TEHRAN- Renowned film actress and theater enthusiast Shirin Yazdanbakhsh passed away in a Tehran hospital on Thursday, due to complications from a brain stroke she had suffered several months prior. She was 76.  

Maryam Masoudi, the niece of Shirin Yazdanbakhsh, commented on her passing: "Shirin Yazdanbakhsh suffered a stroke in October, but she refused to disclose her illness publicly, respecting her own wishes."

"At Shirin Yazdanbakhsh’s request, her farewell ceremony was held without prior announcement. She wanted her friends to remember her with a final smile," she added, Mehr reported. 

She was laid to rest on Friday, without public announcement and media coverage, the report added. 

Born in 1948, in Isfahan, Yazdanbakhsh moved to Behbahan, Khuzestan, at the age of four due to her father’s military career. She spent her subsequent years in various cities. She was widowed at the age of 42 and had no children.

Prior to her acting career, Yazdanbakhsh worked for 32 years as a government employee in the Tobacco Department and retired from service. Despite her passion for theater and music, she had no formal training in acting or theater rehearsals. An avid theatre-goer and music lover, she entered the cinematic scene unexpectedly.

Yazdanbakhsh’s cinematic debut was in “Please Do Not Disturb”, directed by Mohsen Abdolvahab, upon the request of the filmmaker. Her performance earned her the Crystal Simorgh for Best Supporting Actress at the Fajr Film Festival. She was also nominated for the same award for her roles in "Kissing the Moon-Like Face" by Homayoun Asadian and "Eternity and One Day" by Saeid Rustai.

Her filmography includes noteworthy titles such as " A Separation" by Asghar Farhadi, "Melbourne" by Nima Javidi, “Closer” by Mostafa Ahmadi, “Sara and Aida” by Maziar Miri, and “Spider” by Ebrahim Irajzad among others. 

SAB/