Omid Abtahi

Biography:

Omid Abtahi (born July 12, 1979) is an Iranian-American actor. Born in Tehran, Iran, he moved with his family to Paris at the age of five before relocating to Irvine, California, at age ten.

He graduated from University High School in Irvine in 1997 and later attended California State University, Fullerton, initially studying advertising before adding theater as a second major, earning his degree in 2002.

Before transitioning to television, Abtahi performed with several theater companies, starring in productions such as Fräulein Else at Berkeley Repertory, McCarter Theatre, and Long Wharf Theatre; Adoration of the Old Woman at the Sundance Theatre Lab; and Your Everyday Typical Romantic Comedy at the Kennedy Center. He made his New York City stage debut in Urge for Going by Mona Mansour in January 2016.

After moving to Los Angeles, he became a series regular on FX’s Over There and Showtime’s Sleeper Cell, both premiering in 2005. He also made guest appearances in shows like JAG, Judging Amy, 24, and Ghost Whisperer, where he played Justin Yates.

In addition to acting on screen, Abtahi has worked as a voice actor in video games, voicing Farid in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Sergeant John Lugo in Spec Ops: The Line, and Victor “Gator” Diallo in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.

He is best known for his roles as Salim in Starz’s American Gods, Penn Pershing in The Mandalorian, Saleem Ulman in NCIS, and Homes in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015). He also portrayed Detective Jerry Molbeck in the American adaptation of Those Who Kill.