A Broadway and Television Star with a passion for Charity

Necar Zadegan

July 01, 2020

Despite an impressive list of acting credits, Necar Zadegan is most proud of her ongoing work for charity.

Necar Zadegan, '00

Necar Zadegan landed her first professional theatrical role at the age of 16, in a production of Beauty and the Beast at the 1998 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 13 years later, she would make her Broadway debut alongside Robin Williams in The Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, a Tony-winning, Pulitzer Prize-nominated play.

"Find your passion and make it your work." - Necar Zadegan

Necar graduated from Santa Barbara City College in 2000, armed with an Associate’s Degree and several performance scholarships, allowing her to seamlessly transfer to the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature. During her time at SBCC, Necar was a contemporary of fellow alumnus David Meunier, and learned from Rick Mokler and Pope Freeman, now SBCC Theatre Professors Emeriti. “The standards were high and the opportunity to study and work with professionals as part of the college program was a particularly mature experience that I always appreciated,” she says.

Necar Zadegan in NCIS: New Orleans In the time following her graduation, Necar has compiled quite a resume. She has appeared in countless movies and television shows, with principal roles in 24, Here and Now, Emily Owens, M.D., A Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce and NCIS: New Orleans. “I have been able to work professionally on many stages for theatres around the world and my on-screen work has given me great joy. Making my Broadway debut was a singular experience and an experience I cherish,” says Zadegan, “but it is my role as an ambassador for the charities I have been able to work with that create opportunities for education around the world I am most proud of.”

Necar is the Cultural Ambassador for The Levantine Center, an organization working to bridge the cultural divide between the West and the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) Region through education, culture and art. She is also an Ambassador for buildon.org, and works with The United States Agency for International Development, both striving to fund the construction of schools around the world.