Abbas Amiri Moghaddam (; died 26 February 2011), commonly credited as Abbas Amiri, was an Iranian stage, film and television actor. He was particularly known for roles in Iranian historical and religious television dramas, including Abu Musa al-Ash'ari in Imam Ali, Ankh-Mahu, the high priest of Amun, in Prophet Joseph, and Amer ibn Masud in Mokhtarnameh.
Early life and stage career Published sources disagree about Amiri Moghaddam's year of birth. The Persian-language iFilm biography gives 1322 in the Solar Hijri calendar, corresponding to 1943–1944, while iFilm's English-language profile and a contemporary report by Farda News give 1950. Sources identify his birthplace as Amol in northern Iran.
After completing high school, he joined the Theatre Office of Rasht, where he developed his career as a stage actor. According to iFilm's Persian-language biography, he began working seriously in theatre at the age of 19 under the direction of Seyyed Mohammad Raiszadeh. He reportedly appeared in more than 80 stage productions before the Iranian Revolution.
Career Amiri Moghaddam first appeared in a minor television role in Forest Uprising, a historical series about Mirza Kuchik Khan and the Jungle Movement of Gilan. He subsequently made his cinema debut in Hassan Hedayat's Fire in Winter in the mid-1980s.
His appearance in Behrooz Afkhami's film The Bride in 1990 helped establish him as a character actor in Iranian cinema and television. His later film appearances included The Crabs Attack, The Devil's Day, The Fateful Day, Ethereal, Look at Me, A Trip to Hidalu and A Faraway Place.
He became widely associated with historical characters on television. In Imam Ali, directed by Davood Mirbagheri, he portrayed Abu Musa al-Ash'ari. He later appeared as Ankh-Mahu, the high priest of the Temple of Amun, in Prophet Joseph. His final major historical television performance was as Amer ibn Masud, a governor of Kufa, in Mirbagheri's Mokhtarnameh.
For his performance in the film A Faraway Place, Amiri Moghaddam was nominated for the Crystal Simorgh for Best Supporting Actor at the 24th Fajr International Film Festival.
Death On the morning of 26 February 2011, Amiri Moghaddam was travelling from his home in Rasht to a filming location in Fuman for the television production Sobh Bekheir Sarkar. The car carrying him was involved in a collision on the rain-soaked Rasht–Fuman road.
The production's producer, Mohammad Naji, stated that the collision was not severe and that the driver and another production assistant were not seriously injured. Amiri Moghaddam was taken to a hospital in Fuman, where attempts were made to resuscitate him. Naji said that it had not immediately been determined whether his death was caused directly by the collision or by a cardiac complication following the incident. Mehr News Agency reported that the driver lost control of the vehicle and that it struck a tree.
Selected filmography The following is a selected, rather than complete, filmography.
Film Year Title Notes 1984 Fire in Winter Film debut 1990 The Bride 1992 The Crabs Attack 1994 The Devil's Day 1995 The Fateful Day 1997 The Rule of the Game 2001 Ethereal 2003 Look at Me 2005 A Faraway Place Nominated for the Crystal Simorgh for Best Supporting Actor 2005 A Trip to Hidalu 2009 Bi Pooli 2010 Shabakeh
Television Year Title Role or notes 1980s Sarbedaran Early television appearance 1980s Forest Uprising Haj Ahmad Kasmaei 1997 Imam Ali Abu Musa al-Ash'ari 1997 The Loneliest Commander Harith 2000 The Province of Love Esmaeil 2001 Youth 2003 Innocence Lost Abu Mushir 2005 Reyhaneh Pouyan 2007 Paridokht Mirza 2008–2009 Prophet Joseph Ankh-Mahu, high priest of Amun 2009 Rastegaran Samsami 2010–2011 Mokhtarnameh Amer ibn Masud 2011 Passion to Fly Mr Ghafoori; broadcast posthumously 2012 Kolah Pahlavi Zabihollah Tavakkoli; broadcast posthumously
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2006 24th Fajr International Film Festival Crystal Simorgh for Best Supporting Actor A Faraway Place
References
External links
Abbas Amiri-Moqaddam at iFilm Abbas Amiri Moghaddam at Soureh Cinema