Erick Avari

Erick Avari is one of only two actors, along with Alexis Cruz, to appear in both the original Stargate movie and the spin-off series Stargate SG-1 (three episodes).

Before arriving in Los Angeles in 1991, his extensive work onstage garnered him praise from theater critics across America, most notably as Vasquez, in ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore with Val Kilmer at the Joseph Papp Public Theater, and as Sir Richard at The Guthrie Theater’s memorable production of The Screens.

In the video game Zork Grand Inquisitor, he played Grand Inquisitor Mir Yannick, a ruthless dictator who serves as the game’s main villain. He also appeared in The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines.

Beginning in the autumn of 2006, a photograph of Avari and a recording of his voice were used in the role of Chandra Suresh in Heroes. He did not appear onscreen until the episode “Seven Minutes to Midnight”, as his character is part of the backstory and had died before the events of the pilot.

Over the course of his career, Avari has portrayed representatives of more than 24 ethnicities. As of November 2006, he has appeared in 33 feature films and over 70 television episodes.

Avari has appeared with Brent Spiner in three different productions: Star Trek: The Next Generation(1987), Independence Day (1996), and The Master of Disguise (2002). He performed opposite Richard Gere in a drama film based on a true story: Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, in which he played Jasjeet, an Indian hot dog vendor.

In January 2009, he played a mobile-phone salesman in Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and in October 2009, he was cast as Omar on Days of Our Lives.

In 2014, Avari voiced Master Rahool in the science fiction video game Destiny, a role he reprised in a sequel.

In 2019, Avari portrayed Nicodemus in the television historical series The Chosen based on the life of Jesus Christ. He said in a 2023 interview that he considered himself retired prior to the series and mostly retired since, but may have an unspecified project in the works.