Bahar Soomekh (born March 30, 1975) is an American actress of Iranian heritage best known for her roles in Crash, Mission Impossible III, and the Saw franchise.
She played Dr. Lynn Denlon in Saw III.
Early Life
Bahar Soomekh was born to a devout Persian Jewish family in Tehran, Iran. She is the daughter of Manijeh and Hamid Soomekh, who owned a women's high-fashion company. In 1979, she moved with her parents and sister, Saba Soomekh, to Los Angeles, California, United States, to escape the Iranian Revolution. Soomekh attended Sinai Akiba Academy, Beverly Hills High School, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. She graduated in 1997 with a B.A. in environmental studies.
Career
After graduating from UCSB, Soomekh worked in motivational sales while taking acting classes. At the beginning of her acting career, Soomekh guest-starred on several television programs, including JAG and 24. She ultimately quit her day job in 2004 to pursue a full-time acting career and landed her role in the Academy Award-winning movie for Best Picture, Crash, less than three months later. Her role as Dorri in the film marked the breakthrough of her acting career.
Following her success in Crash, the People magazine listed Soomekh as a member of the Class of 2006 as "New on the Scene." She followed up with roles in Syriana and Mission: Impossible III. In 2006, she had a leading role as Dr. Lynn Denlon in the horror thriller Saw III. Soomekh also had a recurring role as Margo in the television series Day Break and several guest appearances on shows such as Ghost Whisperer and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Her last film role was in Just Like a Woman.
After the Southern California area experienced the loss of film industry jobs to other locations, Soomekh decided to pursue a real estate career to remain close to her family.
Personal Life
Family
Soomekh has said that Judaism developed who she is and enriched her life and that she would like to raise her children in the Jewish religion. In 2001, Soomekh married Clayton Frech, VP of Operations for Classic Party Rentals, who converted to Judaism to marry her. Their son, Ezra, was born in 2005, and the couple expected another child in 2009. Ezra was born without most of his left leg and missing fingers on his left hand. He was a double gold medalist at the 2024 Summer Paralympics and was named as a finalist for the 2014 Sports Illustrated SportsKid of the Year.
Religion
The family celebrates Shabbat every Friday night, attends synagogue frequently, and celebrates the Jewish holidays. Soomekh has said that one crucial Jewish teaching for her is tikkun olam since she is an environmentalist. She is very proud of her Jewish-Persian heritage and told Isaac Mizrahi at the Oscars: "Just because I'm in Hollywood doesn't mean that I forget that I'm Persian or that I'm Jewish. Judaism is not only my religion - it's my identity".
Activism
The teaching of tikkun olam, to heal the world, guides Bahar Soomekh's life. She works on environmental and children's causes. Soomekh also uses her name to be involved with organizations like the Green Cross. "I have the ability to use my name and be involved with such phenomenal organizations like the Green Cross and the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), which was an organization I started raising money for when I was a kid, and then here I am coming back, and I'm working with them now," Soomekh says. "But also a huge issue for me has become limb deficiency for kids around the world. Kids that are neglected because of some sort of disability - you see that a lot in China and you see that in Africa - I think that's a very important thing." With her husband, she launched the T.O. Productions to make movies about environmental and social issues.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Intermission | Hair Wearer |
| Crash | Dorri | |
| A Lousy 10 Grand | Najah | |
| 2005 | Syriana | Yassi |
| 2006 | Mission: Impossible III | Davian's Translator |
| Saw III | Dr. Lynn Denlon | |
| 2012 | Just Like a Woman | Soha |
Television Series
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Without a Trace | Agent Salman |
| 2002-2004 | JAG | Amira Sattar / Jasmine |
| 2005 | 24 | Hessa Marwan |
| Bones | Sahar Masruk | |
| 2006 | In Justice | Neena Oponi |
| The Unit | Firefly | |
| 2006-2007 | Day Break | Margo |
| 2008 | The Oaks | Hollis |
| Ghost Whisperer | Tricia | |
| 2010 | Miami Medical | Vanessa |
| 2011 | Castle | Nazihah Alhabi |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Dr. Sylvia Sloane | |
| 2012 | Parenthood | Dr. Haryana |
| 2014 | Perception | Yael |
Television Films
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Naked Hotel | Bhurka Woman |
| 2009 | Lost & Found | Abigail |
Gallery
