Bio
Azita Ghanizada is an Afghan-born American actress best known for her starring role as Rachel Pirzad in the science fiction television series Alphas, from 2011-2012.
Ghanizada can be seen guest-starring in Friends with Benefits, as Tasi. The comedy follows five single friends as they search for love, but settle for less in the mean time.
Other recognisable roles for Ghanizada include guest starring alongside Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J as Rochelle Stanton in NCIS: Los Angeles, Mistress Sapphire in Castle, Mina on Psych in 2009, and Kelly in Entourage in 2009.
Ghanizada is also a surviving Afghani refugee with an incredible story of cultural backlash, defeated only by her insistence on survival, education and rebellion: Ghanizada and her family fled to the United States in an effort to escape war-time conflicts and to seek a life of fewer cultural boundaries.
The Virginia resident and health and sports enthusiast took an effortless liking to acting and participated in drama activities during her school years. As her family insisted on a career in political journalism, Ghanizada achieved her degree in English and communications from Virginia Tech.
After 9/11, Ghanizada was also able to obtain her passport, allowing her to pursue her acting career with confidence and to finally give back to the organisations assisting women and refugees, like her, worldwide.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), or the UN Refugee agency, is one such organisation she remains passionate about participating with. The agency's primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well being of refugees.
She also became an active supportive with Women for Women, an agency that provides women survivors of war, civil strife etc. with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency by enrolling women in their one-year program so they can come to understand their rights and how to fight for those rights in their homes, their communities and their nations and become leaders.
Azita helped lead the Women for Women march on behalf of the 100th Anniversary of Women's Day International.
Ghanizada currently resides in Los Angeles and keeps in shape by practicing Pilates, running, and ensures herself a "clean food" diet.
The actress is a middle sister of three and broke into the limelight as the first Afghani actress standing out in Hollywood.