Reza Kianian


Reza Kianian is an Iranian actor.

Early life

Kianian is the second child of a family of 9; he has 4 brothers and 2 sisters. When he was 1 year old, his family moved to Mashhad. His first acting coach was his older brother, Davood. In 1965, Davood directed and coached Reza in his first role in a play titled Az Paa Nayoftadeha, written by Gholam Hossein Sa'edi. He continued to work with Davood's theater troupe for the next 3 years, when he moved back to Tehran to study fine arts at the University of Tehran, where he graduated in 1976. Reza Kianian married his wife, Hayedeh, on March 21 in 1983.

Acting career

Theater

Kianian starting his acting career in theater. He began acting in 1965, when he was only 15 years old. Later on in life, he took the stage in renditions of plays such as Antigone, Petty Bourgeois, Simon Masha Figures, Mississippi's Marriage, Souvenir of the Sand Years and many more. In April 2010, after a six-year hiatus from theater, Kianian returned to stage under the direction of Atila Pesyani in Professor Bvbvs.

Television

Reza Kianian has acted in some television series as well. Perhaps his most memorable role in television has been his character 'Jamshid' in Shellike Nahayi directed by Mohsen Shahmohammadi, where 'Jamshid-style' outfits and hairstyle became popular with the youth of Iran. In The English Bag and The Rebel Years he portrayed an old clergyman and a judge respectively, which are considered his most controversial roles to date.

Other ventures

Besides being an actor, Reza Kianian is also a painter, sculptor and set designer. His set design for the movie Niloofar-e Abi won him an industry award at the 17th Fajr International Film Festival in 1998. Kianian's photo and paintings have been exhibited in two solo exhibits in 2008 and 2010, and in over five group exhibits. In 2007 he also held a solo sculptor exhibit. In 2012, Reza Kianian was the auctioneer for the first ever Christie's style auction in Tehran, Tehran Auction. The auction was a sold out event, making over $1 million.

Published books

Reza Kianian is the author of 9 books in Iran.

Television

at Closing ceremony of 35th Fajr International Film Festival