ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
Ghanizada, 29
- 1 2 3 Radish, Christina (2011-07-08). "Azita Ghanizada Interview ALPHAS". collider.com. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- 1 2 "Actress has traveled from Afghanistan to 'Alphas'". greatfallstribune.com. 2011-07-01. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ↑ Stout, Chris (2011-03-01). "Azita Ghanizada Interview". manjr.com. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ↑ "Cast Biographies for Alphas: Azita Ghanizada". syfy.com. 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- 1 2 Grundey, Adam (2011-05-01). "Azita Ghanizada’s Rise to Alpha Female". rollingstoneme.com. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (2015-12-03). "Alpha's Star Join Rachel Weisz in Josh Marston Drama". thehollywoodreporter.com.