Omid Abtahi is an Iranian-American actor best known for playing Salim in American Gods and Doctor Pershing in The Mandalorian.
With a background in theater, Abtahi has worked across stage, film, TV, videogames and live-action.
Omid Abtahi stars in television, film, and video games
Before acting on television, Abtahi appeared in numerous theater productions, performing at the Berkeley Repertory and the Sundance Theater Lab. His early tv appearances include the hugely popular series 24 and NCIS. He’s since had roles on The Ghost Whisperer, The Mentalist, Grey’s Anatomy, Family Guy and Better Call Saul.
Abtahi can also be seen in the Emmy-Award winning The Mandalorian, the first live-action TV series of the Star Wars Franchise. American Gods and Fear The Walking Dead are two other highly acclaimed shows in which he has major roles. Abtahi’s appeared in a number of films including Brothers (2009), Argo (2012) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015).
He’s also provided voice work for Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2015) and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016). Abtahi’s latest voice acting comes as Hawkman in the animated film Justice Society: World War II. After experiencing narrow typecasting for years after 9/11, Abtahi welcomes these voice roles.
“There is no world where I would be cast as Hawkman on camera, right? But in the voiceover world as long as you connect to the soul of the character, and you can provide a voice that’s convincing to that character, then you can be anybody. You can be anybody of any color. You can be anything in the voiceover world and that’s why I do it. It’s fun,” he says
Omid Abtahi finds balance through physical activity
Abtahi was born in Tehran, Iran, before moving to Paris with his family and later settling in the United States at the age of 10. He grew up there in Irvine, Orange County in California. After graduating from high school, he studied advertising at California State University, Fullerton.
A big fan of basketball and yoga, Abtahi sees these physical activities as forms of meditation that help bring balance into his life. “Time ceases to exist and I just shoot till my body tells me to stop and the entire time I have a clear mind. Same goes for yoga. I find this form of moving mediation absolutely key to helping me find balance,” he says.
So Abtahi has discovered that learning and growing is the key to a happy life. “I find that as long as I push myself to continue learning, I feel productive and can call it a great day. Education, regardless of what it is I am learning (whether it be math, gardening, or painting) helps me feel fulfilled,” he states.
Omid Abtahi in Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
In keeping with Abtahi’s love for voice acting, he will play a recurring role in the upcoming animated Marvel series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, showing on Disney+.
Veteran actor and the series’ executive producer Laurence Fishburne had this to say about it: “Disney Channel is the perfect platform to explore this pint-sized female African American superhero and I can’t wait for their audience to enjoy the lighthearted adventures of Lunella and Devil Dinosaur.”
The series follows the adventures of a 13-year old supergenius and her ten-ton T Rex. The two accidentally travel to New York in a time-warp. Together they protect NY’s Lower-East Side from danger.
To stay up to date with Omid Abtahi, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
