# Leila Hatami

Leila Hatami (Persian: لیلا حاتمی; born 1 October 1972) is an Iranian actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of Iranian Cinema, she is considered one of the most prominent performers in the 21st century. She is recognized for her realistic acting in drama films and she rose to international fame for her role as Simin in Academy Award-winning film A Separation (2011), for which she received the Silver Bear for Best Actress.
Hatami made her film debut portraying Kamal-ol-molk in the drama Kamalolmolk (1984) and received critical acclaim for playing a sterile young woman in the drama Leila (1997). She received her first Crystal Simorgh for Best Actress from the 27th Fajr Film Festival for playing a housewife in Penniless (2009) and received her first international award from the 26th Montreal World Film Festival for her performance in The Deserted Station (2002). in 2012, the French government made her a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters. She received the Best Actress award from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for her performance in The Last Step (2012).

## Early life

Leila Hatami was born on 1 October 1972, in Tehran, Iran, to influential Iranian director Ali Hatami and actress Zari Khoshkam. After finishing high school, she moved to Lausanne, Switzerland and started her studies in Mechanical engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). After two years she changed her major to French literature. After completing her studies, she returned to live in Iran.

## Career

Hatami played several small roles in her father's productions throughout her youth, including in the Hezar Dastan television series and the Kamalolmolk movie. Her first leading film appearance was the title role in the 1997 film Leila, directed by Dariush Mehrjui. She received the Diploma of Honor for Best Actress from the 15th Fajr Film Festival. Following this, she continued to act regularly in Iranian cinema.
She has starred in dozens of films, and has often garnered critical acclaim and accolades. For her performance in The Deserted Station (2002), she was nominated for the Fajr Film Festival Award for Best Actress and she won the Best Actress Award at the 26th Montreal World Film Festival.
She has appeared in her husband's films as a director, Portrait of a Lady Far Away (2005) and The Last Step (2012). She also designed the sets and the costumes of The Last Step and, in addition to receiving the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance, she received a nomination for the Crystal Simorgh Fajr Film Festival Award for Best Production Design and Costume Design for her work on the film.
In 2012, she received international attention for her role in the critical acclaimed Asghar Farhadi film, A Separation, which won dozens of accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Her performance earned critical acclaim and various awards, including the Silver Bear Award for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival. IndieWire praised her portrayal as one of the best female performances of the 21st century.
In June 2017, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited Leila Hatami to become a member.

### Judging at film festivals

In April 2014, she was announced as a member of the main competition jury at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Whilst there, she greeted Cannes President Gilles Jacob with a kiss on the cheek, which is a form of greeting in France. Iran's Deputy Culture Minister Hossein Noushabadi offered criticism of her for this:
   "I hope that those who attend international arenas as Iranian women would be careful about the chastity and dignity of Iranians so that the image of the Iranian woman is not tainted before the world," he said. "If they respect Islamic norms and the national culture and beliefs of Iran, it would be a desirable thing for Iranian celebrities to go abroad, but if their presence lacks regard for social values and ethical criteria, the Iranian nation is not going to accept it."
In May 2014, after receiving significant backlash for the kiss in Iran—including calls for her to be flogged—Hatami later apologized for her actions in a letter.

#### Full list

* 2001 - Dubai Short Film Festival
* 2006 - 41st Karlovy Vary Film Festival – Main competition
* 2011 - Marrakech Film Festival
* 2011 - Deauville Film Festival
* 2012 - Rome Film Festival
* 2012 - Kastendorf Film Festival (Jury President)
* 2013 - Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival
* 2014 - 67th Cannes Film Festival – Main competition
* 2022 - Vesoul Film Festival of Asian Cinema (Jury President)
* 2022 - 79th Venice Film Festival – Main competition

## Personal life

She married her co-star in Leila (Ali Mosaffa) in 1998. They have two children: a son named Mani (born February 2007) and a daughter named Asal (born October 2008).
Beside her native Persian language she is fluent in French, English, and German.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1984 | Kamalolmolk | Young Kamal-ol-molk | Ali Hatami | |
| 1992 | Love-stricken | Leila | Ali Hatami | |
| 1997 | Leila | Leila | Dariush Mehrjui | |
| 1999 | Sheida | Sheida Fatemi | Kamal Tabrizi | |
| 2000 | The Mix | Ms. Salimi | Dariush Mehrjui | |
| 2001 | Water and Fire | Maryam | Fereydoun Jeyrani | |
| 2001 | Sweet Jam | Jalal's Mother | Marzieh Boroomand | |
| 2002 | The Deserted Station | Mahtab | Alireza Raeesian | |
| 2002 | Low Heights | Narges | Ebrahim Hatamikia | |
| 2005 | Season Salad | Leila | Fereydoun Jeyrani | |
| 2005 | Portrait of a Lady Far Away | The Young Lady | Ali Mosaffa | |
| 2005 | Poet of the Wastes | The Young Lady | Mohammad Ahmadi | |
| 2005 | The Command | Foroozandeh | Masoud Kimiai | |
| 2007 | Every Night, Loneliness | Atiyeh | Rasoul Sadrameli | |
| 2008 | Shirin | Woman in Audience | Abbas Kiarostami | |
| 2009 | Penniless | Shokouh | Hamid Nematollah | |
| 2010 | Forty Years Old | Negar | Alireza Raeesian | |
| 2010 | A Walk in the Fog | Roya | Bahram Tavakkoli | |
| 2010 | There Are Things You Don't Know | Doctor | Fardin Sahebzamani | |
| 2011 | Felicity Land | Yasi | Maziar Miri | |
| 2011 | A Separation | Simin | Asghar Farhadi | |
| 2011 | Beloved Sky | The Lady | Dariush Mehrjui | |
| 2012 | The Last Step | Leyli | Ali Mosaffa | Also costume designer |
| 2012 | The Orange Suit | Nahal Nahavandi | Dariush Mehrjui | |
| 2012 | Meeting Leila | Leila | Adel Yaraghi | |
| 2013 | The Sealed Secret | Saba | Hadi Moghaddamdoost | |
| 2014 | What's the Time in Your World? | Goli Ebtehaj | Safi Yazdanian | |
| 2015 | Time to Love | Bita Tamadon | Alireza Raeesian | |
| 2016 | I | Azar Mirzaei | Soheil Beiraghi | |
| 2017 | Subdued | Mina | Hamid Nematollah | |
| 2018 | The Last Fiction | Shahrzad | Ashkand Rahgozar | |
| 2018 | Pig | Shiva Mohajer | Mani Haghighi | |
| 2018 | Bomb: A Love Story | Mitra | Peyman Moaadi | |
| 2018 | Tale of the Sea | Parvaneh | Bahman Farmanara | |
| 2019 | A Man Without a Shadow | Saye Tamadon | Alireza Raeesian | |
| 2019 | We Are All Together | Mrs. Mozhdehi | Kamal Tabrizi | |
| 2022 | Imagine | Various | Ali Behrad | Hatami played 8 roles. |
| 2024 | The Old Bachelor | Rana | Oktay Baraheni | |
| 2025 | The Killer and the Savage | Ziba | Hamid Nematollah | |
| TBA | A Time in Eternity | Maryam | Mehdi Norowzian | Completed |
| TBA | The Way of the Wind | Mary Magdalene | Terrence Malick | Completed |
| TBA | The Rook | | Hamid Nematollah | Post-production |
| TBA | The Woman and the Child | | Saeed Roustaee | Filming |

