Saman Arastoo
Saman Arastoo (born 5 June 1967) is an Iranian actor and director. He starred in the 2003 drama Abadan prior to gender transition, and directs plays regarding the acceptance of transgender people in Iranian society.
Also recorded as Farzaneh Arastou
Saman Arastoo
- Name
- Saman Arastoo
- Born
- 5 June 1967
- Birthplace
- Shahrud, Iran
- Occupation
- Actor, director
- Nationality
- Iran
- Languages
- Persian
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Saman Arastoo (born 5 June 1967) is an Iranian actor and director. He starred in the 2003 drama Abadan prior to gender transition, and directs plays regarding the acceptance of transgender people in Iranian society.
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Saman Arastoo (born 1967) is an actor, film director and theatre director, of Iranian nationality. The actor was born in Shahrud. Languages used include Persian.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q5906853 · wikipedia · Saman Arastoo
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Saman Arastoo • Native Name — سامان ارسطو • Born — 5 June 1967 • Birthplace — Shahrud, Iran • Occupation — Actor, director
Career
Career
Following wide publicity around his gender transition, Arastoo has been a public figure for the Iranian transgender community, including holding drama therapy workshops such as "Self Cognition". His play Khodkar-é-Bikar (Useless Pen) features transgender characters played by transgender actors. Arastoo founded the Avaye Divanegan Theatre Group in 1983. The name translates to "Music of the Crazed." Actor Jack Haven said they first started using their chosen name while participating in a workshop organized by Arastoo.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Role • 2003 — Abadan — Actor • 2004 — Friday's Soldiers — Actor • 2008 — Tigh-zan — Actor
Personal life
Personal life
Arastoo describes his first marriage in 1991 as a "forced marriage" for which the divorce lasted one and a half year. He underwent sex reassignment surgeries at age 42 in 2008. He married again in 2015.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Agonizing Odyssey of Iranian Transsexual: From Despair to Survival. IFP News. 2017-06-14.
- 2.AvayeDivanegan – TRANSSEXUAL WORKSHOP. www.avayedivanegan.com.
- 3.Nazra: Facing Mirrors. www.brownpapertickets.com.
- 4.Iran's transgender community: Legally recognised yet socially ostracised. euronews. 2018-01-12.
- 5.Nazra: Facing Mirrors. Eyes Wide Open Cinema.
- 6.نادیا باوند on Instagram: "Dear recipient, We are Avaye Divanegan Theater Group from Tehran/Iran and are pleased to invite you to watch "Be who you're not"…". Instagram.
- 7.Kavianifar, Farinaz. Working Off-Script: Transgender Awareness in Iranian Black Box Theatres: An Interview with Sāmān Arasṭoo. The Theatre Times. 2019-04-14.
- 8.'I Saw the TV Glow,' 'Atypical' star announces name is now Jack Haven. EW.com.
- 9.Haghighi, Mani. Abadan. 2004-05-05.
- 10.Kimiai, Masud. Friday's Soldiers. 2004-07-29.
- 11.Davoudnejad, Alireza. Tigh-zan.
- 12.فیلم روایت زندگی بازیگری که تغییر جنسیت داد از زبان خودش. 5 February 1396.
References
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 27 August 2026.
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