# Behrouz Vossoughi

Khalil Vossoughi (Persian: خلیل وثوقی; born 11 March 1937) known professionally as Behrouz Vossoughi (بهروز وثوقی), is an Iranian actor. He has also worked in television, radio and theatre. His work has earned him recognition at several international film festivals, including for Best Actor at the International Film Festival of India in 1974 and San Francisco International Film Festival in 2006.

## Personal life

Behrouz was born in Khoy, Imperial State of Iran. He moved to Tehran when he was in his teenage years. He has two brothers: Changiz Vossoughi and Shahrad Vossoughi.
Vossoughi was briefly married in the 1970s to the Iranian singer Googoosh. He currently lives in Marin County, California with his wife, Katayoun "Katty" Amjadi (also known as Catherine Vossoughi).

## Career

He started acting in films with Samuel Khachikian in Toofan dar Shahre Ma and Abbas Shabaviz's Gole gomshodeh (1962), and became a major star as the brooding hero of the revenge drama Qeysar (1969), directed by Masoud Kimiai. Vossoughi received the Best Actor Award at the Sepas Film Festival for this role.
He went on to collaborate with Kimiai on five more films, including Dash Akol (1971). His next collaboration with Kimiai was The Deer (1974), in which he played the role of Seyed Rasoul. Vossoughi's most acclaimed performance was as Zar Mohamad, a peasant seeking justice in Tangsir (1973) directed by Amir Naderi. In 1975 Vossoughi appeared in The Beehive in the role of Ebi. In 1978, Vossoughi partnered with Ali Hatami in another film, Sooteh-Delan. He was one of the first Iranians to appear in American and European co-productions, such as Caravans (1978), co-starring with Anthony Quinn, Jennifer O'Neill and Michael Sarrazin. He also appeared in The Invincible Six (1970) with Curd Jürgens, and Sphinx (1981) with Frank Langella and Lesley-Anne Down.
In 2000, at the San Francisco Film Festival award ceremony, Abbas Kiarostami was awarded the Akira Kurosawa Prize for lifetime achievement in directing, but then gave it to Vossoughi for his contribution to Iranian cinema. In addition to his acting career, in 2012, Vossoughi was an official festival judge for the Noor Iranian Film Festival. He is currently a judge on Persian Talent Show.

### Notable films

His most famous film works are Qeysar (1969), The Invincible Six (1970), Reza Motori (1970), Dash Akol (1971), Toughi (1971), Deshne (1972), Baluch (1972), Tangsir (1973), The Deer (1974), Zabih (1975), Mamal Amricayi (1975), Kandoo (1975), Hamsafar (1975), Sooteh-Delan (1978), Caravans (1978) and Sphinx (1981).

