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Navid Negahban

Navid Negahban

Actor, also producer · Born June 2, 1968 (58) · Mashhad, Iran

BAFTA Award nominee · Screen Actors Guild Award nominee

Navid Negahban is an Iranian-American actor, producer, and director whose work spans four decades, three continents, and over 166 credits in film, television, and video games. Born in Mashhad, Iran, he discovered theater at eight years old. He left Iran in 1985, traveling through Turkey and Bulgaria before arriving at a refugee camp in Ingelheim, Germany, where he applied for asylum. He spent eight years performing with the Rheinland-Pfalz Theater in Kaiserslautern before moving to the United States in 1993. He is fluent in Persian, English, and German. He is best known for playing Abu Nazir in Showtime's Homeland (2011–2013), Amahl Farouk / Shadow King in FX's Legion (2017–2019), The Sultan in Disney's live-action Aladdin (2019), General Abdul Rashid Dostum in 12 Strong (2018), Sheikh Al-Obodi in American Sniper (2014), Faraz Hamzad in FX's The Old Man (2022–2024), and Abbas Mansuri in Netflix's The Night Agent (2025). As a producer, his film Baba Joon won five Ophir Awards including Best Picture at the Israeli Film Academy. As a director, his short film The Apple Tree won Best Short Film at the Japan Indies Film Festival (2025). He received a BAFTA Games Award nomination for Best Performer for his work on 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (2017). He is represented by Innovative Artists. Official website: https://navidnegahban.com

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 2, 1968 (58)
From
Mashhad, Iran
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
74 on MovieCove · 97 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 20% in 30 days

What are Navid Negahban's films like?

Across their 28 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.

Genres

Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 41st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 11th percentile
: browse their Horror movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
30%
Survival
22%
Bonds
19%
Morality
12%
Power
9%
Society
8%
Ideas
2%
Identity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 23 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 6 · Dark 12

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 15 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 10 · Intense 10

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 16 · Full focus 3

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 14 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

15 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 7 of 15 analyzed roles.

Shadow
7 of 15
Mentor
5 of 15
Ally
2 of 15
Threshold guardian
1 of 15
Show the 15 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
20
Melancholic
12
Dread
8
Thrilling
8
Joyful
4
Other
20

How their films linger

Thought-provoking11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet17
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Navid Negahban's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 62 of their 74 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (17).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Navid Negahban's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

97 credits, 74 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Fix(2026)

    as Qasim

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Splinter Cell: Deathwatch(2025)

    Show 8 episodes · as Reza "Gunther" Karimi (voice)

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • WondLa(2024)

    Show 1 episode · as Loroc (voice)

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Am Abgrund (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Tofik Gasimov

  • Sitting in Bars with Cake(2023)

    as Isaac

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Kandahar(2023)

    as Mohammad 'Mo' Doud

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Ghosts of Beirut(2023)

    Show 3 episodes · as Ali Reza Asgari (2007)

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • In the Garden of Tulips (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Actor

  • The Night Agent(2023)

    Show 7 episodes · as Abbas Mansuri

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham(2023)

    as Ra's al Ghul (voice)

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Tehranto(2022)

    Producer · as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Serpent Queen(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as Claude de Lorraine

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Pantheon(2022)

    Show 3 episodes · as Farhad (voice)

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • The Old Man(2022)

    Show 9 episodes · as Faraz Hamzad

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Cleaning Lady(2022)

    Show 11 episodes · as Hayak Barsamian

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows

  • Dark Corners(2021)

    as Karim

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • The First Goodbye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Actor

  • Tehran(2020)

    Show 8 episodes · as Masoud Tabrizi

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • London Arabia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Producer · as Mo

  • In Full Bloom(2019)

    as The Shepherd (voice)

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Aladdin(2019)

    as Sultan

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Saat des Terrors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Kashif Baqri

  • God Friended Me(2018)

    Show 1 episode · as Hasan · as Hassan

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • 12 Strong(2018)

    as General Dostum

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Osprey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Co-Producer · as Adam Zakaria

  • Damascus Cover(2017)

    as Sarraj

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Carving A Life(2017)

    as Dr. Kasem

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • American Assassin(2017)

    as Minister Behurz

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Castlevania(2017)

    Show 10 episodes · as Sala (voice)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Price for Freedom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Victor Daniels

  • Sand Castle(2017)

    as Kadeer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Window Horses(2016)

    as Mehran (voice)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Brain on Fire(2016)

    as Dr. Najjar

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Legion(2017)

    Show 19 episodes · as Amahl Farouk / Shadow King

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Becoming the Enemy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Victor Daniels

