Iranian Actor, Director Atila Pesyani Dies at 66

Acclaimed Iranian actor and director Atila Pesyani died in France after a long battle with eye cancer. He was 66.

"With heavy hearts, we regret to inform you that the esteemed Atila Pesyani, an invaluable and irreplaceable figure in the world of Iranian cinema, theater, and television, departed after a prolonged and arduous battle with illness abroad. He left us and found eternal peace," the Guild of Cinema Actors of Iran said in a statement on October 6. 

Pesyani graduated in theater directing and acting from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Tehran.

He began his theater career in 1978 and entered the world of cinema in 1981 with the movie "Ifrit."

Throughout his career, Pesyani directed approximately 40 plays and starred in numerous films and television shows.