### Web

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Platform | Notes |
| 2019 | Blue Whale | Anahita Kashef | Fereydoun Jeyrani | Filimo | Recurring role |
| 2022–2024 | Women's Secret Network | Delbar | Afshin Hashemi | Namava | Main role |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Network | Notes |
| 1987 | Hezar Dastan | Young Amine-aghdas | Ali Hatami | IRIB TV1 | TV series |
| 1987 | Mr. Hekayati | | Iraj Tahmasb | IRIB TV1 | TV series |
| 1984 | Guys Wake Up, Guys Be Alert | | Marzieh Boroumand | | TV series |
| 2000 | The English Briefcase | Mastaneh Pirayesh | Ziaeddin Dorri | IRIB TV1 | TV series |
| 2007 | Paridokht | Paridokht | Saman Moghaddam | IRIB TV2 | TV series |

## Awards and nominations
### International Awards

| Award | Year | Category | Film | Result |
| Montreal World Film Festival | 2002 | Best Actress | The Deserted Station | Won |
| Zimbabwe International Film Festival | 2010 | Best Actress | Every Night, Loneliness | Won |
| Berlin International Film Festival | 2011 | Silver Bear for Best Actress | A Separation | Won |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | 2012 | the FIPRESCI for Best Actress | A Separation | Won |
| Asian Film Awards | 2012 | Best Actress | A Separation | Nominated |
| Asian Film Awards | 2012 | Favorite Actress | A Separation | Nominated |
| Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | 2012 | Best Actress | The Last Step | Won |

### Iranian Awards

| Award | Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
| Fajr Film Festival | 1997 | Best Actress | Leila | Diploma Honorary |
| Fajr Film Festival | 1999 | Best Actress | Sheida | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2002 | Best Actress | The Deserted Station | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2005 | Best Actress | Season Salad | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2009 | Best Actress | Penniless | Won |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2010 | Best Actress | Forty Years Old | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2011 | Best Actress | A Separation | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2011 | Best Actress | There Are Things You Don't Know | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2012 | Best costume Design | The Last Step | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2012 | Best Actress | The Orange Suit | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2015 | Best Actress | Time to Love | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2017 | Best Actress | Subdued | Won |
| Hafez Awards | 1997 | Best Actress | Leila | Won |
| Hafez Awards | 1999 | Best Actress | Sheida | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2001 | Best Actress | Water and Fire | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2002 | Best Actress | Low Heights | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2006 | Best Actress | The Command | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2011 | Best Actress | Penniless | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2014 | Best Actress | The Last Step | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2016 | Best Actress | Time to love | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2017 | Best Actress | I | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2018 | Best Actress | Subdued | Won |
| Hafez Awards | 2019 | Best Actress | Bomb: A Love Story | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2020 | Best drama Actress | Blue Whale | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2023 | Best Actress | Imagine | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2024 | Best Comedy Actress | Women's Secret Network | Nominated |
| Iran Cinema Celebration | 2001 | Best Actress | Water and Fire | Won |
| Iran Cinema Celebration | 2002 | Best Actress | Low Heights | Nominated |
| Iran Cinema Celebration | 2010 | Best Actress | A Walk in the Fog | Nominated |
| Iran Cinema Celebration | 2012 | Best Actress | The Last Step | Nominated |
| Iran Cinema Celebration | 2017 | Best Actress | Subdued | Won |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2001 | Best Actress | Water and Fire | Won |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2009 | Best Actress | Penniless | Won |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2010 | Best Actress | A Walk in the Fog | Nominated |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2012 | Best Actress | The Last Step | Nominated |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2013 | Best Actress | The Sealed Secret | Nominated |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2015 | Best Actress | What's the Time in Your World? | Nominated |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2016 | Best Actress | I | Won |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2017 | Best Actress | Subdued | Won |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2018 | Best Actress | Bomb: A Love Story | Nominated |