Sheila Vand
Born
Los Angeles, California, United States
Alma materUCLA
Occupation(s)Actress, performance artist
Years active2007–present

Sheila Vand is an American actress and performance artist. She is known for her role in Ben Affleck's 2012 Oscar-winning film Argo. Vand made her Broadway debut alongside Robin Williams in 2011 in the Pulitzer-nominated Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. She has worked with filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour on several projects, including Pashmaloo which premiered at the Berlinale in 2011 and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. She also has an ongoing collaboration with 2013 TED speaker Alexa Meade. Their photo series MILK: What Will You Make of Me? is on exhibit at the Gallery for Contemporary Photography Ingo Seufert, Munich, Germany and was also exhibited in the Grand Palais at Art Paris Art Fair. Vand is also the creator of experimental performance piece Sneaky Nietzsche.

Early life

Sheila Vand was born in a suburb of Los Angeles, but grew up in Palo Alto, California.[1] She is a second-generation Iranian-American.[citation needed]

She graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, where she studied acting and directing.[2]

Career

In 2009, Vand originated the role of Hadia in Rajiv Joseph's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, which moved to Broadway in 2011.[3] In 2010, she debuted Sneaky Nietzsche, which she called "a live theatrical music experience for the fictionally-inclined."[2] It was described by the Los Angeles Times as "stepping into a living, changing art piece" and by LA Weekly as an "all-encompassing, sensory overload. In a good way."[4][5] Vand was commissioned by LACMA in 2011 to remount Sneaky Nietzsche.[5]

Vand played the role of Sahar the Iranian housekeeper in Argo and she also narrates the beginning of the film.[2] Her performance was highlighted in the LA Times' annual piece "Small Roles, Powerful Performances" and she was a recipient of a SAG Outstanding Ensemble Award in 2013.[6][7]

In 2012, Vand began collaborating with painter/photographer Alexa Meade. Their first joint series MILK: What Will You Make of Me? has been featured in The Huffington Post, Wired, Juxtapoz magazine, and at the 2013 TED Global Conference.[8][9][10][11]

She played the female lead in the 2013 CBS pilot for Beverly Hills Cop, but the show was not picked up to series.[12][13]

Vand made her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut in 2013, performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the world premiere of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels under the baton of Maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen.[14] She played the role of Lucy opposite Diva Zappa.

Vand plays the title role in A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.[15]

Vand also had a regular role in NBC's short-lived State of Affairs (2014) – cast as Maureen James, she is CIA Secretary of Defense briefer and best friend to the show's lead, Charleston "Charlie" Tucker (Katherine Heigl).

Vand played Fredi Kincaid in the Minority Report (2015) episode "Fredi", who is thought to be a potential murder victim in Dash's vision.

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Notes
2008 In the Dark Nahid Short film
2009 Peter and the Mischievous Hanky White Witch
2010 Bold Native Sonja
2010 Passing On Diana Short film
2010 Ketab Saeed's Sister Short film
2010 Girlfriend Kenny's Wife Voice role; uncredited
2011 Pashmaloo Farah Short film
2012 This Is Caroline Deb Voice role; short film
2012 Argo Sahar
2014 A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night The Girl
2015 Camino Marianna
2016 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Shakira El-Khourey
2016 Holidays Lily Segment: "Mother's Day"
2016 Women Who Kill Simone
2016 Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero Leila
2017 XX Carla Segment: "The Birthday Party"
2017 68 Kill Monica
2017 Aardvark Hannah
2018 We the Animals Ma
2018 Viper Club Sheila
2018 Prospect Inumon
2019 Triple Frontier Lauren Yates
2019 She's Missing Cherry
2020 The Wave Theresa
2020 The Rental Mina
2021 The Fall of the House of Usher Special appearance Boston Lyric Opera production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Life Shahnaz Darvashi Episode: "A Civil War"
2007–2012 Prom Queen Courtney Web series; 27 episodes
2012 NYC 22 Jasmeen Episode: "Ransom"
2013 Cult Allegra Constantine Episodes: "1987", "Flip the Script"
2013 Beverly Hills Cop Leila Unsold television pilot
2014 The Red Tent Meryt Episode: "Part 2"
2014–2015 State of Affairs Maureen James Main role; 13 episodes
2015 BoJack Horseman Todd's Phone (voice) Episode: "After the Party"
2015 Minority Report Fredi Kincaid Episode: "Fredi"
2017 24: Legacy Nilaa Mizrani Main role; 8 episodes
2018 The OA Yassi Episode: "SYZYGY"
2019–2022 Undone Farnaz Voice
2020–2022 Snowpiercer Zarah Fahrami Main role

References

  1. ^ Brown, Emma (2014-11-25). "Discovery: Sheila Vand". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  2. ^ a b c LaBrie, Sarah (October 16, 2013). "Iranian Actress Sheila Vand's Path to Argo Ran Through UCLA and Experimental Steampunk". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  3. ^ Orlando, Nick (March 25, 2011). "Debut of the Month: Bengal Tiger's Sheila Vand". Broadway World. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  4. ^ Ward, Alie (October 14, 2010). "Sneaky Nietzsche a downtown happening". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b Sallabedra, Megan (October 25, 2011). "Sneaky Nietzsche's Secret Pre-Party Shows, a Tryout for LACMA's Dead Man's Ball". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  6. ^ Rosen, Lisa (February 2, 2013). "Small roles, powerful performances". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Screen Actors Guild Awards 2013: 'Argo,' 'Lincoln,' 'Les Mis' and 'Silver Linings' Win Big". ABC News. January 27, 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  8. ^ Frank, Priscilla (November 27, 2012). "Alexa Meade and Sheila Vand's 'MILK: What Will You Make of Me?' Is Not for the Lactose Intolerant (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  9. ^ Clark, Liat (January 2, 2013). "Watch Alexa Meade's full Wired 2012 talk about art, humans and milk". Wired. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  10. ^ "Alexa Meade and Sheila Vand's 'Milk: What Will You Make of Me?'". Juxtapoz. November 27, 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  11. ^ Meade, Alexa (September 2013). "Your Body Is My Canvas". TED. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 21, 2013). "'Argo's Sheila Vand to Play Female Lead in CBS' 'Beverly Hills Cop' Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  13. ^ Jeffrey, Morgan (May 11, 2013). "Eddie Murphy's 'Beverly Hills Cop' TV pilot rejected by CBS". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  14. ^ Odio, Jesy (October 15, 2013). "200 Motels: Bruins Help Bring Quirky Frank Zappa Show to Life". UCLA Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  15. ^ Chang, Justin (December 4, 2013). "Sundance Unveils 2014 Competition, Next Lineups". Variety. Retrieved 13 January 2014.

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