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Ardalan Esmaili

Ardalan Esmaili

Actor · Born March 22, 1986 (40) · Tehran, Iran

Ardalan Esmaili was born on 22 March 1986 in Tehran, Iran. He is an actor, known for The Charmer (2017), Hunters on a White Field (2024) and The Helicopter Heist (2024).

Biography from IMDb.

Born
March 22, 1986 (40)
From
Tehran, Iran
Works as
Actor
Titles
16 on Motif · 25 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 34% in 30 days

What are Ardalan Esmaili's films like?

Across their 15 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
27%
Self
22%
Bonds
20%
Morality
20%
Ideas
7%
Power
2%
Society
2%
Survival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeParenthood2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 4

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 1 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 5

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 3 of 8 analyzed roles.

Shadow
3 of 8
Shapeshifter
3 of 8
Hero
2 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Dread
7
Melancholic
7
Hopeful
3
Contemplative
3
Other
5

How their films linger

Thought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous6

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ardalan Esmaili's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 16 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ardalan Esmaili's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

25 credits, 16 with a Motif page.

  • The Fårö Cannibal (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2027)

    as David

  • Lockerbie: A Search for Truth(2025)

    Show 5 episodes · as Abdelbaset Al Megrahi

    Motif score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • Buddy, We Need to Talk (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    as Nima

  • The Helicopter Heist(2024)

    Show 8 episodes · as Michel

    Motif score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Deliver Me(2024)

    Show 5 episodes · as Farid

    Motif score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • Scener efter ett äktenskap(2024)

    Show 8 episodes · as Kian

    Motif score: 90th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Hunters on a White Field (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    as Alex

  • Opponent (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2023)

    as Abbas

  • Codename: Annika(2023)

    Show 6 episodes · as Rasmus Ståhlgren

    Motif score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • A Beautiful Life(2023)

    as Patrick

    Motif score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Black Crab(2022)

    as Karimi

    Motif score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Snöänglar(2021)

    Show 6 episodes · as Salle

    Motif score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • White Wall (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 8 episodes · as Said

  • Grow(2020)

    Show 4 episodes · as Ibrahim

    Motif score: 46th percentile of all shows

  • Idioten (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    Actor

  • Sea Fever(2019)

    as Omid

    Motif score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Held for Ransom(2019)

    as Majeed

    Motif score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Charmer(2017)

    as Esmail

    Motif score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Greyzone(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · as Iyad Adi Kassar

    Motif score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • Den döende detektiven(2018)

    Show 3 episodes · as Joseph Ermegan

    Motif score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Rebecka Martinsson(2017)

    Show 16 episodes · as Tommy Rantakyrö

    Motif score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The Girl, the Mother and the Demons(2016)

    as Demon Deinar / Einar

    Motif score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Beck: The Last Day (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Actor

  • Trespassers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    as Ali

  • Lucas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2009)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 94th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 25 titles, 24 of them dated from 2009 to 2025; peak year 2019.

Biggest box office

Sea Fever (2019)

$388K worldwide

Highest rated

Held for Ransom (2019)

Motif 94th

Most popular right now

Lockerbie: A Search for Truth (2025)

Film career

20092025

Peak 2019 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 2 Motif titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting25 of 25: 25 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Motif score62nd

By decade

2000s1 · acting2010s8 · acting2020s15 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 17% of 6 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Ardalan Esmaili's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Motif score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th6

Shape of the crowd

None of their 16 titles divides audiences: 8 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed1

Most loved · actor

Held for Ransom (2019)

Motif 94th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the acting 75/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Ardalan Esmaili's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 Motif titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 63 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles2–38 · median 7 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles29–65 · median 46 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 35 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 70 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Ardalan Esmaili work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ardalan Esmaili's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Eva Melander shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers