What is Sarah Shahi's Net Worth?
Sarah Shahi is an American actress and former professional NFL cheerleader who has a net worth of $4 million. Sarah Shahi is known for her roles on such television series as "The L Word," "Fairly Legal," "Person of Interest," "Life," "Reverie," and "Sex/Life." She has also had notable parts on the shows "Alias," "Chicago Fire," "City on a Hill," and "The Rookie." On the big screen, Shahi has appeared in "The Dog Problem," "Shades of Ray," "Static," and "Black Adam," among other films.
Early Life and Education
Sarah Shahi was born as Aahoo Jahansouzshahi on January 10, 1980 in Euless, Texas to Abbas, an Iranian, and Mahmonir, a Spaniard with Iranian ancestry. She has an older brother named Cyrus and a younger sister named Samantha. Shahi adopted the name Sarah due to kids teasing her about her Persian name. Growing up, she was entered into beauty pageants by her parents, and also became skilled in karate. When Shahi was ten, her parents divorced. As a teenager, she went to Trinity High School, where she served as captain of both the basketball and volleyball teams. Shahi went on to attend Southern Methodist University as an English and theater major.
Career Beginnings
Despite having never cheered before, Shahi got her career start as a cheerleader for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. She remained in that position for a year, and even appeared as a cheerleader in an episode of the television sitcom "City Guys" and in Robert Altman's romantic comedy film "Dr. T and the Women." Encouraged by Altman to pursue a career in acting, Shahi moved to Los Angeles, California.
Television Career
After appearing in episodes of such shows as "Spin City" and "Boston Public," Shahi had her first substantial television role on the ABC series "Alias" from 2001 to 2002. Subsequently, she made guest appearances on shows including "Frasier," "Dawson's Creek," "ER," "Reba," and "Supernatural." In 2005, Shahi joined the Showtime series "The L Word" in its second season, playing the main role of Carmen de la Pica Morales. She remained as a main character for the third season, and returned as a guest for the sixth and final season in 2009. During her time on the show, Shahi had main roles on the short-lived NBC sitcom "Teachers" and on the NBC crime drama "Life," costarring Damian Lewis. She also appeared in episodes of "Sleeper Cell" and "The Sopranos." Shahi's next main role was from 2011 to 2012 on the USA Network's "Fairly Legal." From 2012 to 2013, and again in 2018, she played the recurring role of Renee Royce on NBC's "Chicago Fire." Shahi had another recurring role in 2013 in the second season of the CBS series "Person of Interest," playing Sameen Shaw. For seasons three through five, she was promoted to a main role.
In 2018, Shahi played the main role of human behavior expert Mara Kint on the short-lived NBC science-fiction series "Reverie." The same year, she began the recurring role of Jessica Russo on the police procedural "The Rookie." Shahi followed that with another recurring role in 2019 on the crime drama series "City on a Hill," playing the DA's investigator Rachel Behnam. In 2021, she began playing the main role of Billie Connelly, a disillusioned housewife, on the Netflix streaming series "Sex/Life."
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Film Career
Early in her acting career, Shahi had bit parts in the films "Old School," "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde," "A Lot Like Love," and "For Your Consideration." Her first substantial film role came in the 2006 comedy "The Dog Problem," written, directed by, and costarring Scott Caan. After that, Shahi had an uncredited role in the buddy action comedy sequel "Rush Hour 3." She returned to more substantial parts with 2008's "Shades of Ray" and "AmericanEast." Subsequently, Shahi appeared in "Crossing Over," "East Fifth Bliss," and "I Don't Know How She Does It." In 2012, she starred alongside Milo Ventimiglia and Sara Paxton in the horror film "Static," and alongside Sylvester Stallone and Sung Kang in the action film "Bullet to the Head." Shahi's credits following that were "The Congress," "Road to Paloma," and "Divine Access." In 2017, she starred alongside Al Pacino, Keith Urban, Brittany Snow, and Joe Anderson in the crime thriller "Hangman." Shahi's other credits have included the comedy thriller "Bad Therapy" and the DC Comics superhero film "Black Adam," in which she plays the superhero Isis.
Nanny Lawsuit
Shahi was sued by a former nanny of her children in 2016. In the lawsuit, the nanny alleged that Shahi mocked her Islamic customs and sexually harassed her. Evidence of the harassment included a photograph of Shahi grabbing the nanny's backside and saying that she had a "perfect little butt."
Personal Life
In early 2009, Shahi wed actor Steve Howey. The couple had three children, including fraternal twins, before eventually divorcing in early 2021. During the process of the divorce in 2020, Shahi began dating Australian actor Adam Demos, her costar on the television show "Sex/Life."
