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

“Scene stealing performance”
-Globe and Mail

Born in Germany and raised in Victoria, BC, Izad Etemadi is an alumnus of the CBC Actors Conservatory at the Canadian Film Centre. He plays Josh Tartakovich on Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC), Ben on Settle Down (CBC Gem), 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 at The Grand Theatre. He returned later that season to play the leading role of Buddy the Elf in Elf: The Musical. This year he will reprise his role as Olaf in Frozen and join the company of Come From Away in Gander, NFL. Since 2014, Izad has written and starred in several solo comedy shows that have sold out across the country and earned Izad critical acclaim. His new comedy special Izad Etemadi: Let Me Explain was named one of the top 10 Toronto Theatre Productions in 2024 by Glenn Sumi and is currently touring Canada.

As a writer, he is working on shows in development and production with Cameron Pictures, Bell Fibe TV 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.