Ali Hosseini Khamenei was born on April 19, 1939 into clerical family. He studied Islamic theology in Mashhad and later in Qom, where he was influenced by Ruhollah Khomeini, architect of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Khamenei played active role in revolutionary movement against Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He rose through ranks and became Supreme Leader after Khomeini's death in 1989.