Talayeh Ashrafi (;), known professionally as Tala Ashe, is an Iranian-American actress. She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2024 and known for her roles on the television series Smash, The Girls on the Bus, Adults, American Odyssey, and As the World Turns, as well as her regular role as Zari Tomaz and Zari Tarazi on The CW superhero series Legends of Tomorrow.
Ashe has acted in many musical and play productions, including Broadway's English, for which she received nominations at the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play and at the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.
Early life and education Ashe was born in Tehran, Iran. She immigrated to the United States when she was nine months old. Ashe grew up in Powell, Ohio, just outside of the state capital Columbus. She participated in her high school theatre productions as both an actress and director.
Ashe received a BFA from Boston University's School of Theatre. She also trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City.
Career Ashe has performed in numerous regional and Off-Broadway stage productions. Ashe's first screen credit is for her role as Nadia in the 2008 film Waiting in Beijing. She was credited as Tala Ashrafi, but is credited as Tala Ashe in all subsequent roles. She has made guest appearances on the series Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, 30 Rock, and Covert Affairs. Ashe has also had recurring roles on Smash and American Odyssey. She was also a cast member on As the World Turns.
In 2017, Ashe joined the main cast of Legends of Tomorrow as Zari Tomaz. She took the lead for a bottle episode titled "Here I Go Again" and drew praise from critics and fans alike for her performance.
In 2022, Ashe was cast for the lead role of Elham on Off-Broadway debut play English at the Linda Gross Theatre. After playing the role in a number of theatres in the US, the play debuted on Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Todd Haimes Theatre in January 2025. Her performance gave her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.
Personal life Ashe is Iranian-American and holds dual citizenship. Her name, Talayeh, means "pioneer" in Persian and comes from the Shahnameh. In addition to English, she speaks fluent Persian. Along with her fellow Arrowverse actresses, Ashe is a founding member of Shethority, a project aimed at inspiring and uplifting women (inclusively defined).
Filmography + Television and film roles Year Title Role Notes 2008 Waiting in Beijing Nadia Film; credited as Tala Ashrafi 2008 Law & Order Madison Episode: "Angelgrove" 2008 As the World Turns Ameera Ali Aziz Recurring role, 26 episodes 2011 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Rebecca Landon Episode: "Boots on the Ground" 2012 Smash R.J. Quigley Recurring role (season 1), 6 episodes 2015 American Odyssey Anna Stone Recurring role, 7 episodes 2017–2022 Legends of TomorrowZari Tomaz and Zari Tarazi Main role (season 3–7), 74 episodes 2024 The Girls on the Bus Althea Abdi Recurring role 2025 Adults Hilary Episode: "Roast Chicken"2026CIALeila KarimiEpisode: "Deep Cover" (S1E5)
Stage In addition to the following, Ashe has also performed in productions of Love's Labour's Lost (as Tala Ashrafi; Huntington Theatre Company), Age of Innocence (New York Arena), Autophagy (Drama League Director's Project), Twelfth Night (Actors' Shakespeare Project), and Pearls from Salt (Olney Theatre), among others.
Broadway productions Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2014 The Who & the What Mahwish Claire Tow Theater 2025 English Elham Roundabout Theatre Company
Off-Broadway productions Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2011 Urge for Going Jamila The Public Theater 2016 Troilus and Cressida Helen, Andromache Delacorte Theater2017 The Profane Emina Playwrights Horizons 2020; 2022 The Vagrant Trilogy Abir The Public Theater 2023 Lunch Bunch Mitra The Play Company Theater 2024 Breaking the Story Nikki Tony Kiser Theater
Other productions + Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2009 Aftermath Naimah Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City 2010 Welcome to Arroyo's Lelly Santiago Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, California 2011 Again and Against Dahlia LAByrinth Summer Intensive, New York2012 Troilus and Cressida Cressida, Cassandra Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, Oregon 2015 Head over Heels Philoclea Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, Oregon The Happiest Song Plays Last Shar Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, Oregon
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Nominee Result Ref.Drama Desk Award 2023 Outstanding Actress in a Play English Drama League Awards 2025 Outstanding Distinguished Performance English Obie Awards 2022 Special Citation English Tony Awards 2025 Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play English
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