Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Profession: Last Shah of Iran

Nationality:

Biography: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi is known as the last Shah of Iran, serving after the abdication of his father in 1941 until the Iranian Revolution of 1979. During his reign, he sought to rapidly modernize the Iran in terms of its military and industrial capacity. This process was carried out alongside a sweeping set of social and economic reforms.

During the early stages of Mohammad Reza's reign, the Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammad Mossaddegh, sought against the interest of British firms to nationalize the Iranian oil reserves. This led to a coup d'état supported by the United Kingdom and United States' intelligence agencies, which solidified Mohammad Reza's reign and brought back the foreign oil firms.

While Iran underwent a significant process of modernization under Mohammad Reza, this was halted by popular unrest in 1978. This unrest ultimately gave way to a popular revolution in which the Shah was overthrown. Since then the monarchy has been abolished, with an Islamic Republic founded in its place.

Born: October 26, 1919
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran

Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Goat/Sheep
Star Sign: Scorpio

Died: July 27, 1980 (aged 60)
Cause of Death: Complications of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia