acting at a young age, performing with her father(Saber Atashin), an entertainer, when she was a toddler and making her first film at age seven.

In the 1970s Googoosh was at the height of her film and music career and was widely emulated by Iranian women; in addition to listening to her music, they copied her clothing (miniskirts) and her short haircut (the "Googooshy"). The 1979 revolution, however, brought a number of cultural restrictions; women were no longer allowed to sing in public, and pop music was banned completely. Most performers chose to leave the country rather than be silenced, but Googoosh, who was visiting the United States at the time of the revolution, elected to return home within a few months despite the possibility of persecution or even execution. She was jailed briefly but was not harmed. After her release she led a sheltered life, reportedly spending much of her time indoors. In the decades in which Googoosh was publicly silent, her music was not. Bootleg recordings and videos were readily available in Iran, and many found their way into the hands of the younger generation. Googoosh acquired a number of fans among those who had never had the freedom to purchase one of her CDs legally or hear her perform live.