Leila Hatami

Leila Hatami (; born 1 October 1972) is an Iranian actress. Born to filmmaker Ali Hatami and actress Zari Khoshkam, she began her career with acting in the films of her father. She rose to international fame for her role as Simin in Asghar Farhadi's Academy Award-winning film A Separation (2011), for which she received the Silver Bear for Best Actress. Hatami made her film debut portraying Kamal-ol-molk in the drama Kamalolmolk (1984). She received critical acclaim for playing a sterile woman in the drama Leila (1997), and received her first Fajr Film Festival Crystal Simorgh for Best Actress for her performance in Penniless (2009). The Government of France has awarded her the Legion of Honour in 2012. Early life Hatami was born in Tehran. She is the daughter of influential Iranian director Ali Hatami and actress Zari Khoshkam. After finishing high school, she moved to Lausanne, Switzerland and started her studies in Mechanical engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). After two years she changed her major to French literature. After completing her studies, she returned to live in Iran. Career Hatami played several small roles in her father's productions throughout her youth, including in the Hezar Dastan television series and the Kamalolmolk movie. Her first leading film appearance was the title role in the 1997 film Leila, directed by Dariush Mehrjui. She received the Diploma of Honor for Best Actress from the 15th Fajr Film Festival. Following this, she continued to act regularly in Iranian cinema.