Ali Reza Farahnakian (SAG, AEA, WGA, AFTRA) studied extensively with Charna Halpern and Del Close in the 1990s at the ImprovOlympic. He was also a founding member of the UCB. At the Improvolympic he was on the famed house team "The Family" for over four years, directed by Del Close. At The Second City he was part of the Jeff-nominated show "The Revelation Will Not Be Televised" (dir. Jeff Richmond) for which he received a Jeff nomination for Best Actor in a Revue. His one-man show "Word of Mouth" was an official selection to the US Comedy Arts Festival 2001 in Aspen.

He was a writer on Saturday Night Live during its 25th anniversary season and received a Writers Guild Award nomination. Television credits include Law and Order, Criminal Intent, Special Victims Unit, All My Children, Third Watch, 30 Rock and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. In 2002 he founded The Peoples Improv Theater, aka THE PIT in New York City, where he teaches and performs.