Sarah Shahi
Birthdate – January 10, 1980 (44 Years Old)
Birthplace – Euless, Texas, USA
Sarah Shahi (birthname: Aahoo Jahansouzshahi) is a busy television who has moved more and more into feature films, including taking on the role of Isis in the DC Extended Universe movie, Black Adam (2022), starring Dwayne Johnson. After being urged by director Robert Altman to move to Los Angeles after portraying herself as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader in Altman’s Dr. T and the Women (2000), Shahi pursued an acting career in Hollywood.
After many small roles in such movies as Old School (2003), Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003), the Ashton Kutcher vehicle A Lot Like Love (2005), Christopher Guest’s Hollywood spoof For Your Consideration (2006), Scott Caan’s The Dog Problem (2006), and Brett Ratner’s Rush Hour 3 (2007), Sarah Shahi had her first co-starring role in the indie film by writer-director Jaffar Mahmood, Shades of Ray (2008), with Kathy Baker.
Shahi also co-starred in writer-director Hesham Issawi’s Arab-American drama, AmericanEast (2008), with Tony Shalhoub. Other small roles followed for Shahi in writer-producer-director Wayne Kramer’s crime drama, Crossing Over (2009), starring Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, and Ashley Judd; in writer-director Michael Knowles’ indie comedy, The Trouble with Bliss (2012), with Michael C. Hall, Chris Messina, Brie Larson, Peter Fonda, and Lucy Liu; the Weinstein Company comedy, I Don’t Know How She Does It (2011), with Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, and Seth Meyers; and the indie horror film, Static (2012).
Sarah Shahi had a leading role in director Walter Hill’s Sylvester Stallone-starring action film, Bullet to the Head (2012), followed by a vocal role in Ari Folman’s acclaimed animated/live-action film, The Congress (2013), with Robin Wright, Paul Giamatti, Jon Hamm, Harvey Keitel, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, and premiering at the Cannes Film Festival.
Shahi played a supporting role in star-director-writer-producer Jason Momoa’s crime thriller, Road to Paloma (2014), with Lisa Bonet and Wes Studi, and followed with co-writer-director Steven Chester Prince’s comedy-drama, Divine Access (2015), with Billy Burke, Patrick Warburton, and Gary Cole.
Sarah Shahi paired with Al Pacino and Karl Urban on the indie detective mystery, Hangman (2017), then shifted to comedy for Nancy Doyne’s Bad Therapy (2020), with Alicia Silverstone, Rob Corddry, and Michaela Watkins.
Shahi’s first starring role was in writer-director Cornelia Duryee’s indie school drama, Language Arts (2020), with Pamela Reed. After Black Adam, Shahi starred in Matthew Lopez’s political drama, Red White & Royal Blue (date to be announced), with Uma Thurman, Stephen Fry, and Clifton Collins Jr.
Personal Details
Sarah Shahi was born and raised in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Euless by Iranian-born father Abbas Jahansouzshahi and Spanish-Persian mother Mahmonir Soroushazar, who later divorced when Sarah was ten years old. Shahi has one older brother, Cyrus, and a younger sister, Samantha.
She entered beauty pageants, starting when she was eight years old. When Shahi attended Trinity High School in Euless, she was her volleyball and basketball, team captain. Shahi attended and graduated from Southern Methodist University, where she double-majored in English and Theatre. Shahi was married to actor Steve Howey from 2009 to 2020; the couple has three children, two of them twins. Shahi has been in a relationship with actor Adam Demos since 2020. Her height is 5’ 3”.
Filmography
Black Adam
Adrianna Tomaz (2022)
Bullet to the Head
Lisa (2013)
Some Facts About Sarah Shahi
Family Challenges: Sarah Shahi’s father worked at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and was slated for execution just before the Iranian Revolution and the hostage crisis at the embassy. His family fled to the U.S., where Sarah was born.
What’s in a Name?: Although born with the Persian name, Aahoo (which translates as “gazelle”), Shahi changed her first name to Sarah after being tormented by fellow kids for what they thought was her funny name.
Cheerleader: Sarah Shahi had never been a cheerleader before joining the legendary Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, from 1999-2000, and parlayed it into her first screen role (uncredited) in Robert Altman’s Dr. T and the Women (2000).
Martial Artist: Shahi gained a 1st dan black belt in Shorin-Ryu karate when she was a teenager.
Sued: Sarah Shahi was sued by her former nanny, a devout Muslim woman, for sexual harassment and religious discrimination, claiming that the actor mocked her Islamic customs.
Birth Mom: Shahi has given birth to her three children in at-home water births.
Awards
Winner, Best Female Actor Breakthrough, Gracie Allen Awards (2012).
