Attila Pessiani, Renowned Iranian Actor, Passes Away

Attila Pessiani, a renowned actor in cinema, theater, and television, passed away on Friday, October 6, at the age of 66 after a long battle with cancer in a hospital in France. The Actors' Guild of the House of Cinema confirmed the news in a statement, saying: "With a heavy and painful heart and a tongue tied, we regret to inform that the invaluable and unique artist of our cinema, theater, and television, dear Attila Pessiani, has left us after a long and difficult illness and has joined eternal peace outside of his homeland." According to the Actors' Guild, information regarding a memorial service and funeral for Attila Pessiani will be provided after his body is transferred to Iran. Attila Pessiani was born in May 1957, the son of Jamileh Sheikhi, a prominent Iranian actress. He graduated in directing and acting from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Tehran and is considered one of the prominent figures in Iranian cinema, theater, and television over the past few decades. He participated in the production of over 40 plays as an actor, writer, and director and acted in more than 70 feature films. Some of the popular series he appeared in include "Under the Blade," "Lost," "Neighborhood of Bar and Bia," and "Neighborhood of Health." Throughout his more than five decades of artistic activity, he collaborated with several prominent Iranian directors, including Bahram Beyzai, Ebrahim Hatamikia, Rasoul Molagholipour, Mohammad Bozorgnia, Fereydoun Jirani, Kamal Tabrizi, and Mani Haqiqi. Attila Pessiani was one of the artists who criticized the Islamic Republic's violent treatment of Iranian protesters through various posts on his Instagram account. In one of his last posts, he shared a photo of Mahsa Amini on a hospital bed with the hashtags "Mahsa Amini" and "Women, Life, Freedom," writing: "A sorrow upon another sorrow, a shame upon another shame, and we are mere spectators, condolences to each of us." Attila Pessiani had been suffering from cancer for several years and recently traveled to France for further treatment, where he passed away. He was married to Fatemeh Naqavi, also an actress, and the artistic couple had two children named Setareh and Khosrow, who are theater actors.