Vahik Pirhamzei

Vahik Pirhamzei (Persian: واهیک پیرحمزه ای‎‎, Armenian: Վահիկ Փիրհամզեյի, born November 6, 1968) is an Iranian-Armenian actor, producer, director and writer who produces works in English, Armenian and Persian. His film My Uncle Rafael, released in 2012 which was based after his play “Rafael Keroo Gandzere”, earned him recognition and awards.

Before moving to the United States in 1989, Vahik Pirhamzei lived in the suburbs of Tehran. He began drawing extensively when he was ten years old and later became involved in various forms of visual arts. He performed stories and puppet shows for his family and friends.

After the fall of the Shah and the Pahlavi dynasty in 1978-79, Vahik was forced to leave his hometown. He moved to Mettmann, Germany in 1988, where he registered for painting classes in local schools.

Vahik arrived in Los Angeles in 1989, engaging in auditions and freelance work on cable TV programs for Iranian viewers in Southern California. He wrote, directed, and starred in various comedy sketches such as; “Nika’s Café”, “The Specialist” and “Moshkelat.com” depicting the immigrant life in Los Angeles. He appeared in over 300 of his own comedy skits. Since then, Vahik has contributed widely to the Iranian community theatre in L.A. He has starred in more than 25 stage productions, as well as performed in various locations throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.

After Vahik’s first original production “Sky Blue” was staged in Los Angeles, he began receiving offers to present more of his work. He directed several music videos for Iranian, Armenian, and other Middle Eastern artists. He worked with L.A. Iranian artists, including Moein, Googoosh, Dariush, Kamran & Hooman, Armenian pop musicians Armenchik and Tata Simonyan and Russian star Kristina_Orbakaitė.

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