Saman Arastoo | |
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Born | Farazaneh Arastoo فرزانه ارسطو 5 June 1967 Shahrud, Iran |
Occupation(s) | Actor, director |
Saman Arastoo[1] (Persian: سامان ارسطو; born Farzaneh Arastoo (فرزانه ارسطو) on 5 June 1967 in Shahrud, Iran) is an Iranian actor[2] and director. He starred in the 2003 drama Abadan prior to gender transition, and directs plays regarding the acceptance of transgender people in Iranian society.[3]
Following wide publicity around his gender transition, Arastoo has been a public figure for the Iranian transgender community, including holding drama therapy workshops such as "Self Cognition".[4][5] His play Khodkar-é-Bikar (Useless Pen) features transgender characters played by transgender actors.[6]
Arastoo founded the Avaye Divanegan Theatre Group in 1983.[7][8] The name translates to "Music of the Crazed."[9]
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2003 | Abadan[10] | Actor |
2004 | Friday's Soldiers[11] | Actor |
2008 | Tigh-zan[12] | Actor |
Arastoo describes his first marriage in 1991 as a "forced marriage" for which the divorce lasted one and a half years. He underwent sex reassignment surgeries at age 42 in 2008. He married again in 2015.[3][13]