24

Background:

American actor Jonathan Ahdout is perhaps most known for playing Esmail Behrani in the acclaimed movie “House of Sand and Fog” (2003) and as Behrooz Arazin the popular but now defunct television series “24” (12 episodes, 2005).

Apart from acting, Ahdout has developed an intense interest in music and arts. He plays the piano, composes music and paints. He is also an avid swimmer.

Johnny

Childhood and Family:

Jonathan Ahdout was born on March 18, 1989, in Santa Monica, California. His parents, Yahya Ahdout and Jacqueline Hayempour, are Iranian Jews who departed Iran to go to the United States in 1982 through Pakistan to Israel. He has two siblings, Melody (born in Iran) and Daniel (born in California). The Ahdouts currently reside in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Jonathan, whose nickname is Johnny, was educated at Sinai Akiba Academy and Harvard-Westlake School. He took double major in Business and Film at the University of Southern California (USC).

House of Sand and Fog

Career:

Jonathan Ahdout made his professional acting debut as Esmail Behrani in “House of Sand and Fog” (2003), a drama film directed by Vadim Perelman and starring Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Ron Eldard, Frances Fisher and Kim Dickens. An adaptation of Andre Dubus III's novel of the same name, with the screenplay by Perelman and Shawn Lawrence Otto, the film earned mostly positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Music, Original Score. The film opened at No. 43 at the America's box office and grossed $45,572 in its opening weekend. It went on to make $13,040,288 in North America and $3,902,507 in other territories for a worldwide total of $16,942,795. The budget was $16.5 million.

Ahdout segued to television in 2005 when he landed the recurring role of Behrooz Araz in the fourth season of the popular political thriller series “24,” starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) agent Jack Bauer. He appeared in a total of 12 episodes.

Ahdout returned to feature films when he was cast as Ike on “American Gun,” the directorial debut of Aric Avelino, who also wrote the screenplay with Steven Bagatourian. Starring Linda Cardellini, Tony Goldwyn, Marcia Gay Harden, Donald Sutherland and Forest Whitaker, the drama premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 15, 2005 before receiving limited release in the US on March 22, 2006. It grossed $24,030 in the US. The film was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards for Best Feature, Best Male Lead and Best Supporting Female.

In 2007, Ahdout made a guest appearance in the CBS series “The Unit,” starring Dennis Haysbert, Regina Taylor, Scott Foley and Robert Patrick. He played Shephard in the episode “Johnny B. Good.”

In 2009, Ahdout starred as Anil in “The Indian and the Samurai,” a short/comedy film directed and written by Shilpi Roy. Co-stars in the film included Shaun Parker, Viji Nathan, Julia Cho, Roy Vongtama and Frank Krueger.

In 2010, Ahdout played the supporting role of Dr. Hrundi Bhatnagar on the comedy film “Little Blue Pill,” which was written and helmed by Aaron Godfred. It starred Aaron Kuban, Adam Carr and Rosie Tisch.

Awards:
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