Pooya Mohseni
Pooya Mohseni | |
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| Born | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2010—Present |
Pooya Mohseni is an Iranian-American actress and LGBTQ rights activist. She has appeared in various television series including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Madam Secretary, and The Walking Dead: Dead City. In film, she appeared in the slasher film Terrifier (2016) and starred in See You Then (2021), the latter of which garnered her critical acclaim.
Personal life and career
Mohseni was born in Tehran, Iran, and moved to New York City, U.S., at the age of 18.[1] She studied design in New York and later became an actress.[2]
Mohseni has spoken about the harassment and discrimination she faced in Iran, including several suicide attempts due to her identity as a transgender woman.[3] She also revealed that she faced significant discrimination in the United States as a transgender Iranian immigrant. After the legalization of same-sex marriage in the U.S. in 2015, she publicly came out as transgender.[3] She is fluent in both Persian and English and is an active advocate for LGBTQ rights, as well as a vocal supporter of immigrant and women's issues.[4] She also contributes to writing and consulting on LGBTQ-centric stories.[5][6]
She has appeared as a guest on several TV shows including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Falling Water, Madam Secretary, and Big Dogs on Amazon Prime Video. In 2016, she appeared in the independent slasher film Terrifier.[7][8] In 2021, she starred in the drama See You Then.[9][10][11] Critical reviews highlighted her performance.[12][13][14] In 2022, she wrote and starred in the 18-minute short film Transit: A New York City Fairytale.[15] That year, she appeared in the Sanaz Toossi play English.[16][17] In 2025, she appeared in three episodes of The Walking Dead: Dead City.[18][19] She has contributed her voice to multiple video games including Destiny 2: The Final Shape and Hellboy: Web of Wyrd.[20][21]
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | So Damn Funny Show | Trainee; Bitchy Boss | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Nadine's Mom | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Below the Line | Mina | 1 episode |
| 2014 | Jus' Sayin' Productions | Mom | 1 episode |
| 2015 | Madam Secretary | Samilia Mahdavi | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Falling Water | Dr. Duria | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | The Four Letter Word | Ghazal | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Grosse Misconduct | Alicia Castile | 6 episodes |
| 2020 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Judge Namazi | 1 episode |
| 2020 | Big Dogs | Baijanti Divya | 5 episodes |
| 2020–2021 | Rival Peak | Winter | 12 episodes |
| 2021 | High Herstory | The Storyteller | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Tawkin' with the Roses | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2025 | The Walking Dead: Dead City | Roksana | 3 episodes |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | When Death Calls | Lorraine Castro | |
| 2014 | Bloody Subway Party | Daisy | |
| 2014 | Subways | Stephanie | |
| 2015 | Brutal Colors | Mysterious | |
| 2015 | Giorgio Bush and the B-people | Bank representative | |
| 2015 | Before the Snow | Nitya | |
| 2016 | Lucky | Prisca | |
| 2016 | Terrifier | Cat Lady | |
| 2017 | Ghost Source Zero | Newscaster | |
| 2017 | My Brother's Keeper | Madeline | |
| 2019 | Theresa & Allison | The Mysterious Woman | |
| 2020 | Lapsis | Noori Capahardi | |
| 2020 | Thorp | Frannie | |
| 2021 | See You Then | Kris Ahadi | |
| 2021 | I See You and You See Me | Sarah | |
| 2021 | Less Than or Equal To | Bailey | |
| 2022 | Remote | Ramesh | |
| 2022 | Entanglement | Allie | |
| 2023 | Nightmare Radio: The Night Stalker | Eartha | |
| 2023 | The Arrival | Jayce Fisher | |
| 2023 | Bound | Yeva | |
| 2024 | Heather | Heather |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Horizon Forbidden West | Ivinna; Sentekka | |
| 2023 | Hellboy: Web of Word | Scheherezade | |
| 2023 | Thirsty Suitors | Sound | |
| 2024 | Destiny 2: The Final Shape | Micah-10 |
References
- ^ Goldoust, Shaya (September 3, 2022). "مسیری پر از تبعیض تا رسیدن به موفقیت؛ گفتگو با «پویا محسنی»" [A Path Full of Discrimination to Success; A Conversation with Pooya Mohseni] (in Persian). IranWire. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Pooya Mohseni". Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ a b "روایت پویا محسنی بازیگر ایرانیتبار و فعال حقوق دگرباشان جنسی از آزار و اذیت در ایران" [Pooya Mohseni, Iranian-American actress and LGBT rights activist, recounts her story of harassment in Iran]. Voice of America (in Persian). 12 December 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Guest Blog: Pooya Mohseni Talks Sex, Gender and Humanity in THE SEX PARTY Coming to the Menier Chocolate Factory". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ "Living Trans, From Iran to New York City". The Advocate. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (March 21, 2022). "Pooya Mohseni Hosts Boundless Theater's Inaugural Gala, Featuring Jenn Colella and More, March 21". Playbill. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Booker, M. Keith (2021). "The Slasher Film: An Introduction". bookerhorror.com. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ Vasquez Jr., Felix (October 31, 2018). "Terrifier (2017)". Cinema Crazed. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
- ^ "اکران فیلمی با بازی پویا محسنی هنرمند ایرانیتبار در نقش یک زن تراجنسیتی" [Screening of a film starring Iranian-born artist Pooya Mohseni as a transgender woman]. Voice of America (in Persian). 29 March 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
- ^ Saito, Stephen (April 1, 2022). "Mari Walker on Having a Clear Vision for See You Then". The Moveable Fest. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (16 March 2021). "See You Then Star Pooya Mohseni On Examining Identity, Womanhood & Trans Experience 'With Love And Authenticity' – SXSW Studio". Deadline. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ Allen, Nick (April 1, 2022). "See You Then". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ Le, Phuong (April 4, 2022). "See You Then review – bitterness bubbles up as old lovers meet". The Guardian. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ Black, Sarah-Tai (March 31, 2022). "Review: Two lovers meet up a decade after breaking up in compassionate drama See You Then". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ "Atlanta's LGBTQ Film Festival OUT ON FILM Announces the Line-Up". Cinema Daily US. August 23, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ Cote, David (January 24, 2025). "Review: 'English' Speaks Eloquently of Language and Loss". Observer. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Evans, Greg (26 November 2024). "Broadway Production Of Sanaz Toossi's 'English' To Feature Acclaimed Original Off Broadway Cast". Deadline.
- ^ Mason, Charlie (2025-05-19). "TWD: Dead City Introduces a New Group That's Even Weirder Than the OG Series' Scavengers". TVLine. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (2024-07-26). "'The Walking Dead: Dead City' Boosts Season 2 Cast For 2025 Return". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
- ^ "Destiny 2 voice actor for every character". Dexerto. 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
- ^ Poskitt, Matt. "Hellboy Web of Wyrd voice actors - Lance Reddick tops the cast list | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 2025-09-05.