Merila Zarei

About Merila Zarei

Merila Zarei, born in Tehran in 1974, is one of the most decorated Iranian actresses of her generation. She studied food science at the Islamic Azad University. While still a student, she took acting classes with Ezzatollah Entezami. He was wary of steering his students into cinema, but eventually recommended her for an audition for Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Salaam Cinema.

Career and awards

Her first professional contract was for the television series Karagah, directed by Hassan Hedayat, and her first feature was Ali Asghar Shadravan's Patak (1994). Zarei has won the Crystal Simorgh at the Fajr Film Festival three times: for Masoud Kimiai's Friday's Soldiers, for Track 143 and for Under the Smoky Roof. Track 143 won her Best Actress at the 32nd festival. She also received a Hafez Award for the series Mannequin, and her accolades include a Silver Bear from the Berlin International Film Festival.

On Pardeh

Seven titles on Pardeh feature her. The Fifth Reaction (2002) and Half Mine, Half Yours (2006) are early social dramas. Khorus Jangi is a comedy, and Hame Chiz Baraye Forush a social drama. The Little Black Fish is a war drama set in the past, and Henas (2022) is a family drama. The crime mystery series Blindness (Kuri) is her latest title on Pardeh.

Biographical facts: Wikidata.

Shared cast credits

People credited in the same titles on Pardeh:

• محمدرضا شریفی‌نیا · 2 shared titles
• همایون ارشادی · 2 shared titles
• آفرین عبیسی · 1 shared title
• آهو خردمند · 1 shared title
• الهام حمیدی · 1 shared title
• امیر جعفری · 1 shared title