Navid Negahban

Navid Negahban said he doesn't mind playing villains, as long as they are not two-dimensional. Fortunately, Negahban has the requisite intensity and depth to make a meal out of even the most bare-bones parts. He easily held his own in scenes with Tobey Maguire in the harrowing 2009 film "Brothers," a tale of war's lingering, invisible psychological scars, in which Negahban played an Afghan fighter committed to expelling the Americans. He has been praised for his portrayal of Ali, an Islamic fundamentalist, in the film "The Stoning of Soraya M.," a disturbing drama set in his home country.

Perhaps one of Negahban's most memorable roles was that of Omar in the sci-fi series "Lost," despite the fact that it was a one-off performance. As the commanding officer of Iraqi soldier Sayid (a series regular played by Naveen Andrews, seen with Omar in one of the show's trademark flashbacks), Negahban stole his scenes with a captivating depiction of authority established at the barrel of a gun. In 2011, Neghaban enjoyed one of the best roles of his career, playing Abu Nazir--an Islamic terrorist ostensibly modeled on Osama Bin Laden--in Showtime's hit thriller series "Homeland."