5 Armenian American Actors that Inspire Us
Eric Bogosian
Eric Bogosian is a descendant of Armenian American immigrants from Massachusetts who has had a very copious and interesting career in theater and film, having started in New York in the 1970s, writing, directing and starring in his own productions. Over the span of several decades, Bogosian has worked with notable filmmakers including Oliver Stone, Steven Spielberg and Atom Egoyan. “Talk Radio”, “High Incident”, “Ararat” and “Wonderland” are some of the films that showcase Bogosian’s work. Besides being a playwright and screenwriter, Bogosian is also a novelist.
Ken Davitian
Ken Davitian is an American actor of Armenian origin best known for his role in the movie “Borat”, which has since become a classic. Having started his career in the 1990s, he starred in TV series like “The Shield'' and “Six Feet Under”. Davitian has also had roles in the films “Meet the Spartans” and “Get Smart”. He also owns a very successful restaurant in Los Angeles called The Dip.
Angela Sarafyan
Angela Sarafyan is an Armenian-American actress who was born in Armenia and moved to the United States with her family when she was 4-years-old. Growing up doing ballet and playing piano and having a father (Grigor Sarafyan) who was also an actor, she was entranced by the arts and began her acting career on TV after high school. Her film credits include “Kabluey (2007)”, “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy” (2011) and “The Immigrant” (2013). She has also been a part of the Twilight series and the acclaimed show “Westworld”. Her more recents credits are “The Promise” (2016) and “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” (2019).
Edgar Damatian
Edgar Damatian is a young Armenian-American actor who studied acting at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He has performed in films like “Little Women '' (2019), “The Great War” (2019) and “Patriot’s Day” (2016). He also stars in an upcoming movie that will hit theaters in 2022, “Operation Seawolf”.
Arlene Francis (born Arlene Francis Kazanjian)
Arlene loved theater and appeared in many plays, having her Broadway debut in 1936. Her first major theater role was “All that Glitters” (1938) and her biggest hit “The Doughgirls” 1942. Her first appearance in film was in “Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1932). In the 1950s, she was one of the highest paid women in TV, being a permanent panelist on CBS’ “What’s My Line?” for its 25 year run. Francis was also one of the greats of American radio at the time, hosting “Blind Date” that was later adapted to a TV series, which she also hosted.