Bijan Daneshmand Explained

Native Name:بیژن دانشمند
Native Name Lang:Fa
Birth Date:1958 8, df=y
Birth Place:Tehran, Imperial State of Iran
Alma Mater:King's College London
Education:
Occupation:Actor, artist

Bijan Daneshmand (Persian: بیژن دانشمند, born 16 August 1958) is an Iranian born-English actor and artist based in London, England.

Early life and education

Bijan Daneshmand was born on 16 August 1958 in Tehran, Iran.[1] At the age of 10, he moved to England to receive his early education.[2]

After graduating from King's College London, he attended the London Centre for Theatre Studies and the Philippe Gaulier School in Paris to develop his acting skills. Later, he obtained an MA from Chelsea College of Arts.[3] [2]

Career

In 2004, Daneshmand produced and acted in 20 Fingers, a feature film, directed and acted by Mania Akbari.[4] In seven scenes shot by Touraj Aslani with a DV camera in a variety of long takes, the director and producer play a couple or potentially several couples who debate and argue about their relationship.[4] The film tackles taboo subjects, including homosexuality and divorce.[4] It premiered at the 61st Venice International Film Festival in 2004, where it won the Best Digital Film, Venezia Digitale.[5]

In 2006, Daneshmand wrote and directed the avant-garde film, A Snake's Tail. The Bare Bones International Film Festival in Oklahoma, United States, named this film the Best International Feature, and it was also included at the Festival Do Rio and the Frankfurt International Film Festival.[6]

In 2009, Daneshmand starred in a film, Women Without Men, directed by Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari, and is based on the 1990 novel by Shahrnush Parsipur.[7] [8] Gender-related issues in Islam and the Muslim world are discussed in the film. It received the 2009 Venice Film Festival's Silver Lion for best director.[9]

In 2011, Daneshmand acted in a short film Two & Two as a male teacher, which was directed by Babak Anvari, co-produced by Kit Fraser, and written by Babak Anvari and Gavin Cullen.[10] The 8-minute film follows Daneshmand's character, a male teacher, as he introduces the statement 2 + 2 = 5 to his young pupils. In 2011, at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, BAFTA, it was nominated for Best Short Film.[11] [12]

In 2016, Daneshmand plays the role of university director in Under the Shadow, a 2016 Persian-language psychological horror film directed by Babak Anvari. A mother and daughter had terrifying supernatural encounters in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s.[13] The film's world debut took place at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016. In 2017, it was awarded with the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut.[14]

In 2021, Daneshmand wrote and directed a Persian-language web series, The Bahramis.[15]

In 2022, Daneshmand was cast as a AliReza Jamshidpour, one of the leading characters in Maryam Keshavarz's film The Persian Version.[16] The film was premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January 2023 as part of the U.S. Dramatic competition.[17] It took home the Waldo for Best Screenplay as well as the Audience Award.[18] [19]

Daneshmand, parallel with his acting, is engaged with his fine art practice. His artwork has been exhibited and reviewed internationally at art galleries, exhibitions, and publications.[20] [2]

In 1996, Daneshmand founded and launched The Leonard, an award winning boutique hotel in central London. The hotel was popular with musicians and film people.[21] William Orbit made various recordings there including works involving U2, Madonna, Pink.[22] [23] In 2003, Daneshmand sold his family interest in the business, to focus entirely on his art and acting.[24]

In 2020, continuing with his fine art practice and interest in the concept of repetition, he commenced his Damavand series; a collection of over 150 works, an exploration on the theme of repetition and difference.[2]

In 2024, Daneshmand performed as the voice character of King Darius, in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown video game by Ubisoft.[25]

Selected filmography

Film

List of film appearances, with year, title, and role shown
YearTitleRoleReference(s)
200420 FingersThe Husband, The Man[26]
2005MunichKamal Nasser[27] [28]
2006A Snake's TailBijan, Kami, and Agha[29] [30]
2008Body of LiesAmman Clinic Doctor[31] [32]
2009Women Without MenAbbas[33]
2010Green ZoneZubaidi's Aide[34] [35]
2012From Tehran to LondonAshkan[36] [37]
2016Under the ShadowDirector[38]
2020PariDirector- Ahmadi[39]
2020InfidelDr. Hossein Tehrani[40] [41]
2021Mister MayfairAli[42]
2023The Persian VersionAli Reza[43] [44]

