Reza Naji

• Name — Reza Naji • Native Name — رضا ناجی • Born — 26 December 1942 • Birthplace — Tabriz, Iran

Naji started his career in theater as a teenager. While serving in the Iranian army, he continued to perform. His first film role was Children of Heaven (1997), which proved to be a breakthrough. For the role of Ali's father, director Majid Majidi sought an actor with an Azeri accent, and Naji was carefully selected from a group of 2,500 actors tested for the role. Since then, he has played various roles in Iranian cinema. Among his most notable performances is Majidi's The Song of Sparrows, for which Naji won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, and Best Performance by an Actor at the 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1997 — Children of Heaven — Ali's Father • 1998 — Birth of a Butterfly • 2001 — Baran — Memar • 2002 — Parandeh baz-e kouchak • 2005 — The Willow Tree — Morteza • 2007 — Sargije • 2008 — The Song of Sparrows — Karim — Silver Bear, Berlin Film Festival • 2014 — Harud — Yusuf — Kashmiri film • 2014 — Towards Freedom • 2014 — Teacher • 2014 — Love is not Closed • 2018 — We Are All Together • 2020 — After the Incident • 2023 — The Crab — Eghbal