Iranian actor Homayoun Ershadi of The Kite Runner fame dies at 78

Acclaimed Iranian actor Homayoun Ershadi best known internationally for his role in The Kite Runner and Abbas Kiarostamis internationally acclaimed Taste of Cherry has died at the age of 78Irans state news agency IRNA reported that the actor passed away on Tuesday after a battle with cancerNews of his death prompted tributes from across the film world including from his Kite Runner costar Khalid Abdalla who remembered him as a magnificent soul who touched millions of people around the worldA great has passed Homayoun Ershadi my father in The Kite Runner I am so sad to hear of your passing What an honour to have worked with you and to be able to recall and cherish your voice and energy and humourIt is a very special bond when someone plays your father in film It certainly was for me In the photo of us together I know exactly what hes saying This is my son Hes like my son My condolences to his family and friends and all those whose lives he touched If you dont know him please search out his films Abdalla posted on InstagramView this post on InstagramA post shared by Khalid Abdalla khalid3bdallaBorn in Isfahan Iran on March 26 1947 Ershadi trained as an architect and lived in Vancouver during the 1980s working in an architectural firm for over a decade before returning to IranHis entry into cinema was pure chanceAccording to Deadline it was in Tehran where he once stopped at a red light Kiarostami reportedly tapped on his car window and asked I want to make a film Would you like to be in it The film turned out to be Taste of Cherry 1997 which went on to win the Palme dOr at the Cannes Film FestivalIn the film Ershadi played a middleaged man driving through the outskirts of Tehran seeking someone willing to bury him after his planned suicide His performance won critical acclaim worldwideOver the next three decades Ershadi appeared in more than 90 films balancing Iranian arthouse projects with international productionsHe portrayed Baba the proud and principled father of Abdallas Amir Qadiri in Marc Forsters The Kite Runner 2007 based on Khaled Hosseinis bestselling novelHis later international credits included Alejandro Amenaacutebars Agora 2009 Kathryn Bigelows Zero Dark Thirty 2012 and Hassan Nazers Utopia 2015This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever