‘Kite Runner’ actor Homayoun Ershadi passes away

Staff Reporter | PNN

Renowned Iranian actor Homayoun Ershadi has passed away at the age of 78 after a long battle with cancer, confirmed by the Iranian news agency IRNA.

Before acting, Ershadi worked as an architect. He made his film debut in 1997 with Abbas Kiarostami’s Test of Cherry, which brought him international fame. In the film, his character contemplates suicide and wishes to be buried under a cherry tree.

Ershadi was discovered by Kiarostami in Tehran while sitting in a car. “I want to make a film, will you act?” Kiarostami asked, launching Ershadi’s acting career. Test of Cherry won the Palme d’Or at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.

He went on to act in around 90 films over three decades, including Mark Forster’s The Kite Runner in 2007.

Born on March 26, 1947, in Isfahan, Iran, Ershadi studied architecture in Venice, Italy, and worked professionally before moving with his family to Vancouver, Canada, in 1979. After nearly a decade, he returned to Iran.

Ershadi’s death is a significant loss to cinema and the global entertainment industry.