Payman Maadi

Acting

Payman Maadi

Born 1970-07-30 · New York City, New York, USA

Peyman Maadi (پیمان معادی) (born 30 July 1970) is an American-born Iranian actor, director and screenwriter. Maadi begun his film career as a screenwriter with the film Swan Song (2001). He began his acting career in Asghar Farhadi's film About Elly (2009), continuing his working relationship with the director in the film A Separation (2011), which was released to widespread critical acclaim.

Acting credits

Crime 101 poster
7.0

When an elusive thief whose high-stakes heists unfold along the iconic 101 freeway in Los Angeles eyes the score of a lifetime, with hopes of this being his final job, his path collides with a disillusioned insurance broker who is facing her own crossroads. Determined to crack the case, a relentless detective closes in on the operation, raising the stakes even higher.

Crime 101

2026

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi poster
7.3

An American Ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya as a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

2016

6 Underground poster
6.3

After faking his death, a tech billionaire recruits a team of international operatives for a bold and bloody mission to take down a brutal dictator.

6 Underground

2019

A Separation poster
7.9

A married couple are faced with a difficult decision – to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.

A Separation

2011

Last Knights poster
6.4

When an evil emperor executes their leader, his band of knights – bound by duty and honour – embarks on a journey of vengeance that will not come to an end until they've destroyed their mortal foe.

Last Knights

2015

Camp X-Ray poster
6.7

A young woman joins the military to be part of something bigger than herself and her small-town roots. Instead, she ends up as a new guard at Guantanamo Bay, where her mission is far from black and white. Surrounded by hostile jihadists and aggressive squadmates, she strikes up an unusual friendship with one of the detainees.

Camp X-Ray

2014

Life and a Day poster
7.9

Somaieh, the youngest daughter of an indigent family, is getting married and fear is overwhelming each and every member of the family regarding how to overcome their difficulties after she's gone.

Life and a Day

2016

About Elly poster
7.5

The mysterious disappearance of a kindergarten teacher during a picnic in the north of Iran is followed by a series of misadventures for her fellow travelers.

About Elly

2009

Law of Tehran poster
7.2

Samad is nobody’s fool. The narcotics officer has seen his share of a drug dealer’s lies and games, and his patience has come to run thin. While searching for the infamous drug baron Nasser Khakzad, he and his colleague Hamid scour the streets of Tehran, turning an overcrowded prison on its head. With his rough and dubious approach, Samad finally manages to find the criminal’s whereabouts – but things do not quite go according to plan...

Law of Tehran

2019

Leila's Brothers poster
7.6

At the age of 40, Leila has spent her entire life caring for her parents and four brothers. A family that is constantly arguing and under pressure from various debts in the face of sanctions against Iran. While her brothers are struggling to make ends meet, Leila makes a plan.

Leila's Brothers

2022

Aporia poster
6.1

Since losing her husband, Sophie has struggled to manage grief, a full-time job, and parenting her devastated daughter, but when a former physicist reveals a secret time-bending machine, Sophie will be faced with an impossible choice.

Aporia

2023

Night Shift poster
5.2

Three officers are tasked with escorting an illegal immigrant to Charles de Gaulle airport, where he will be forced onto a plane and sent back to his homeland. But when they find out about the truth, they have to make a difficult choice.

Night Shift

2020

Parfum poster
NR

A Los Angeles luxury real estate agent finds herself in crisis after making a strange discovery during a routine showing. PARFUM explores the absurd dichotomy between California’s ever-increasing obsession with luxury real estate and lifestyle culture (as depicted in Netflix’s hit reality show “Selling Sunset”) and California’s simultaneous increase in wildfires, mudslides, and other climate disasters.

Parfum

2023

Walnut Tree poster
7.0

Qader, a bricklayer from Sardasht in Kurdistan Iran whose wife is pregnant with her 4th child, suddenly found himself amid a war crime perpetrated by the Saddam regime. On June 28th, 1987 Iraqi air fighters dropped mustard gas bombs on the city...

Walnut Tree

2020

Opponent poster
6.6

In the aftermath of a devastating rumor, Iman and his family have been forced to flee Iran. As refugees, they end up in a run-down hotel in northern Sweden. Despite feeling powerless, Iman tries to maintain his role as the family patriarch. To increase their chances of asylum, he breaks a promise to his wife and joins the local wrestling club. As the rumors start to resurface, Iman’s fear and desperation begin to take a hold.

Opponent

2023

Woman and Child poster
5.2

Mahnaz, a 40-year-old widowed nurse, struggles with her rebellious son, Aliyar, who has been suspended from school. Family tensions reach a peak during the betrothal ceremony with her new boyfriend Hamid, and a tragic accident occurs. In the aftermath, Mahnaz will be forced to confront betrayal and loss, and to embark on a quest for justice.

Woman and Child

2025

Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming poster
6.7

A young Canadian poet with Chinese and Persian parents travels to Iran to perform at a poetry festival.

Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming

2017

Enemies poster
NR

A solitary hitman's new job catches a detective's attention, leading both to discover unexpected similarities between them.

Enemies

Mourning poster
5.5

A violent quarrel breaks out between a couple at midnight. Being at a relative's house in the north of Iran, they depart for Tehran in the middle of the night, but they do not bring along their son. Something terrible happens on their way...

Mourning

2011

Suddenly a Tree poster
4.6

Farhad tells the story of his life to a psychiatrist. In the time of the Iran-Iraq War, Farhad is arrested and charged with illegal migration. When he is freed years later, he goes to his old love, Mahtab. Through conversations with his psychoanalyst and interrogations with the police, Farhad reveals the story of his life.