Television

List of television appearances, with year, title, and role shown
YearTitleRoleReference(s)
2005CasualtyDr. Hamid Guyrat
2005Spooks (US title: MI5)Bashir Shalhoob[45]
2007Saddam's TribeJournalist[46]
2008Special Forces HeroesSalim
2009The Omid Djalili ShowAppearance[47]
2011Page EightCambridge Don[48]
2015SuspectsJamal Khan[49]
2016The Night ManagerKouyami
2017ModusMahmoud Muntasir
2018The Looming TowerFarouq Osman
2018Deep StateAli Ardavan[50] [51]
2019Follow the MoneyAbbas
2019TraitorsAbu Selim[52]
2020EastEndersDr Jamil
2022SuspicionMasoud Ghorbani
2022TehranDr. Kourosh Zamestani [53]
2022House of the DragonThe Priest[54]
2023The DiplomatRasoul Shahin[55]

Radio

List of radio appearances, with year and radio station shown
TitleYearRadio station
Westway2004-6BBC World Service
April's Fool2009BBC World Service
The Fence2009BBC World Service
Spit2009BBC World Service
The Interview2009BBC Radio 4
Baghdad Burning[56] 2009BBC Radio 4
Amazing Grace[57] 2010BBC Radio 4
The Boy from Aleppo that Painted the War[58] 2015BBC Radio 4
The Weapon[59] 2015BBC Radio 4
Dan Dare[60] 2017B7 Media
Fall of the Shah[61] [62] 2019BBC World Service drama

