Mozhan Marno is an American-born actress and voiceover artist who has become a household name in Hollywood for her versatility and her appearances on popular television shows such as House of Cards and The Blacklist. She received incredible reviews for Nine Parts of Desire, a one-woman show in which she portrayed 9 different women from the Middle East.
The well-read actress graduated from Phillips Academy, Massachusetts, before earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in German and French Comparative Literature at Barnard College, Columbia University. She also received a Master of Arts degree from the prestigious Yale School of Drama. With all her training, it is no wonder that she is considered one of the brightest minds in the film industry. Mozhan, who is of Iranian descent, is also a very good writer who has written several screenplays.
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Mozhan Marno’s Fact Sheet
Mozhan Marno’s Career Exploits and The Blacklist Role
The actress began her professional acting career in 2006 in a television show called The Unit, in which she played the role of protocol chief. She then appeared on other television shows such as House of Cards, Madam Secretary, The Mentalist, and The Paul Riser Show, among others. Marno made her acting debut in 2007 as a translator in a refugee camp in the film Charlie Wilson’s War. She also appeared in films such as Traitor, The Stoning of Soraya M, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, and several others.
Mozhan Marno joined the cast of The Blacklist in 2014 as the show was about to start its second season. She played the role of Samar Navabi, a Mossad agent working with the FBI under Cooper’s direction. Her character in the acclaimed show is like the actress of Iranian descent, who was recruited by Mossad after her parents were mistreated and murdered by the Iranian regime. From 2014 to 2019, she appeared in 103 episodes of The Blacklist before bowing down.
Why Did She Leave The Cast Of The Blacklist?
The actress left the Blacklist cast for one of two likely main reasons – personal (off-screen) and/or professional (on-screen).
After the last episode of Season 6 of The Blacklist, Mozhan Marno resorted to her Instagram handle and explained that she felt it was time to leave the cast of the show and focus on other things. She communicated her wishes to the producers of the show, who respected her decision and allowed her to leave the show if she needed to.
On a professional level, the producers and writers of “The Blacklist” had to find a creative way to “get” Mozhan’s character Samar Navabi out of the show. At the beginning of the season, Samar was involved in a car accident, which left her underwater for a while. During this car accident and underwater diving, Samar’s brain was deprived of oxygen for several minutes, which led to a degenerative condition identified as vascular dementia – resulting in several small strokes that gradually weakened her brain capacity.
After her employers found out about her health condition, they decided to unleash a killer on her, fearing that she might be forced to reveal important information about the workings of the agency she worked for. To save herself, she devised a plan to escape the city and start a new life elsewhere, enlisting Red’s help to facilitate her escape or disappearance. Eventually, she was able to leave the city, but left her fiancé Aram behind, although she initially planned to flee with him.
What Has Marno Been Up To Since She Left The Blacklist?
Mozhan’s blacklisted character, Mossad agent Samar Navabi, left the series at the end of season 6, sometime in March 2019. Since then, the actress has never stopped developing well in her career. She has also starred in other films, including Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, in which she played the role of the doctor Cyber. Marno has also played the role of detective Rivera in a forthcoming film called “iCreep”, and this film is currently in the post-production phase.
She has also made her talent available for the production of several audiobook recordings, including “The Stationery Shop” and “The Other Americans”, both of which were released in 2019.
Other Facts You Didn’t Know About Mozhan Marno
- She is Multi-lingual
Mozhan understands and can speak about 6 languages fluently. She is of Persian descent, so she can speak Farsi fluently. During her studies, she mentioned that she has learned both German and French. She also speaks fluent English, Spanish and Italian.
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- Her audition made her a fan of The Blacklist even before joining the cast
Mozhan didn’t know much about the show before she auditioned for the cast. Her original plan was just to do a few guest appearances on the show, but after the audition, she started watching earlier episodes of the show and became addicted to it.
- Nominations and Awards
The beautiful actress has received 2 nominations for roles she has played over the years. In 2009 she was nominated at the Satellite Awards as best supporting actress – film category for her role in the film The Stoning of Soraya M. In 2015, she was again nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Achievement of an ensemble in a drama series for her role in the television series House of Cards.