Abolfazl Pourarab | ابوالفضل پورعرب

Description :

Abolfazl Pourarab, born on June 21, 1961, is an Iranian actor and director. He has been nominated for the Crystal Simorgh for Best Actor at the Fajr Film Festival for his roles in the films "The Bride" (1990), "Narges" (1991), and "A Man Like Rain" (1996), winning the award for "A Man Like Rain." For his performance in "The Bride," he also won the Best Actor award at the Pyongyang International Film Festival.

Early Life and Background

Abolfazl Pourarab was born on June 21, 1961, in Rey City. His father was an education department employee, and his mother was a homemaker. The third child in his family, Pourarab developed an interest in cinema after watching "The Sultan of Hearts" but faced opposition from his father. He engaged in theater during his high school years and was introduced to the directorial group of a play through Mahmoud Estad Mohammad, making his professional debut in a play called "Sensitive Mission" at the City Theater's Chaharsou Hall in 1979. In 1981, he started working at the television and served as a director's assistant at the national broadcaster until 1985. He also performed in the play "The Ruler." Abolfazl's brother, Abbas Pourarab, passed away in a car accident on December 7, 2017.

Abolfazl is a graduate in acting and theater directing from the Art School. He has been married three times and has three children (Rana, Pouria, and Raika). He divorced his last wife, actress Anahita Nemati, with whom he has a daughter, Raika. He recently became a grandfather to Damavand Farahanipour, Rana's son. Pourarab made his professional debut in cinema as a director's assistant in the film "The Thief and the Writer" in 1985. His breakthrough came in 1990 with the film "The Bride," marking his entry into professional cinema and leading to prominent roles throughout the 1990s.

Health Challenges and Recent Work

Abolfazl Pourarab was hospitalized on January 20, 2011, due to a benign tumor and underwent treatment. After a period of convalescence, he made a public appearance at an artists' gathering condemning the insult to the Prophet of Islam. On May 6, 2013, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the then-President of Iran, made an unexpected visit to Pourarab's family home in Dolatabad, southeast Tehran. In a TV show appearance, Pourarab revealed that his tumor had improved after three surgeries.

In December 2022, ISNA reported that Pourarab was hospitalized due to an accident on a film set. He had been working on a documentary film titled "Dog" when he injured his leg, leading to a severe infection and a nearly month-long hospital stay. He has since been discharged and is preparing to resume filming. According to the film's producer, Alireza Taghipour, 30% of the documentary "Dog" has been filmed, with Pourarab recently visiting Kurdistan Province to scout locations for the upcoming shoots.