Homayun Ershadi, the main character of Kiarostami’s Taste of Cherry, died at the age of 78

Homayoun Ershadi, an Iranian actor who is best known for his roles in Abbas Kiarostami’s “Taste of Cherry” and Dariush Mehrjooi’s “Pear Tree”, has died at the age of 78. According to the news announced by Ershadi’s family, Ershadi was suffering from cancer and died after fighting this disease for months.

Ershadi was one of the famous figures of Iranian cinema in the world not only thanks to acting in Kiarostami’s films, but also because of his presence in a number of international films. Of course, his introduction and promotion, which coincided with winning the Palme d’Or for the film The Taste of Cherry at the Cannes Film Festival, was considered a powerful beginning for Irshadhi’s career as an actor.

Homayoun Ershadi, who was born in Isfahan and grew up in Abadan, traveled to Italy after finishing school and studied architecture there. Ershadi stays in Italy for eleven years, but returns to Iran around the victory of the revolution. Finally, Homayoun Ershadi’s work in cinema goes back to his acquaintance with Abbas Kiarostami and his role in the movie Taste of Cherry; A movie that puts him in the lead role. Exactly one year after The Taste of Cherry, Dariush Mehrjoui chooses Ershadi for the lead role in his movie The Pear Tree, and once again, this movie brings him to the fore.

Apart from the pear tree, Ershadi works with Mehrjooi many times and appears in his other films such as “Asman Mehboob”, “Naranjapoosh”, “How good you are back” and “Ghosts”.

Homayoun Ershadi has appeared in three “Tehmina Milani” films, the first of which is “Kakado”, in which Ershadi has a short appearance, which is his first acting work. After that, Ershadi cooperated with him again in two other Milanese films, “The fifth reaction” and “One of us two”.

During Ershadi’s professional activity from the mid-seventies to about a decade ago, he has acted in more than sixty Iranian films and several foreign films. Among his foreign films, the film “Badbakbaz” by “Mark Forster” brings up Ershadhi again after many years in international cinema; So, with the release of the film, left-wing critics praised Ershadi’s performance in Badbakbaz.

After Badbakbaz, Ershadi appeared in several other foreign films such as “Agora” directed by “Alejandro Amenabar” and “Thirty Minutes After Midnight” directed by “Catherine Bigelow”. The last decade of his professional career was limited to acting in a few other foreign films such as “The Pursued Man” and “Ali and Nino”, which was his last film.

Undoubtedly, what is remembered more than anything about Ershadi is Mr. Badiei. Mr. Badiei will be laid to rest while not one person and not with two hundred thousand tomans, but a crowd of cinema friends are standing at his grave.