In the history of Iranian cinema, one name stands out as the most popular, the most
celebrated and by far the most soughtafter actor of his day: Behrooz Voshooughi. Vossoughi
is an actor whose popularity cuts across class, cultural and social boundaries of his society.
With over 90 films in his past, he has set the standard for acting for generations of Iranian
actors to come. Behrooz Vossoughi was the superstar of Iranian cinema and the first choice
of actors for the directors of his day until the 1979 Islamic Revolution. After the great
upheaval, he, alongside many in his profession, was forced into exile and eventually found his
way to the United States. It was not easy finding himself in a new land surrounded by an
unfamiliar language and Vossoughi was not willing to compromise his talent and pride to
accept roles that he saw as demeaning or stereotypical. Vossoughi, unlike many of his
colleagues, chose silence as a way to safeguard his pride and legacy.
The absence of a great actor such as Vossoughi in today's Iranian cinema has many political, historical and social reasons all of which signal a huge blow to Iranian culture and cultural production. He continues to be a major figure in Iranian cinema, although he has not played in any films of his native land for the past thirty years.