Mehran Karimi Nasseri

About

Iranian refugee who inspired numerous documentaries and fictionalizations including the Steven Spielberg-directed 2004 film The Terminal. He resided in the lounge of Terminal 1 in Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, from 1988 until 2006, and again from September 2022 until his death in November later that year.

Before Fame

He first arrived in the UK in 1973, at the age of 28, planning to attend the University of Bradford to study Yugoslav studies. After the misplacement of his identifying papers in 1988, he began residing in the French airport's traveler waiting area.

Trivia

He co-wrote an autobiography called The Terminal Man in the year 2004 with British author Andrew Donkin. He preferred the name "Sir, Alfred Mehran," after having received a letter from the British embassy that read "Dear Sir, Alfred..." 

Family Life

He was the son of an Iranian doctor named Abdelkarim and an unidentified mother, who was believed to be a homemaker.

Associated With

He has been portrayed by actors including Jean Rochefort in Tombés du Ciel and Tom Hanks in The Terminal.