Fa-egheh Atashin, nick-named Googoosh, was born in 1950 in Azarbayjan--a province in Iran. Her parents divorced when she was an infant then she moved with her father to Tehran. Her father, Saber, was an entertainer and a comedian and he encouraged Googoosh to sing in bars and cafes in Laleh-Zar street of Tehran when she was only 5 years old. Her singing at such an early age prevented her from getting any kind of a primary education. In 1960, when she was only 10 years old, she had a successful role in the movie "Fereshteye Farari", a film by Gorji Abadia. Her first experience with cinema, however, was a movie by the title of "Beam va Omid" in 1958. Googoosh was discovered by Iranian composers for her natural singing talent, where she created a unique style in modern Iranian music and became a pop culture icon among the Iranian youth. In 1969, the notorious "mini-joupe" dress was a fashion among young Iranian girls who immitated Googoosh. Her famous short hair cut in 1975 is still popular amoung females in Iran. Googoosh is said to have been a victim of underworld organizations who controlled cabarets and bars in Tehran. One of the underworld bosses, Parviz Ghorbani, the owner of "Shokoufeh Nou" cabaret was the brain behind conspiracy against Googoosh where he made created enormous debt in her name. There are rumors that she was raped when she was 18 by "Shapour Gholamreza", the Shah's brother. In 1973 she married Ghorbani against her will to pay her debts. She has a son " Kambiz" from her first marriage. Googoosh starred in many popular movies, among which "Bita", "Honeymoon", "Hamsafar", "Mamal Amrikaie" and "Dar Emtedad-e Shab" are the most popular. She also starred in "Seh Divaneh" with Garsha Raoofi and Motevaselani. Her acting career ended with the 1979 revolution in Iran. She acted with Behrooz Vosooghi, the most popular actor of his time, in several movies and later joined Saeed Kangarani in the erotic movie "Dar Emtedad-e Shab", which was well-received by Iranians, as well as other Middle Eastern countries. Critics, however, never considered Googoosh a successful actress. In 1976 she married Vosoughi, but their marriage only lasted for one year. Before their marriage, Vosoughi was already engaged to Pouri Banaii, another popular actress. This marriage, however, ended the friendship between Banaii and Googoosh. With the Islamic commotion of 1979, Googoosh stopped her 25-years of singing and acting career for good. She also refused to leave Iran and consistently rejected lucrative offers for recording new albums outside the country. According to Parviz Khatibi, the late Iranian director, Googoosh left Iran right after the revolution and stayed in New York for a while. This stay, however, was so short that many Iranians don't remember it. Currently, she is married to Masood Kimiaee and resides in an apartment in north of Tehran. On July 2000, Googoosh finally broke 21 years of silence by announcing an unexpected, but much anticipated, North American tour, starting in Toronto. To date, concerts have been performed in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. Other tours are expected in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and San Jose, with many more tour dates added on a weekly basis, due to sold-out performances.