Prominent Iranian Actress Pardis Afkari Passes Away Due to Cancer

Pardis Afkari, a well-known actress in Iranian cinema and television, has passed away. According to reports, she died on Thursday, February 22, at the age of 60 after a short illness caused by advanced liver cancer at 'Mofarrej' Hospital in Tehran. Mohammad Najafi, her husband, confirmed her death and stated that details regarding the funeral and memorial service will be announced soon. Najafi had previously told the media that they realized her illness too late, and the cancer had reached an acute stage. He mentioned that the cancer had affected her entire liver and part of her lung, and the diagnosis to her death took only a week, with no effective treatment. Afkari's hospitalization drew reactions from several Iranian artists who criticized the negligence of officials and called for attention to her treatment process. Qotboddin Sadeghi, a writer, director, and actor, was one of those who reacted during a memorial ceremony held for him, expressing his concern for Afkari's situation. Sadeghi, visibly emotional, stated that Afkari was hospitalized in a facility with limited resources and that no institution, organization, or group was willing to help this artist. He referred to Afkari as 'a virtuous woman and a creative artist,' lamenting that she was left alone and vulnerable in the hospital, with no one even visiting her. Afkari moved to Turkey in the mid-2010s, where she removed her compulsory hijab and collaborated with the 'Gem' network. After a while, she left that network but did not engage in any significant artistic activities. Born in 1963, she graduated in theater from Azad University and trained in acting with the 'Anahita' theater group. This artist had experience in theater, cinema, and television, enjoying considerable popularity in the 1990s and 2000s. She collaborated with directors such as Roknoddin Khosravi, Majid Jafari, Shokrakheda Goudarzi, Mohammad Najafi, and Qotboddin Sadeghi in theater. In cinema, she worked with directors like Siros Alvand, Mohammad Ali Sajadi, Emrollah Ahmadjou, Hassan Fathi, Karim Atashi, and Hamid Rakhshani. She appeared as a puppeteer in programs like 'Hadi and Hedi' and 'Bzabz Qandi' and acted in series such as 'In the Path of Zayandeh Rud' and 'Five Kilometers to Heaven.'