Photo: Hamed Malekpour / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Leila Hatami fascinates me because her power is restraint. Her performance as Simin in A Separation won the Silver Bear without a single raised voice, and that quiet devastation is harder to pull off than any histrionics. I admire that a Tehran-born actress with an engineering education from Switzerland chose to anchor her career inside Iranian cinema rather than chase Hollywood, even after receiving the Legion of Honour. To me she represents a kind of intellectual stillness on screen, the rare performer who can shift how you see the world in a single film. I find her one of the most quietly authoritative actors working today.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Leila Hatami
- Name (Japanese)
- レイラ・ハタミ
- Reading
- れいら・はたみ
- Born
- October 1, 1972 (age 53)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Rat
- Origin
- Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
- Occupation
- film actor / film director / actor
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 2020 Knight of the Legion of Honour
- 2011 Silver Bear for Best Actress
- 2022 Honorary Cyclo d'or
- 2017 Crystal Simorgh for Best Actress
- 2009 Crystal Simorgh for Best Actress
- 1997 Crystal Simorgh for Best Actress
- 2002 Montreal World Film Festival for Best Actress
- 2012 FIPRESCI Award for Best Actress at the Palm Springs International Film Festival
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Leila Hatami born?
Born October 1, 1972 (age 53).
Where is Leila Hatami from?
Leila Hatami is from Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran.
What does Leila Hatami do?
Leila Hatami works as film actor, film director, actor.
Film actor — see all → · Film director — see all → · More people from Iran →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.