Necar Zadegan
Necar Zadegan (Persian: نکار زادگان /nɪˈkɑːr ˈzædɪɡæn/; born June 20, 1982) is an American actress. Zadegan made her Broadway debut alongside Robin Williams in the Pulitzer Prize–nominated production Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo in 2011. She is known for playing First Lady (and then President) Dalia Hassan on the eighth season of 24[1] then leading in the roles of Delia Banai on Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce and Special Agent Hannah Khoury on NCIS: New Orleans.[2]
Necar Zadegan | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 20, 1982 Heidelberg, Germany |
| Education | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, model |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Notable credit(s) | 24 Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce NCIS: New Orleans |
Early life
Zadegan was born on June 20, 1982, in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.[3] She is of Iranian heritage.[3]
Zadegan graduated with honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) with a BA degree in Literature.[3] She spent a semester abroad at the Sorbonne University.[2] She speaks Persian, French, English, and German fluently.[2]
Career
From 2005 to 2009, Zadegan had roles in such television series as The Bernie Mac Show, Nip/Tuck, NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, The Unit, How I Met Your Mother, Big Shots, Lost, The Shield, and CSI: Miami.
In 2009, Zadegan appeared in the Persian language stage production of From Satellite with Love "Az Mahvareh Ta Eshgh", touring in the U.S. and Europe.[4]
In 2009 Zadegan originated the role of 'The Leper' in Rajiv Joseph's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, which moved to Broadway in 2011.[5][6] The same year she portrayed the First Lady turned president, Dalia Hassan, in the FOX series “24”.[7]
Zadegan appeared in the 2010 film Elena Undone in the title role of Elena Winters for FilmMcQueen.[8] That same year she also appeared opposite Michael Sheen and Samuel L. Jackson in the role of Jehan Younger in the Columbia Tri Star psychological thriller Unthinkable.
Zadegan returned to television as resident villainess Isabel on the NBC series The Event.[1] She then took on the series regular role of Dr. Gina Bandari on the 2012 series Emily Owens M.D.[9] She appeared as Scarlet Leon, the female lead, opposite Greg Kinnear in the 2014 American version of the comedy Rake.[10]
Later that same year she rounded out the all female-lead cast for Bravo's first scripted series Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce in the role of Delia Banai. The show went on to be the first ever to get a three-season pickup and ran for five seasons before premiering its final season in Spring 2018.[11]
In 2015 Zadegan continued to appear in other television roles such as Extant, Legends and as the Queen of Iran opposite Michael Sheen for Showtime's critical success Masters of Sex.
Zadegan joined the cast of NCIS: New Orleans in October 2018 playing the role of Special Agent Hannah Khoury, the senior agent in the NCIS New Orleans office.[12]
Zadegan played the role of Ra-Sharir in the first two episodes of season 3 of Documentary Now! for IFC in 2019.[13]
Her voice plays the character of Viola in the 2019 virtual reality sci-fi feature film Eleven Eleven, written by Australian screenwriter Lucas Taylor.[14][15]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Touch | Kerime | Short film |
| 2008 | In Another Life | Mira | Short film |
| 2010 | Unthinkable | Jehan Younger | |
| 2010 | When the Voices Fade | Nadia | Short film |
| 2010 | Elena Undone | Elena | |
| 2010 | The Deal | TBA | Short film |
| 2011 | Joshua Tree | Angelina | |
| 2011 | Meth Head | Maia | |
| 2019 | Eleven Eleven | Viola (voice) | Sci-fi VR film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Bernie Mac Show | Sales associate | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Nip/Tuck | Nastran | 1 episode |
| 2007 | NCIS | Lt. Rihama Shaheen (uncredited) | 1 episode |
| 2007 | The Unit | Pari | 1 episode |
| 2007 | How I Met Your Mother | Girl #2 | 1 episode ("Moving Day") |
| 2007 | Big Shots | Prostitute | Pilot episode |
| 2008 | Lost | Translator | 1 episode ("Confirmed Dead") |
| 2008 | The Shield | Dr. Lucine | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Floored and Lifted | Caroline | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | CSI: Miami | Salumeh Farooq | 1 episode |
| 2010 | 24 | Dalia Hassan | Recurring role, 20 episodes |
| 2010 | Outlaw | Patty Friedman | 2 episodes |
| 2010–11 | The Event | Isabel | 5 episodes |
| 2011 | A Gifted Man | Madeline Fahn | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Harry's Law | Sarita Radan | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Major Crimes | Roma Strauss | 1 episode ("The Ecstasy and the Agony") |
| 2012–13 | Emily Owens, M.D. | Gina Bandhari | Main role |
| 2013 | The Fosters | Gretchen | 1 episode ("Clean") |
| 2014 | Rake | Scarlet Leon | Main role |
| 2014 | Legends | Ana Paulanos | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2018 | Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce | Delia Banai | Main role |
| 2014–2015 | Extant | Shayna Velez | 6 episodes |
| 2015 | Masters of Sex | Queen of Iran | 1 episode ("Three's a Crowd") |
| 2018–2019 | The Good Doctor | Dr. Ko | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Here and Now | Layla Shokrani | 10 episodes |
| 2018–2021 | NCIS: New Orleans | Special Agent Hannah Khoury | Main role (Seasons 5-7) |
| 2019 | Documentary Now! | Ra-Sharir | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Star Trek: Picard | Bjayzl | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Mayor of Kingstown | Assistant D.A. Evelyn Foley | 3 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Elder Scrolls Online | Additional voices | |
| 2017 | Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds | Ourea | Voice, DLC for the original game |
References
- Bennett, Eve (2019-01-10). Gender in Post-9/11 American Apocalyptic TV: Representations of Masculinity and Femininity at the End of the World. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-5013-3109-1.
- "Special Agent Hannah Khoury, Necar Zadegan, Biography". CBS. Viacom CBS. 2018.
- Martinez, Jose (April 2010). "Necar Zadegan: A Force of Nature". Venice Magazine. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2021 – via Wayback Machine, Internet Archive.
- Interview with Necar Zadegan – Hollywood (September 25, 2009), Parstimes.com
- Jones, Kenneth. "Bengal Tiger, by Pulitzer Finalist Rajiv Joseph, Opens April 25 in Return to L.A." Playbill.
- Isherwood, Charles (April 2011). "Ghostly Beast Burning Bright in Iraq". The New York Times.
- Luther, Catherine A.; Lepre, Carolyn Ringer; Clark, Naeemah (2017-09-12). Diversity in U.S. Mass Media. John Wiley & Sons. p. 156. ISBN 978-1-119-23405-0.
- Harvey, Dennis (July 2010). "Elena Undone". Variety.
- Peikert, Mark. "Necar Zadegan Talks High School, Theater, and 'Emily Owens, M.D.'". Backstage.
- Peikert, Mark. "The Magical Casting Process for Fox's 'Rake'". Backstage.
- Kaplan, Ilana (8 June 2018). "Lisa Edelstein Says Goodbye to Her 'Girlfriends'". The New York Times.
- Rice, Lynette. "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce star joining NCIS: New Orleans as a special agent". Entertainment Weekly.
- Stern, Marlow (20 February 2019). "Owen Wilson on Playing a Cocaine-Fueled Cult Leader in 'Documentary Now!'". Daily Beast.
- Eleven Eleven at IMDb
- "Lucas Taylor". Troyeur. Retrieved 29 June 2023.