Sheila Vand

Sheila Vand is an American actress and performance artist. She is known for her role in Ben Affleck's 2012 Oscar-winning film Argo. Vand made her Broadway debut alongside Robin Williams in 2011 in the Pulitzer-nominated Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. She has worked with filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour on several projects, including Pashmaloo which premiered at the Berlinale in 2011 and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. She also has an ongoing collaboration with 2013 TED speaker Alexa Meade. Their photo series MILK: What Will You Make of Me? is on exhibit at the Gallery for Contemporary Photography Ingo Seufert, Munich, Germany and was also exhibited in the Grand Palais at Art Paris Art Fair. Vand is also the creator of experimental performance piece Sneaky Nietzsche.

Early life Sheila Vand was born in a suburb of Los Angeles, but grew up in Palo Alto, California. She is a second-generation Iranian-American.

She graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, where she studied acting and directing. In 2010, she debuted Sneaky Nietzsche, which she called "a live theatrical music experience for the fictionally-inclined." Vand was commissioned by LACMA in 2011 to remount Sneaky Nietzsche. Her performance was highlighted in the LA Times annual piece "Small Roles, Powerful Performances" and she was a recipient of a SAG Outstanding Ensemble Award in 2013.

In 2012, Vand began collaborating with painter/photographer Alexa Meade. Their first joint series MILK: What Will You Make of Me? has been featured in The Huffington Post, Wired, Juxtapoz magazine, and at the 2013 TED Global Conference.

She played the female lead in the 2013 CBS pilot for Beverly Hills Cop, but the show was not picked up to series.

Vand made her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut in 2013, performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the world premiere of Frank Zappa's 200 Motels under the baton of Maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen. She played the role of Lucy opposite Diva Zappa.

Vand plays the title role in A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

Vand also had a regular role in NBC's short-lived State of Affairs (2014) – cast as Maureen James, she is CIA Secretary of Defense briefer and best friend to the show's lead, Charleston "Charlie" Tucker (Katherine Heigl).

Vand played Fredi Kincaid in the Minority Report (2015) episode "Fredi", who is thought to be a potential murder victim in Dash's vision.

Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 2008 In the Dark Nahid Short film 2009 Peter and the Mischievous Hanky White Witch 2010 Bold Native Sonja 2010 Passing On Diana Short film 2010 Ketab Saeed's Sister Short film 2010 Girlfriend Kenny's Wife Voice role; uncredited 2011 Pashmaloo Farah Short film 2012 This Is Caroline Deb Voice role; short film 2012 Argo Sahar 2014 A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night The Girl 2015 Camino Marianna 2016 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Shakira El-Khourey 2016 Holidays Lily Segment: "Mother's Day" 2016 Women Who Kill Simone 2016 Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero Leila 2017 XX Carla Segment: "The Birthday Party" 2017 68 Kill Monica 2017 Aardvark Hannah 2018 We the Animals Ma 2018 Viper Club Sheila 2018 Prospect Inumon 2019 Triple Frontier Lauren Yates 2019 She's Missing Cherry 2020 The Wave Theresa 2020 The Rental Mina 2021 The Fall of the House of Usher Special appearance Boston Lyric Opera production 2021 Land of Dreams Simin

Television Year Title Role Notes 2007 Life Shahnaz Darvashi Episode: "A Civil War" 2007–2012 Prom Queen Courtney Web series; 27 episodes 2012 NYC 22 Jasmeen Episode: "Ransom" 2013 Cult Allegra Constantine Episodes: "1987", "Flip the Script" 2013 Beverly Hills Cop Leila Unsold television pilot 2014 The Red Tent Meryt Episode: "Part 2" 2014–2015 State of Affairs Maureen James Main role; 13 episodes 2015 BoJack Horseman Todd's Phone (voice) Episode: "After the Party" 2015 Minority Report Fredi Kincaid Episode: "Fredi" 2017 24: Legacy Nilaa Mizrani Main role; 8 episodes 2019 The OA Yassi Episode: "SYZYGY" 2019–2022 Undone Farnaz Voice 2020–2024 Snowpiercer Zarah Fahrami Main role