Sarah Shahi

Sarah Shahi, born Aahoo Jahansouzshahi on January 10, 1980, is an American actress. Raised in Euless, Texas, she is the daughter of Abbas Jahansouzshahi and Mahmonir Soroushazar, an interior designer. Her mother is of Iranian and Spanish descent, while her father is from Iran. Her father's family left Iran prior to the Iranian Revolution, and her father previously worked at the American embassy in Iran. Growing up, Shahi spoke both Persian and English. She adopted the name Sarah during second grade after hearing the Starship song "Sara."

Shahi attended Trinity High School and later Southern Methodist University, where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega. In 1997, she won the Miss Fort Worth pageant. Hoping to pursue an acting career, she joined the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders from 1999 to 2000 before moving to Los Angeles. While working as an extra on the set of Dr. T and the Women in Texas, director Robert Altman encouraged her to move to Hollywood. Early in her career, she secured guest and supporting roles in series such as Alias, Dawson's Creek, Reba, and Supernatural.

In 2005, Shahi gained wider attention playing DJ Carmen de la Pica Morales on the series The L Word. She also appeared in episodes of Sleeper Cell, The Sopranos, and the 2007 film Rush Hour 3. She landed her first permanent leading television role as homicide detective Dani Reese in the NBC series Life, which aired for two seasons starting in 2007. Later, she starred as legal mediator Kate Reed in the USA Network drama Fairly Legal from 2011 to 2012.

Shahi expanded her television work with a recurring role on Chicago Fire and a regular role as Sameen Shaw on the CBS drama Person of Interest from 2012 to 2016. Her feature film credits during this period included Bullet to the Head in 2012 and Road to Paloma in 2014. In 2018, she starred in the series Reverie and began a recurring role as private security consultant Jessica Russo in seven episodes of The Rookie. She also joined the cast of City on a Hill as investigator Rachel Behnam in 2019.

From 2021 to 2023, Shahi starred as Billie in the Netflix series Sex/Life. She portrayed Adrianna Tomaz in the 2022 superhero film Black Adam opposite Dwayne Johnson and Pierce Brosnan. In 2023, she received praise for her role as White House Deputy Chief of Staff Zahra Bankston in the film Red, White & Royal Blue. Her recent projects include playing Dr. Gabriela Torabi in the Hulu thriller series Paradise beginning in 2025.

In her youth, Shahi studied Shorin-Ryu karate and earned a 1st dan black belt. She was married to actor Steve Howey from February 2009 until their divorce was finalized in January 2021; the couple has three children. She later entered a relationship with actor Adam Demos in 2021, which ended in April 2025. Additionally, Shahi appeared on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 lists in 2005, 2006, and 2012.