Mehran Karimi Nasseri, also known as Sir Alfred Mehran, was an Iranian refugee who lived in the departure lounge of Terminal 1 at Charles de Gaulle Airport from 26 August 1988 until July 2006, when he was hospitalized.
Nasseri alleged that he was expelled from Iran in 1977 for protests against the Shah and after a long battle, involving applications in several countries, was awarded refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Belgium.
This allegedly permitted residence in many other European countries. However, this claim was disputed, with investigations showing that Nasseri was never expelled from Iran.
Nasseri’s story provided the inspiration for the 1993 French film Tombés du ciel, starring Jean Rochefort, internationally released under the title Lost in Transit.
His autobiography was published as a book, The Terminal Man, in 2004. Nasseri’s story inspired the 2004 film The Terminal.
Mehran Karimi Nasseri Net Worth: Was Mehran Karimi Nasseri rich?
According to various sources, his estimated net worth is between $100K – $1M.
After returning to Iran, Nasseri says he was expelled from the Middle Eastern Country in 1977 after protesting the rule of The Shah.
After a long battle involving applying to become a refugee in several countries, he was awarded the status of being a refugee in Belgium by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Belgium.
With his status now clear, he was free to settle in other European countries as well. This claim, however, has been disputed many times, with later investigations showing that Nasseri was never expelled from Iran as he had claimed.
How much was Mehran Karimi Nasseri paid for his story?
In 2003, Nasseri was offered $250,000 for the rights to his story by Spielberg’s Dreamworks production company.
Although his story inspired the movie The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, the script centred on an Eastern European man stuck at a US airport and denied entry, but unable to return to his home country because of a coup.
His autobiography was released in 2004, co-written by British author Andrew Donkin.