Homayoun Ershadi, the distinguished Iranian actor who garnered international acclaim through his quiet yet powerful performances in "Taste of Cherry" and "The Kite Runner", has passed away at the age of 78.

The Iranian state news agency IRNA confirmed that Ershadi passed away on November 11 following a battle with cancer. In a statement, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani called his passing a "sorrowful" loss, describing him as a "noble and thoughtful actor of Iranian cinema".

Born in Isfahan in 1947, Ershadi's journey into acting was nothing short of cinematic itself. Trained as an architect, he spent decades designing buildings before fate intervened. One day in Tehran, filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami spotted him sitting in traffic — a moment that would alter the course of Ershadi's life.

Kiarostami invited him to star in his 1997 masterpiece "Taste of Cherry", which went on to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes and cemented Iran's place in the global art film movement. The director's instinct proved visionary: Ershadi's natural, unembellished presence became a hallmark of the film's meditative realism.

In a later interview with Media Max, Ershadi recalled that moment of serendipity: "We were sitting in my car with Kiarostami, eating ice cream when I asked him about my character. He answered that my character was an architect from Italy. I was also an architect working in Italy. I wore my own clothes in the film, and that was my car I drove. During the dialogues, there was Kiarostami standing in front of me, instead of the actor. I was not playing a role, I was just being myself."

His authenticity resonated deeply with audiences and critics alike. "Kiarostami did not work with professional actors," Ershadi once said. "The non-professional actors of his films did not continue their careers in the future. I can say that I am the only non-professional actor who continued his acting career after playing a role in Kiarostami's film."

After "Taste of Cherry", Ershadi abandoned his architectural career to fully embrace acting — a decision that led him to international fame. His role as Baba, the dignified father in Marc Forster's 2007 adaptation of "The Kite Runner", brought him to a global audience. The film was nominated for an Academy Award and three BAFTAs, establishing Ershadi as one of the few Iranian actors to achieve Hollywood recognition without compromising artistic integrity.

His later works included appearances in Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty", Anton Corbijn's "A Most Wanted Man", and Asif Kapadia's "Ali and Nino", each performance imbued with a quiet gravity that became his signature.

Ershadi's career, which began by chance, ultimately embodied the essence of Iranian cinema — reflective, poetic, and profoundly human. His passing marks not only the end of a remarkable journey but also a reminder of the fragile beauty of art born from life's accidents.