Pej Vahdat

Pejman "Pej" Vahdat is an American actor known for his role as Arastoo Vaziri in Bones from 2009 to 2017.

Early life Vahdat was born in San Jose, California, during the Iranian revolution to Nina Emami and Dr. Amoo, one of the Shah of Iran's physicians.

Acting was not his first career path. Vahdat originally aimed to be a professional tennis player.

The Bones character of Arastoo Vaziri is an Iranian intern working alongside forensic anthropologists. Initially portrayed with an Iranian accent, Vaziri is later revealed to actually have an American accent, a twist that surprised both the audience and Vahdat himself. This choice was intended to challenge stereotypes and offer a more nuanced portrayal of Middle Eastern characters on television. On the show, Vaziri becomes romantically involved with his boss, Dr. Camille Saroyan, played by Tamara Taylor—another development that Vahdat didn't anticipate.

He also starred in the comedy Pickleheads and appeared in the one episode of the second season of Peacock's Poker Face. a medical doctor and Heme-Onc fellow at Dana Farber and MGH Cancer Center.

Vahdat is an Iranian-American Muslim who was born in the United States. The Trump administration's travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, hit home for him and in 2017 pushed him to speak out. Though not usually political, he began using his Twitter account to express his views and raise awareness. 2005 Sleeper Cell David Episode: "Al-Faitha" 2005–2009 General Hospital Kia / Dr. Dylan Litz 2 episodes 2006 Arrested Development Iraqi Guard Episode: "Exit Strategy" 2006 Windfall Cop / Tony Larma Episode: "Priceless" 2006 NCIS Dead Motorcyclist Balash Sassnio Episode: "Shalom" 2006 Everybody Hates Chris Dr. with Leg Episode: "Everybody Hates Kris" 2006–2007 Mind of Mencia Henchman / Ravi 3 episodes 2007 House Hamid Episode: "Airborne" 2008 Valentine Sameer Patel Episode: "Daddy's Home" 2008 The Unit Zafar Khalid Episode: "Inquisition" 2008 Caught in the Action Ahmad Television film 2009 Lie to Me Jason Kashani Episode: "Life Is Priceless" 2009–2017 Bones Arastoo Vaziri Recurring role, 31 episodes 2012 Harry's Law Alden Mills Episode: "And the Band Played On" 2012 Single Ladies Kaseem Episode: "Finally" 2013 Hot in Cleveland Ravi Episode: "Cleveland Indians" 2014 The Mysteries of Laura Kasib Al Wazir Episode: "The Mystery of the Dysfunctional Dynasty" 2014 Dallas Nasir Ali 3 episodes 2015 Perception Vice Consul Rashid Prasad Episode: "Mirror" 2016 Sneaky Pete Raj Kumar Mukherjee 5 episodes 2017 Lucifer Josh Hamid Episode: "They're Back, Aren't They?" 2017 The Good Doctor Dr. Avi Mehta Episode: "Intangibles" 2017–2018 Arrow Sam Armand 4 episodes 2018–2020 Empire Kelly Patel 13 episodes 2018 NCIS Nigel Hakim 2 episodes 2018 Elementary Tim Darsha Episode: “You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby”

Dynasty Dex Dexter Recurring role, 10 episodes City on a Hill Agent Ramin Milani 6 episodes 2022–2024 The Old Man Young Faraz Hamzad Recurring role, 7 episodes 2023 The Rookie: Feds Ridwan Al Nassar Episode: "Red One" 2025 Tracker Leonard Sharf Recurring role (Season 2), 3 episodes 2025 Poker Face Abdul Episode: "A New Lease on Death" 2025 Eyes of Wakanda Lion Guard #2 (voice) Episode: "Into the Lion's Den" 2026 R.J. Decker Remington Aubrey Episode: "Twenty Pounds of Clem in a Ten-Pound Bag" 2026 Daredevil: Born Again Doctor Arash Merati 2 episodes Video Games