Suddenly a Tree

2019

Hard Shell poster
4.0

Leila, a young and talented tightrope walker, was banned from performing by the authorities. Since then, she has been working in her father's old circus. Samir is a teenager who falls in love with Leila and, instead of going to school, spends his days at the circus. At the same time, as political and economic problems in Iran deepen, the boy's father, Siamak, after many years of working in different jobs, gets a job as a foreman on a small donkey farm. When the animals start to disappear, he comes across terrible secrets and a web of corruption.

Hard Shell

2024

No artwork available
NR

A soft-spoken immigrant taking a citizen evaluation test and a brilliant young behavioral psychologist supervising "the test" confront a terrorist group lead by a far-right fanatic.

The Test

Pig poster
5.8

A serial killer is going around killing Iran's most beloved filmmakers. Hasan, a blacklisted filmmaker himself, is depressed and wonders: why isn't he being targeted?

Pig

2018

From Iran, a Separation poster
8.5

In March 2012, Iranian movie "A Separation" by Asghar Farhadi, won the Oscar Award for the Best Foreign Language Film. For the Iranian people this was more than a cinematic award. When sanctions and threats of war with Iran covered the world headlines, Farhadi talked about Iran's love for peace and the rich culture of the Iranians on the stage when receiving his award. This time the Iranians voice was heard through someone other than the government officials. This documentary shows the reaction of the Iranians to this Oscar award and has a general view on Iran's society of today.

From Iran, a Separation

2011

Behind the camera

Wedding Dinner poster
4.0

Two youngsters from rich families fall in love and decide to get marry but they don't know that both their parents are broke. This creates funny situations for them and the two families.

Wedding Dinner

2006

Coma poster
6.2

This comedy narrates the many adventures of a millionaire's handsome, sassy son named Amir - born into a world of privilege, he is used to getting everything he desires. This time his eyes turn to a peerless lady but her untamable will, combined with a sudden rush of plucky hoodlums, makes his task harder than first thought. Will he prevail or will he be in for a rude awakening?

Coma

2004

Suddenly a Tree poster
4.6

Farhad tells the story of his life to a psychiatrist. In the time of the Iran-Iraq War, Farhad is arrested and charged with illegal migration. When he is freed years later, he goes to his old love, Mahtab. Through conversations with his psychoanalyst and interrogations with the police, Farhad reveals the story of his life.

Suddenly a Tree

2019

Cafe Setareh poster
4.9

Filmmaker Saman Moghadam details the struggles of three women living in an antiquated district of Tehran in this emotionally resonant drama. Fabria's husband has been morally corrupted, and now it's up to her to take charge of the small café that proves the only source of income to the couple. Saloomeh is a beautiful young woman who dreams of marrying Ebi, but how will the couple survive on the salary of a simple mechanic? Lastly, middle aged Moluk has fallen for a much younger man, and her heart breaks when she discovers that her love is unrequited.

Cafe Setareh

2006

Bomb: A Love Story poster
6.6

It’s 1988 and, at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, Tehran is bombed relentlessly. The days that pass are full of foreboding, and yet, love, affection, hope and life itself manage to sweep away the fear of death from those surrounded by it. Love may often be difficult to comprehend, but death is a horrible certitude. ‘Bomb, A Love Story’ shows how, even when faced with the darkness of death, love and hope will find a way.

Bomb: A Love Story

2018

Bomb: A Love Story poster
6.6

It’s 1988 and, at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, Tehran is bombed relentlessly. The days that pass are full of foreboding, and yet, love, affection, hope and life itself manage to sweep away the fear of death from those surrounded by it. Love may often be difficult to comprehend, but death is a horrible certitude. ‘Bomb, A Love Story’ shows how, even when faced with the darkness of death, love and hope will find a way.

Bomb: A Love Story

2018

Bomb: A Love Story poster
6.6

It’s 1988 and, at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, Tehran is bombed relentlessly. The days that pass are full of foreboding, and yet, love, affection, hope and life itself manage to sweep away the fear of death from those surrounded by it. Love may often be difficult to comprehend, but death is a horrible certitude. ‘Bomb, A Love Story’ shows how, even when faced with the darkness of death, love and hope will find a way.

Bomb: A Love Story

2018

The Snow on the Pines poster
5.3

Piano teacher Roya (Mahnaz Afshar) realizes that her marriage to Ali is in a deadlock when she discovers some of her husband's secrets. In the meantime she meets a young musician (Saber Abar) and has to make a painful choice.

The Snow on the Pines

2013

The Snow on the Pines poster
5.3

Piano teacher Roya (Mahnaz Afshar) realizes that her marriage to Ali is in a deadlock when she discovers some of her husband's secrets. In the meantime she meets a young musician (Saber Abar) and has to make a painful choice.

The Snow on the Pines

2013

Swan Song poster
4.0

After being unjustly expelled from university, a young couple return home to parents who are against their union. After the young man is arrested and subsequently breaks out of prison, the two decide to go on the run. As they plan and move forward with their escape, the police hunt them at every turn. With the two ignorant to the extent of the trouble they are in, will they ever manage to get their happy ending?

Swan Song

2001

Thirst poster
NR

A trio of misfits - a hoodlum, a master of disguise, and a thief join forces to perform one of the biggest and most daring heists of their lives. The place? One of the most important hotels...

Thirst

2003