Leila Hatami

Leila Hatami (Persian: لیلا حاتمی) is an Iranian actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of Iranian Cinema, she is considered one of the most prominent performers in the 21st century. She is recognized for her realistic acting in drama films and she rose to international fame for her role as Simin in Academy Award-winning film A Separation (2011), for which she received the Silver Bear for Best Actress. Hatami made her film debut in the drama Kamalolmolk (1984) portraying Kamal-ol-molk. She played her first lead role in the drama Leila (1997) as a barren woman, for which she won the Diploma of Honor at the Fajr Film Festival and gained public attention. Her portrayal of a naive woman in Penniless (2009) earned her the Crystal Simorgh for Best Actress at the Fajr Film Festival, and she later won the award again for her portrayal of a disordered woman in Subdued (2017). She has also been nominated for the Crystal Simorgh for her roles in Sheida (1999), The Deserted Station (2002), Season Salad (2005), Forty Years Old (2010), A Separation (2011), The Orange Suit (2012) and Time to Love (2015). Hatami won the Montreal World Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Deserted Station (2002). She won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival for her performance in the drama A Separation (2011). In 2017, IndieWire praised her performance in the film as one of the best performances of the 21st century and considered Hatami deserved one Oscar Award for her performance in it. She received the Crystal Globe for Best Actress at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for her performance in The Last Step (2012). In 2012, she was appointed Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government. She has been included in the list of the most beautiful women in the Middle East by the website Wonderslist.