Katayoun Riahi (; born 31 December 1961) is an Iranian actress, and has received various accolades, including three Hafez Awards, nominations for a Crystal Simorgh, and an Iran Cinema Celebration Award. Riahi rose to prominence for her performance as Zoleykha in Prophet Joseph (2008–2009). She won the Best Actress award at the 26th Cairo International Film Festival for her performance in The Last Supper (2002).
She is also the founder and CEO of the Komak Charity Foundation and an ambassador of the Mehrafarin Foundation in Iran.
Career It was with the series' Days of Life (1998), After the Rain (1999) and The 10th Night (2001) that she established herself as a capable actress.
She also played a starring role in the series Prophet Joseph (2009).
Many critics believe that Riyahi's best performance was in the movie The Last Supper (2001), a role which accorded her a Best Actress nomination at the 20th Fajr International Film Festival.
Her outstanding performance in the movie This Woman Won't Talk (2002) earned her a Best Actress Award at the 7th Iran Cinema Celebration.
Riyahi has also appeared in a number of movies, including The Stranger (1987), Apartment 13 (1990), The Kind Moon (1995), Lighter Than Darkness (2002) and Invitation (2008).
Arrest
Riahi was one of the first celebrities who took off her hijab amidst the 2022 nationwide protests and in support of the people wrote: "Iranian women are the voices of one another" and "Enough with the lies"!. Security forces arrested her in her villa in the suburbs of Qazvin.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Director Notes 1987PayizanParvanehRasoul Sadrameli1995Dear MoonGhasem Jafari1996The Tortoise Ali Shah Hatami2002The Last SupperMahin MashreghiFereydoun Jeyrani2003The Woman Keeps SilentSoraya ArdalanAhmad AminiMy LadyYadollah Samadi 2004Tara and the Strawberry FeverTaranehSaeed SoheiliSomewhere ElseTaraMehdi Karampour2008ShirinWoman in audienceAbbas KiarostamiInvitation AfsanehEbrahimi HatamikiaFunnelMohsen AmiryoussefiPost-production
Television Year Title Role Director Notes Network 1998 Days of Life IRIB TV3 1993 Pedar Salar IRIB TV2 2000 Pine's Voice IRIB TV3 2001 After the Rain IRIB TV3 2002 Tenth Night Banou IRIB TV1 2002 Sun Night IRIB TV3 2005 Walking Dead IRIB TV3 2008–2009 Prophet Joseph Zoleykha IRIB TV1
References
External links
Katayoun Riahi On SourehCinema (in Persian)