A star is born: actors who made it big after just one role

Every now and then, new actors are introduced to the mainstream by way of performances; though, not all of them get a chance to rise to instant stardom: a true breakout performance, rather than one-off onscreen chemistry, that brings them to the limelight.  

Below, ifilm English highlights some of these stars that cement a name for themselves with their first breakout roles.   

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Mostafa Zamani   

Mostafa has the most auspicious start. He stole the show with his debut 2008 TV series ‘Prophet Joseph’ which gained him popular acclaim worldwide. He has never come out of the spotlight since then. He has also acted in a number of series such as ‘In the Eye of the Storm’ and ‘Shahrzad’ (2014-2015).

Zamani made his cinematic debut in 2009 with ‘Aul’.

Shila Khodadad  

Shila landed role with no experience at all in 2000 with ‘Objection’ by renowned director Masoud Kimiyaee. But, the role that shot her to superstardom was Sita in ‘Passenger from India’ (2002), alongside Elham Hamidi and Soroush Goudarzi.

Since then, she has had a ton of major hits-- and does not seem to be stopping any time soon.

Sahar Qoreyshi  

This young actress could not have asked for a better launch. She debuted in Hossein Soheilizadeh’s hit series, ‘Solace of the Heart’ (2010) opposite Shahrokh Estakhri and shot to fame overnight. However, she made her cinematic debut in 2009 with Mahdi Borqei’s 'Spite and Stubbornness'.

Reyhaneh Parsa 

Reyhaneh stepped in front of the camera for the first time, landing her first-ever breakout role as Leila in ‘Father’; and has since become one of the most pursued young talents in Iran film industry.

Shahrokh Estakhri

After starting his acting career with 'Stay a Night With Me for No Reason' in 2005, he made some small waves in show business. However, it was with ‘Solace of the Heart’ (2010) opposite Sahar Qoreyshi that he made a mark in the industry. The success of this series earned Estakhri a lot of appreciation. He was later seen in ‘Paridokht’ (2007).

Narges Mohammad 

Debuting with a super hit series ‘Setayesh’ (2009), she became the most talked about actress of her time. ‘Setayesh’ was not her first role but it was a breakout one that brought her nationwide fame.

She has also played in some other television series, including ‘The Sixth Person’ (2011), ‘The Billionaire’ (2012), ‘Setayesh 2’ (2013), ‘We are not Angels’ (2014), and ‘The Enigma of the Shah’ (2015).  

Laya Zanganeh

Zanganeh made a lucky entry into film industry after Amin Tarokh discovered her. She then worked hard until she landed that perfect role in 'Under Your Protection' (1994-1995) to catapult her name into superstardom.

Maryam Momen

Momen created a stir and became famous overnight after her debut in the hit TV production ‘Lady of the Mansion’. She, however, failed to make a mark in Iran film industry after that.

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