  • Sniper: Ghost Shooter(2016)

    as Mothershed

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero(2016)

    as Mohammad Mohammad-Mohammadi

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Baba Joon(2015)

    Producer · as Itzhak

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Day One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Dr. Nasir

  • The Team(2015)

    Show 8 episodes · as Said Gharbour

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • American Sniper(2014)

    as Sheikh Al-Obeidi

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Scorpion(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Agent Khara

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Words and Pictures(2013)

    as Rashid

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Moment(2013)

    as Malik Jamil

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Power of Few(2013)

    as Sahel

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Arrow(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Al Ow-Al

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Veep(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Abbas

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Homeland(2011)

    Show 25 episodes · as Abu Nazir

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Person of Interest(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Ali Hasan

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Atlas Shrugged: Part I(2011)

    as Dr. Robert Stadler

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Heal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Abdul

  • Brothers(2009)

    as Murad

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Dead Air(2009)

    as Abir

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • NCIS: Los Angeles(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Aziz Anshiri

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Liberation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi

  • Dark Blue(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Ahmad Satar

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Diplomacy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Iranian Foreign Minister

  • The Stoning of Soraya M.(2008)

    as Ali

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Powder Blue(2009)

    as Doctor Brooks

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Ambassador's Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Ambassador

  • Stellina Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Amir Keshavarz

  • The Mentalist(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Hassan Zarif

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Fringe(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Malik Yusef

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Djinn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Djinn

  • Charlie Wilson's War(2007)

    as Refugee Camp Translator

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Broken(2006)

    as Keith

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Moonlight(2007)

    Show 1 episode · as Amir Fayed

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Murder 101: If Wishes Were Horses(2007)

    as Sheik Ahmad

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Richard III (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Sir James Tyrrel

  • Shark(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Amir Khan

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The Unit(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Faheed

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Over There(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Iraqi Father

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Criminal Minds(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Hassan Nadir

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • The Closer(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. al-Thani

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • The Fallen Ones(2005)

    as Ammon

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Pretty Persuasion(2005)

    as Mr. Azzouni

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Lost(2004)

    Show 1 episode · as Omar

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Saving Jessica Lynch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Fedayeen Colonel

  • NCIS(2003)

    Show 1 episode · as Jalil Shaloub

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Las Vegas(2003)

    Show 1 episode · as Farouk Naeem

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • Threat Matrix (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 1 episode · as Fred

  • War Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Al Qaeda Rebel at Bridge

  • Without a Trace(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Nazar Rahim

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • CSI: Miami(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Rahim Farooq

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • The Shield(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Zayed Al-Thani

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • 24(2001)

    Show 8 episodes · as Abdullah · as Jamot

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Alias(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Foreman

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Agency (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Arab Driver · as Palestinian Officer

  • Curb Your Enthusiasm(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Morsi

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Boundaries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Trombonist

  • The West Wing(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Maz

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Rankesh Chanoor · as Sam Farhidi

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • JAG(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Jamal Bin Fahad Al-Hadi

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Imam Ibrahim

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Tatort(1970)

    Show 1 episode · as Harun

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • The Apple Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • The Marshal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Lenny Gibbs

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 97 titles, 95 of them dated from 1970 to 2026; peak year 2018.

Biggest box office

Aladdin (2019)

$1.1B worldwide

Highest rated

The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

The Fix (2026)

Film career

MilestoneNomination
19702026

Peak 2018 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 3 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting96 of 97: 94 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thDirecting1 of 97: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleProducing2 of 97: 0 only producing, 2 with another role

By decade

1970s1 · acting1990s4 · acting2000s39 · acting2010s33 · 33 acting · 2 crew2020s18 · acting

Billing

usually 9th · top billed in 0% of 24 roles
0510

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 2013–2017.

  1. 2017
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Performer
  2. 2013
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Navid Negahban's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 50th percentile, the median of all 32; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Midcredits score across 74 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up29
  • 50th to 74th23
  • 25th to 49th15
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

35 of their 74 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved17
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser35
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed15

Most divisive · actor, producer

Tehranto (2022)

93rd percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Pantheon (2022)

Midcredits 98th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 22 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Navid Negahban's work okay for kids?

Across up to 13 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore12 titles32–90 · median 70 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity13 titles14–45 · median 22 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity12 titles28–80 · median 68 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs11 titles21–35 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense12 titles58–87 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Navid Negahban work with?

People who share at least 2 of Navid Negahban's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Numan Acar shares the most, 2.

Actors

Producers