Amir Arison
Armed with a natural flair for intensity, Israeli-American actor Amir Arison was tailor made for a career in the crime drama genre. Following an academic career lined with numerous stage performances, Arison took to film and television, making particular splashes on series like "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC 1999-) and "Homeland" (Showtime 2011-). Arison's biggest role came with the program "The Blacklist" (NBC 2013-), which put his talents to their best use by casting Arison as an FBI agent. Amir Arison was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Following graduation from Columbia University, Arison targeted the stage with his creative ambitions. One of the earliest plays to feature Arison was a 2003 production of "Omnium Gatherum" by Theresa Rebeck. That same year, Arison made his television debut in an episode of the long-running soap opera "Guiding Light" (CBS 1952-2009). Arison's first big screen role came with the military drama "Day Zero" (2007), in which he appeared opposite Elijah Wood, Chris Klein, and Jon Bernthal. In 2008, Arison enjoyed a four-episode stint as an FBI agent on another soap opera, "As the World Turns" (CBS 1956-2010). The next year, he began a recurring role on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC 1999-), playing the character Dr. Manning. This period also afforded Arison appearances in big screen comedies such as "I Hate Valentine's Day" (2009) and "Today's Special" (2009), and on popular television series like "Homeland" (Showtime 2011-), "American Horror Story" (FX 2011-), and "Gossip Girl" (The CW 2007-2012). In 2013, he starred on the short-lived "Zero Hour" (ABC 2013) as series star Carmen Ejogo's character's husband Theo. More prominently, Arison joined the crime drama "The Blacklist" (NBC 2013-) as FBI Agent Aram Mojtabai. Additionally, Arison appeared in three episodes of the third season of "Girls" (HBO 2012-), playing a contentious coworker of star Lena Dunham's character Hannah. All the while, he collected big screen roles in romantic dramas like "Quantum Love" (2014) and "Jane Wants a Boyfriend" (2014), as well as in comedy films like "A Merry Friggin' Christmas" (2014), starring Robin Williams and Joel McHale.