Katayoun Riahi (born 1961 in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian former actress, writer, and social activist whose name became synonymous with integrity, artistic sensitivity, and quiet rebellion in the Iranian entertainment world. She grew up in a culturally vibrant yet politically shifting Iran — a country standing at the crossroads of modernization and tradition. Her upbringing during the final years of the Pahlavi monarchy and adolescence through the early years of the Islamic Republic deeply shaped her worldview and artistic sensibility.
Riahi was raised in a family that valued education, literature, and art. While details about her early education are limited, it is known that her curiosity for literature and storytelling began at a young age. Before becoming an actress, she started writing children’s stories — a path that reflected both her empathy for the younger generation and her desire to explore complex moral and emotional themes in accessible forms.
Katayoun’s brother, Alireza Riahi, would also later enter the world of cinema, suggesting a family environment that encouraged creativity and artistic expression. Her only child, Pourya, pursued music professionally, receiving academic training and becoming a composer and musician — another sign of the family’s enduring engagement with Iran’s cultural scene.
