Tala Ashe

Ashe was born in Tehran, Iran.^[2] She immigrated to the United States when she was nine months old.^[3] Ashe grew up in Powell, Ohio, just outside of the state capital Columbus.^[4][5] She participated in her high school theatre productions as both an actress and director.^[4]

Ashe received a BFA from Boston University's School of Theatre.^[6] She also trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City.^[7][8]

Ashe has performed in numerous regional and Off-Broadway stage productions.^[4] Ashe's first screen credit is for her role as Nadia in the 2008 film Waiting in Beijing.^[9] She was credited as Tala Ashrafi, but is credited as Tala Ashe in all subsequent roles. She has made guest appearances on the series Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, 30 Rock, and Covert Affairs.^[2][4][10] Ashe has also had recurring roles on Smash and American Odyssey.^[11] She was also a cast member on As the World Turns.^[9]

In 2017, Ashe joined the main cast of Legends of Tomorrow as Zari Tomaz.^[12][11] She took the lead for a bottle episode titled "Here I Go Again" and drew praise from critics and fans alike for her performance.^{[13][14][15][16]}

In 2022 Ashe was cast for the lead role of Elham on Off-Broadway debut play English at the Linda Gross Theatre.^[17] After playing the role in a number of theatres in the US, the play debuted on Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Todd Haimes Theatre in January 2025.^[18] He performance gave her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.

Ashe is Iranian-American and holds dual citizenship.^[2][10] Her name, Talayeh, means "pioneer" in Persian and comes from the Shahnameh.^[1] In addition to English, she speaks fluent Persian. Along with her fellow Arrowverse actresses, Ashe is a founding member of Shethority, a project aimed at inspiring and uplifting women (inclusively defined).^[19][20]

In addition to the following, Ashe has also performed in productions of Love's Labour's Lost (as Tala Ashrafi; Huntington Theatre Company), Age of Innocence (New York Arena), Autophagy (Drama League Director's Project), Twelfth Night (Actors' Shakespeare Project), and Pearls from Salt (Olney Theatre), among others.^{[7][6][21][8][22]}