TEHRAN, Nov 11, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Iranian actor Homayoun Ershadi died at 78 on Tuesday after a battle with cancer, state news agency IRNA reported.

Ershadi rose to international fame with his breakout role in the late Abbas Kiarostami's Palme d'Or-winning Taste of Cherry (1997), which tells the story of a hopeless man looking for someone to bury him after his planned suicide.

The film brought him global recognition and marked the start of a late but highly respected acting career.

Born in central Isfahan in 1947, Ershadi studied architecture before entering the film industry.

His work also reached international audiences with roles in Hollywood productions, such as The Kite Runner (2007).

He also featured in A Most Wanted Man (2014) and had a brief appearance in Zero Dark Thirty (2012).

Iran's House of Cinema confirmed his death and offered condolences to the artistic community, praising Ershadi as a prominent figure of cinema, theatre and television.

Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani described his passing as "sorrowful", calling him a "noble and thoughtful actor of Iranian cinema" in a post on X.