Afsaneh Dehrouyeh was born and raised in Gloucestershire, England to Iranian parents. She grew up performing at the Playhouse Theatre in her hometown of Cheltenham and knew she needed acting to be more than a hobby from the age of 11. After graduating from Goldsmiths University in London, she trained at the International School of Screen Acting in 3 Mills studios, London and graduated in 2015 with a screening at BAFTA. She is frequently cast as strong women in film and television. She played young and fearless activist Khadija in the award winning Freesia, Britain's first feature film to address Islamophobia and is best known for playing the key role of Mahdiya Kattan in Season 3 of Fox 21's Tyrant, from Homeland creator Gideon Raff.