Fifteen-year old Jonathan Ahdout was born in Santa Monica, CA. His family is Iranian-American, having left Tehran in 1982 and settled in Southern California the following year. 

Ahdout made his professional acting debut in "House of Sand and Fog" opposite Sir Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly. Prior to his landing the role of Esmail in "House of Sand and Fog," Ahdout's acting experience was limited to a few school plays. In addition to his role on 24, he will appear in the upcoming feature film "American Gun" opposite Forest Whitaker, Marcia Gay Harden and Donald Sutherland. Now in the 10th grade, Ahdout has a strong interest in music and arts. He plays the piano, composes music and studies acting, in addition to being an avid swimmer. Ahdout aspires to a career in the entertainment business that extends past acting into directing, a passion he hopes to explore at the university level.

Source: primetimetv.about.com