Sarah Shahi was born in Texas under the name Aahoo Jahansouz. She has an Iranian father and Spanish mother. In 1997, she was crowned Miss Forth Worth USA and went on to a successful career as a model and cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys. In 2000, she began her acting career as an extra in the movie DR. T AND THE WOMEN and later got a reoccurring role on the television show "Alias" from 2001-02. In 2005 Shahi became a popular character on the cable television series "The L Word," where she played Carmen de la Pica Morales for four years. She has had minor success with other shows like "Life" and began the show "Fairly Legal," as the lead character, in 2011.