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1958 | Storm in Our Town | | Samuel Khachikian | |
| 1961 | The Hundred Kilo Bridegroom | | Abbas Shabaviz | |
| 1962 | The Lost Flower | | Abbas Shabaviz | |
| 1963 | An Angel in My House | The Son | Aramais Aghamalian | |
| 1964 | The Vagabond Girl | | Aramais Aghamalian | |
| 1964 | The Pleasure of Sin | Jabbar | Siamak Yasemi | |
| 1965 | The Bride of the Sea | Changiz | Armais Vartani Hovsepian | |
| 1966 | Farewell to Tehran | Behrouz | Samuel Khachikian | |
| 1966 | The Bank Robber | | Esmail Koushan | |
| 1966 | Twenty Years of Waiting | Majid | Mehdi Reisfirooz | |
| 1966 | Hashem Khan | Ali | Tony Zarindast | |
| 1966 | Today and Tomorrow | | Abbas Shabaviz | |
| 1967 | Faith | | Mehdi Reisfirooz | |
| 1967 | Evil Temptation | | Tony Zarindast | |
| 1967 | Dalahoo | Borzou | Siamak Yasemi | |
| 1967 | A Woman Called Sharab | Mohsen | Amin Shervan | |
| 1968 | The Whirlpool of Sin | Behrouz | Mehdi Reisfirooz | |
| 1968 | The Red Plain | Bahram | Howard Avedis | |
| 1968 | The Black Suit Thief | Hossein Simorgh | Amir Shervan | |
| 1968 | Hengameh | Behzad | Samuel Khachikian | |
| 1968 | Come Stranger | Amir Hossein | Masoud Kimiai | |
| 1968 | The Dragon Gorge | | Siamak Yasemi | |
| 1968 | It's Written in the Stars | | Siamak Yasemi | |
| 1968 | I Cried Too | | Samuel Khachikian | |
| 1969 | Gheisar | Gheisar | Masoud Kimiai | |
| 1969 | Blue World | | Saber Rahbar | |
| 1970 | The Window | Sohrab | Jalal Moghaddam | |
| 1970 | Wood Pigeon | Morteza | Ali Hatami | |
| 1970 | Reza Motorcyclist | Reza | Masoud Kimiai | |
| 1970 | Around the World with Empty Pockets | | Khosrow Parvizi | |
| 1970 | Layla and Majnun | Gheis | Siamak Yasemi | |
| 1970 | The Invincible Six | Jahan | Jean Negulesco | |
| 1971 | Fleeing the Trap | Morteza | Jalal Moghaddam | |
| 1971 | Dash Akol | Dash Akol | Masoud Kimiai | |
| 1971 | A Man and a City | Officer Sharafi | Amir Shervan | |
| 1972 | The Dagger | Abbas Chakhan | Fereydoun Gole | |
| 1972 | Stranger | Ghasem | Shapour Gharib | |
| 1972 | Baluch | Baluch | Masoud Kimiai | |
| 1972 | Rashid | | Parviz Nouri | |
| 1973 | The Soil | Saleh | Masoud Kimiai | |
| 1973 | The Curse | The Painter | Nasser Taghvai | |
| 1973 | Tight Spot | Zaer Mamad | Amir Naderi | |
| 1973 | The Hateful Wolf | Blacksmith | Maziar Partow | |
| 1974 | The Deer | Seyyed Rasoul | Masoud Kimiai | |
| 1974 | The Compromise | Javad | Mohammad Motevaselani | |
| 1975 | Zabih | Zabih | Mohammad Motevaselani | |
| 1975 | American Mamal | Mamal | Shapour Gharib | |
| 1975 | Fellow Traveler | Ali | Masoud Asadollahi | |
| 1975 | The Beehive | Ebi | Fereydoun Gole | |
| 1976 | The Idol | Sadegh | Iraj Ghaderi | |
| 1976 | Honeymoon | Reza | Fereydoun Gole | |
| 1976 | Divine One | | Khosrow Haritash | |
| 1976 | Iconoclast | Ali Ta'arofi | Shapour Gharib | |
| 1978 | Broken | Majid Dokaleh | Ali Hatami | |
| 1978 | Cat in the Cage | Bruce Khan | Tony Zarindast | |
| 1978 | Breathless | Nabi | Sirus Alvand | |
| 1978 | Caravans | Nazrullah | James Fargo | |
| 1981 | Sphinx | Menrephtah | Franklin J. Schaffner | |
| 1982 | Time Walker | Abdellah | Tom Kennedy | |
| 1989 | Terror in Beverly Hills | Abdul | John Myhers | |
| 1989 | Veiled Threat | Amir | Cyrus Nowrasteh | |
| 1999 | Broken Bridges | Michael | Rafigh Pooya | |
| 1999 | The Crossing | | Nora Hoppe | |
| 2005 | Zarin | Client | Shirin Neshat | Short film |
| 2012 | Rhino Season | Sahel | Bahman Ghobadi | |
| 2015 | Farewell My Bird | Old Man | Ameneh Moghaddam | Short film |
| 2018 | Hidden Crimson | Bahram | Payam Jafari | Short film |
| 2019 | Lovely Trash | | Mohsen Amiryoussefi | Scenes deleted |

### Television

* Falcon Crest (1981) – directed by Reza Badiyi
* Nightingales (1989) – directed by Reza Badiyi

## Awards and nominations

* Winner Statue Sepas for Best Actor Sepas Film Festival – 1969
* Winner Statue Sepas for Best Actor Sepas Film Festival – 1970
* Nominated Statue Sepas for Best Actor Sepas Film Festival – 1971
* Honorary Diploma for Best Actor Tashkent International Film Forum – 1972
* Best Actor Award International Film Festival of India – 1974
* Winner Winged Goat Award for Best Actor Tehran International Film Festival – 1974
* Nominated Winged Goat Award for Best Actor Tehran International Film Festival – 1975
* Nominated Winged Goat Award for Best Actor Tehran International Film Festival – 1977
* Akira Kurosawa Award San Francisco International Film Festival – 2000
* Lifetime Achievement Award San Francisco International Film Festival – 2006
* Lifetime Achievement Award Thessaloniki International Film Festival – 2012
* Special Achievement Award Tokyo Filmex – 2012
* Winner of people's heart, presented by a heart, from a disabled Iranian-American U.S. Army ex-serviceman from Berkeley, California – January 14, 2017