Biography
Building her screen career on the foundation of progressive stories and politically charged intrigue, Iranian-American actress Mozhan Marnò broke out thanks to her handling of the titular role in the civil rights story "The Stoning of Soraya M." (2008). Following this turn, Marnò augmented her visibility with parts on the popular television series "House of Cards" (Netflix 2013-) and "The Blacklist" (NBC 2013-), as well as an appearance in the esteemed independent film "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night" (2015). Fostering a résumé filled with progressive stories about race and gender, Mozhan Marnò was never one to shy away from controversial subject matter. Following a childhood in Los Angeles, California, Mozhan Marnò headed East to pursue her academic and creative ambitions to life. She studied at Phillips Academy Andover, enrolled at Barnard University, and ultimately pursued a Master's degree in acting at Yale School of Drama. Marnò began her screen career with minor appearances on television series like "The Unit" (CBS 2006-09), "Standoff" (Fox 2006-07), and "Shark (CBS 2006-08), but quickly leapt to big screen parts. The first of her feature roles was that of a government translator in the political dramedy "Charlie Wilson's War" (2007), which she followed up with turns in the Josh Hartnett drama "August" (2007) and the Don Cheadle thriller "Traitor" (2007). Marnò's first major role came in "The Stoning of Soraya M." (2008), in which she played the eponymous Iranian woman who is executed following false accusations of adultery. Marnò spent the next few years building accumulating one-off small screen credits before earning her first recurring role. In 2014, she joined the popular political thriller series "House of Cards" (Netflix 2013-) in its second season, playing reporter Ayla Sayyad. Later that year, Marnò boarded the cast of the crime drama program "The Blacklist" (NBC 2013-), portraying Mossad Agent Samar Navabi. Next, Marnò earned attention for a substantial role as an Iranian prostitute in writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour's vampire indie "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night" (2015).
