Mozhan Marnò

Mozhan L. Navabi (born ) is an Iranian-American film and television actress. She is known for her roles in The Blacklist and House of Cards and played Soraya Manutchehri in The Stoning of Soraya M.. From the 2006 start of her career, she was credited as Mozhan Marnò, but has been credited by her maiden name, Navabi, since a 2024 guest appearance on an episode of Law & Order.

Early life and education Navabi was born in Los Angeles. Her parents are both from Iran and met in California. She was educated at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. She received her B.A. in French and German comparative literature from Barnard College of Columbia University and her M.F.A. in acting from the Yale School of Drama.

Personal life , she was living in Brooklyn, New York, In addition to English she speaks French, German, Persian, and some Italian. set in Iran, about a woman whose husband falsely accuses her of adultery, resulting in her death by stoning. In addition she has had roles in a number of television series including The Paul Reiser Show, The Glades, Hung, The Mentalist, Bones, The Unit, Medium, K-ville, and Standoff. Navabi also appeared in the Untitled John Wells Medical Drama Pilot, which was not aired. She also stars in Ana Lily Amirpour's directorial debut, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, produced by Elijah Wood, under his company, The Woodshed. She played reporter Ayla Sayyad on seasons 2 and 3 of the acclaimed Netflix series House of Cards, for which she was nominated for a SAG award. She played Mossad agent and assassin Samar Navabi in seasons 2-6 of The Blacklist.

Navabi also directs and writes screenplays. Her first feature-length screenplay, When the Lights Went Out, was a quarter finalist for the Nicholl Fellowship. She adapted When the Lights Went Out as a play and it was mounted at New York Stage and Film in July 2013 starring Laura Innes, and directed by Kate Whoriskey. Navabi’s short film, Incoming, which she wrote and directed, was accepted to and

In February 2024, Navabi was cast in the Netflix limited series Zero Day, in the recurring role of Melissa Kornblau.

Filmography Note: credited as Mozhan Marnò from 2006 to 2023, credited as Mozhan Navabi since 2024 Film Year Title Role Notes 2007 Charlie Wilson's War Refugee Camp Translator #2 2008 August Ashley Traitor Leyla 2009 The Stoning of Soraya M. Soraya Manutchehri StereoLife Gwendolyn Leeds Short film 2010 Apples Lucky Short film (voice role) 2014 A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Atti 2019 London Arabia Mrs. Hassan Short film Wonder Woman: Bloodlines Doctor Cyber Direct-to-video (voice role) 2021 iGilbert Detective Rivera Last film credit as Mozhan Marnò 2024 A Chair for Her Lameece Short filmFirst film credit as Mozhan Navabi

Television Year Title Role Notes 2006 The Unit Protocol Chief Episode: "Security" Standoff Agnacia Episode: "Life Support" 2007 Shark Maria Lutrova Episode: "Gangster Movies" K-Ville Jodi Mazetta Episode: "Ride Along" 2009 Bones Azita Jabbari Episode: "A Night at the Bones Museum" Medium Rachel Episode: "The Devil Inside, Part 2" 2009, 2011 The Mentalist Nicki Weymouth 2 episodes 2010 Hung Samara Episode: "The Middle East is Complicated" The Glades Renee LeFleur Episode: "Cassadaga" 2011 The Paul Reiser Show Zeba Recurring role 2012 Ringer Marguerite Episode: "P.S. You're an Idiot" In Plain Sight Charlotte Episode: "Sacrificial Lamb" 2014–2015 House of Cards Ayla Sayyad Recurring role (seasons 2–3) 2014, 2019 Madam Secretary Roxanne Majidi 2 episodes 2014–2022 The Blacklist Samar Navabi Main cast (seasons 2–6), guest episode (season 9) 2019 The Affair Petra Recurring role (season 5) 2021 Maid Tara Limited-run series, 2 episodes 2022 Pam & Tommy Gail Chwatsky Miniseries, recurring role Fleishman Is in Trouble Nahid Miniseries, recurring role(last TV credit as Mozhan Marnò) 2024 Law & Order Stacey Dean Episode: "Unintended Consequences"(first TV credit as Mozhan Navabi) 2025 Zero Day Melissa Kornblau Miniseries, recurring role The Beast in Me Esme Noor Miniseries, episode: "Thanatos"

Video games Year Title Role 2011 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Mirabelle Ervine, Namira 2016 1979 Revolution: Black Friday Bibi Golestan

Audio recordings Year Title Author Role 2015 Hausfrau Jill Alexander Essbaum Narrator 2016 The Other Einstein Marie Benedict NarratorMissoula Jon Krakauer Narrator The Guest Room Chris Bohjalian 2018 Song of a Captive Bird Jasmin Dzarnik Narrator 2019 The Stationery Shop Marjan Kamali Narrator The Other Americans Laila Lalami Nora 2020 The Paris Diversion Chris Pavone Narrator The Book of Longings Sue Monk Kidd Narrator 2024 The Perfect Marriage Jeneva Rose Narrator 2025 The Perfect Divorce Jeneva Rose Narrator Good Girl Aria Aber Narrator

Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated work Result 2009 Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture The Stoning of Soraya M. 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series House of Cards