Izad Etemadi is an Iranian-Canadian actor, writer, and comedian.

Born in Germany and raised in Victoria, BC, Izad Etemadi is an alumnus of the CBC Actors Conservatory at the Canadian Film Centre. Represented by the Characters Talent Agency, he plays Josh Tartakovich on Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC), Kevon on Revenge of the Black Best Friend (CBC), and Simon on Overlord and The Underwoods (CBC/Nickelodeon). Other on-screen performances include Ghosts (CBS), The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu/MGM), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+), Odd Squad (PBS Kids), Bajillionaires (Family Channel), and TallBoyz (CBC), as well as several national commercial campaigns.

In 2022, he originated the role of Samuel in the new Canadian musical Grow (from the producers of Come From Away) at The Grand Theatre. He returned later that season to play the leading role of Buddy the Elf in Elf: The Musical. Since 2014, Izad has written and starred in several solo comedy shows that have sold out across the country and earned Izad awards including the 2016 Broadway World award for Best Independent Production and the 2017 Emerging Queer Artist Award from Buddies In Bad Times Theatre. His new comedy special Izad Etemadi: Let Me Explain was developed in residency with Green Light Arts.

As a writer, he is working on shows in development and production with Shaftesbury Kids, Wilbrain, and Border2Border Entertainment. His short film Plant Daddy won the 2023 Queer Your Stories Short Film Competition through outACTRA and will have its debut at the Inside Out Festival. Izad’s work uses comedy to explore issues of queer identity, immigration, body image, and the terrors of being a millennial.