Shaun Toub

Shaun Toub had a globe-trotting and colorful life long before he got anywhere near a Hollywood film set. Hailing from Tehran, Iran, his family escaped around the time of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. They settled first in England, then Toub lived for a few years in Switzerland before moving the United States, eventually ending up as a student at USC.

From there, it was a short hop into the entertainment world as an actor, and another short hop before the cameras of big-budget Hollywood movies and popular TV series. He first appeared in a small role in the crime drama "Hunter" (1988), and from there worked steadily in the medium. Among many other shows, Toub took guest roles in "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (1993) as Asabi, and in "Seinfeld" (1997), playing Indian newlywed Pinter Ranawat. Toub made even more of a splash in movies, in a string of popular releases. He stayed close to his roots playing Persian would-be gun owner Farhad in Paul Haggis's ensemble drama, "Crash" (2004), and strayed from them to portray a pivotal role as the captive Afghan, Dr. Yinsen, in 2008's hugely successful "Iron Man." Two years later, the actor continued in the big-budget comic adaptation sphere with an appearance as Uncle Iroh in "The Last Airbender" (2010).