Awards and recognition

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: My Damavand, 100 Paintings by Bijan Daneshmand. Kayhan. Life. 15 September 2020.
  2. Web site: Infinite Truths. 30 November 2017. Meer.
  3. Web site: Bijan Daneshmand. Bijan Daneshmand.
  4. Web site: 20 Fingers. Deborah. Young. 10 September 2004.
  5. Web site: "Twenty Fingers" competing in Spanish film festival. 29 October 2004. Mehr News Agency.
  6. Web site: iranian.com: Setareh Sabety, A review of Bijan Daneshmand’s "A Snake’s Tail". iranian.com.
  7. Web site: Women Without Men. Peter. Bradshaw. 10 June 2010. The Guardian.
  8. Web site: Shirin Neshat: A long way from home. Homa. Khaleeli. 13 June 2010. The Guardian.
  9. Web site: Women without Men | Wexner Center for the Arts. wexarts.org.
  10. Web site: Two & Two (2011). https://web.archive.org/web/20230313230806/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/539b7a38813a5. dead. 13 March 2023. BFI.
  11. Web site: Film in 2012 | BAFTA Awards. awards.bafta.org.
  12. Web site: Baftas 2017: How 'Under The Shadow' became a contender. Tom. Grater2017-02-05T10:01:00+00:00. Screen.
  13. Web site: ‘Under the Shadow’: Sundance Review. David. Rooney. 25 January 2016.
  14. Web site: Iranian Horror Movie ‘Under the Shadow’ Selected as U.K. Foreign-Language Oscar Entry (EXCLUSIVE). Dave. McNary. 21 September 2016.
  15. Web site: The Bahramis - Web Series Review. Taryll. Baker. 20 May 2021. UK Film Review.
  16. Web site: ‘The Persian Version’ Review: An Effervescent Mother-Daughter Dramedy Spanning Decades, Continents and Cultures. Leslie. Felperin. 22 January 2023.
  17. Web site: Sundance Winner ‘The Persian Version’ Lands at Sony Pictures Classics. Etan. Vlessing. 3 February 2023.
  18. Web site: 'A Thousand and One,' 'The Persian Version' & More Win Sundance Film Festival Awards. Christopher. McPherson. 27 January 2023. Collider.
  19. Web site: Sundance awards come with a lot of emotion, excitement. 27 January 2023. KPCW | Listen Like a Local.
  20. Web site: ORGAN THING: Unreadable, a triumph of a show that connects ten artists and a space…. 7 July 2015.
  21. Web site: Prepare to enter the comfort zone. Jacobs Media Group. Ltd. Travel Weekly.
  22. Web site: Madonna, drugs and helicopter-trained dogs: the dark, starry life of William Orbit. 19 November 2021. The Guardian.
  23. Web site: William Orbit: "If you confound Madonna, a red mist comes down". Kate. Mossman. 15 November 2022.
  24. Web site: Sehgals buy the Leonard. 8 December 2003. The Caterer.
  25. Web site: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown characters . RadioTimes.
  26. Web site: 20 Fingers. TVGuide.com.
  27. Book: Kolker, Robert . A Cinema of Loneliness . Oxford University Press . 2011 .
  28. Web site: Bijan Daneshmand. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417024706/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bd12ab0fc. dead. 17 April 2020. BFI.
  29. Web site: iranian.com: Setareh Sabety, A review of Bijan Daneshmand's "A Snake's Tail". iranian.com.
  30. Web site: A Snake's Tail. Cineuropa - the best of european cinema.
  31. Web site: Body of Lies. TVGuide.com.
  32. Web site: Bijan Daneshmand. prod-www.tcm.com.
  33. Web site: Women Without Men — Film Review. Stephen Farber, The Associated. Press. Stephen. Farber. The Associated. Press. . 14 October 2010.
  34. Web site: Green Zone. prod-www.tcm.com.
  35. Web site: Green Zone. TVGuide.com.
  36. Web site: From Tehran To London (Az Tehran Be London) | Film | The Guardian. www.theguardian.com.
  37. Web site: From Tehran to London | Film Review | The Skinny. www.theskinny.co.uk.
  38. Web site: Sundance Film Review: 'Under the Shadow'. Justin. Chang. 23 January 2016.
  39. Web site: Review: Pari. Cineuropa - the best of european cinema.
  40. Web site: 'Infidel' Review: Jim Caviezel, Who Once Played Jesus, Risks Martyrdom Again in Faith-Centric Thriller. Peter. Debruge. 20 September 2020.
  41. Web site: Movie Review: 'Infidel'. 24 September 2020.
  42. Web site: Mister Mayfair (2021). The A.V. Club.
  43. Web site: 'The Persian Version' Review: An Effervescent Mother-Daughter Dramedy Spanning Decades, Continents and Cultures. Leslie. Felperin. . 22 January 2023.
  44. Web site: 'The Persian Version': Sundance Review. Allan. Hunter2023-01-30T10:38:00+00:00. Screen.
  45. Web site: BBC - Press Office - Spooks series four press pack credits. www.bbc.co.uk.
  46. Web site: Saddam's Tribe: Bound by Blood (2007). Radio Times.
  47. Web site: The Omid Djalili Show Series 2, Episode 3. British Comedy. Guide. British Comedy Guide.
  48. Web site: BBC Two - Page Eight. BBC.
  49. Web site: Suspects Season 3. Radio Times.
  50. Web site: Deep State. 19 August 2019. La Repubblica.
  51. Web site: Deep State Season 1. Radio Times.
  52. Web site: Traitors Season 1. Radio Times.
  53. Web site: Tehran. 27 September 2020. La Repubblica.
  54. Web site: House of the Dragon: start date, what it’s about and cast | Edinburgh News.
  55. Web site: Netflix upcoming Deborah Cahn series 'The Diplomat': Release date, cast & plot. The News International.
  56. Web site: Baghdad Burning: The blogosphere, literature and the art of war. Wayne. Hunt. 2 February 2009. Arab Media & Society.
  57. Web site: BBC - Press Office - Network Radio Programme Information BBC Week 26 Monday 28 June 2010. www.bbc.co.uk.
  58. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - Saturday Drama, The Boy from Aleppo Who Painted the War. BBC.
  59. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - The Price of Oil, The Weapon. BBC.
  60. Web site: Dan Dare Cast Revealed! – B7 Media. Publisher of Audiobooks and Audio Drama.
  61. Web site: Fall Of The Shah. www.bbc.co.uk.
  62. Web site: The week in radio and podcasts: Fall of the Shah; How to Burn a Million Quid. Miranda. Sawyer. 3 February 2019. The Guardian.