Azita Ghanizada
| Azita Ghanizada | |
|---|---|
| Born | Azita Ghanizada November 17, 1979 Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2004–present |
Azita Ghanizada (pronounced "Ghani-za-da";[1] born November 17,[2] 1979)[3] is an Afghan 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 native 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 by a 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 television; that combined with the family's regular trips to a local cinema that showed Bollywood movies inspired her to become an actress.[8] She relocated to Los Angeles and began her on-air camera career by getting work in television commercials due to her non-descript ethnicity which enabled her to play Mediterranean, Indian, and Arabic roles.[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. Her television guest-starring roles include How I Met Your Mother, Entourage, Veronica Mars, The Wedding Bells, NUMB3RS, Bones, Psych and Castle. She had a supporting role in the 2009 science fiction action film Blood Shot,[9] and the independent comedies, "You, Only Better" (2009).
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 from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan, and executive producer T Bone Burnett.
In 2011/2012, she was a primary cast member of the American Syfy Channel series Alphas where she played Rachel Pirzad, a woman with enhanced sensory abilities.[4]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | A 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 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Closer | Neighbor | Episode: "Batter Up" |
| 2006 | Numb3rs | Prita | Episode: "Harvest" |
| 2007 | Bones | Girlfriend | Episode: "The Man in the Mansion" |
| 2007 | The 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" |
References
- ^ Lane, Laura (2011 [last update]). "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.
- ^ a b c 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"
- ^ a b c Radish, Christina (2011-07-08). "Azita Ghanizada Interview ALPHAS". collider.com. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ a b "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 [last update]. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ^ a b Grundey, Adam (2011-05-01). "Azita Ghanizada’s Rise to Alpha Female". rollingstoneme.com. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ^ "Interview With Actress Azita Ghanizada". screenwritingforhollywood.com. 2008-02-12. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
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