# Javad Ezzati

Mohammad Javad Ezzati (Persian: محمد جواد عزتی; born January 10, 1982) is an Iranian actor and director. He has received critical acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres. As of 2019, Ezzati's starring films have grossed 150 billion toman and accumulated more than 18 million tickets, making him the highest-grossing actor in Iran. He has received various accolades, including a Crystal Simorgh, two Hafez Awards, an Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award, and an Urban International Film Festival Award.

## Career

Ezzati began his acting career at the age of 15 with working in theatre. He made his Television debut in Night Tales (2002), Mozaffar's Garden (2006), Man of Many Faces (2008), 50-50 of a Shop (2011) and gained recognition for his role as Latif in Great Troubles (2014–2015) for which he received his first Hafez Awards nomination.
He also made his film debut with a small role in Homayoon Asadian's Gold and Copper (2010).
He received his second Hafez Awards nomination for playing a young man who has written a book about young peoples sexual needs which no one accepts to publish, in In Due Course (2015).
After playing many comedic roles, he played his first dramatic role in the 2017 two-part film series Midday Adventures, he received critical acclaim and two Fajr Film Festival nominations and won a Hafez Awards for playing a member from Iranian Revolutionary Intelligence Service who are trying to arrest militant members and commanders of a terrorist group in the two-part drama thriller and political Midday Adventures (2017) / Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood (2019).
He gained attention and received a Hafez Awards nomination for playing in the romantic drama Lottery (2018) with less than 15-ish minutes of screen time.
In 2019, he starred in the comedy box office hit Centipede. the film broke several box office records and In the fifth week of its theatrical run, became the highest-grossing film in Iran at that time.
The film has become a major box office success in Iran, grossing 30 billion toman in less than 2 months and surpassing 4 million ticket sales in its first 45 days.
In 2020, he played five different dramatic roles including playing in Sun Children that was selected as the Iranian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, making the shortlist of fifteen films.
In Atabai (2020) he played Yahya, a man who speak Turkish, It earned Ezzati his third Fajr Film Festival nomination and his acting was praised by the critics.
In"Drown (2020), he played the leading role. The film and actors received generally positive reviews from critics but he was snubbed by the 38th Fajr Film Festival. However, the film scored the most nominations—12—and has received the most wins–5–.
The film premiered on 2020 June 24 and began streaming on Namava & Filimo on 2021 March 31. It became the most watched film on these platforms (online releases).
Despite the film received mixed reviews, Ezzati's acting in Amphibious (2020) was met critical acclaim. Massoud Farasati said, "The relationship between Ezzati and Elham Akhavan reminds me of Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard (1965)."
On April 13, 2021, it was announced that Javad Ezzati will star in the neo-noir mystery drama series Mortal Wound. The series is based on The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
The first episode was released on June 4, 2021. the series recorded the highest average rating of 99% for a drama on Filimo with its first three episodes, it received mostly positive reviews, with overall praise for Ezzati's performance. The series became the most-watched home video series in Iran.
Him and Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian the director of the series, are frequent collaborators in Iran cinema. they have collaborated five times in Midday Adventures (2017), Lottery (2018), Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood (2019), Mortal Wound (2021) and The Loser Man (2022).

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 2010 | Gold and Copper | Reza's friend | Homayoun As'adian | |
| 2011 | Africa | Shahram | Houman Seyyedi | |
| 2011 | The Playfellow | | Gholam Reza Ramezani | |
| 2012 | Everything Is Calm | | Mostafa Mansouryar | |
| 2012 | Displace | Ehsan | Ali Tavakolnia | |
| 2014 | Everything for Sale | Reza | Amir Thaghfi | |
| 2014 | Track 143 | Shahrokh | Narges Abyar | |
| 2014 | Kalashnikov | Zeynal's son | Saeed Soheili | |
| 2014 | Angels Descend Together | Ahmad | Hamed Mohammadi | |
| 2014 | That Sad Song | | Arash Sanjabi | |
| 2015 | Hail and Sun | Nasser | Reza Karimi | |
| 2015 | Paradise | Pezhman | Ali Atshani | |
| 2015 | In Due Course | Meysam | Vahid Amirkhani | |
| 2015 | Reversed Seven | Shahruz | Mehdi Khosravi | |
| 2016 | Spare | Saeed | Borzou Niknejad | |
| 2017 | Midday Adventures | Sadegh | Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian | |
| 2017 | Oxidan | Aslan | Hamed Mohammadi | |
| 2017 | Wing Mirror | Morteza | Manouchehr Hadi | |
| 2018 | Lottery | Nima | Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian | |
| 2018 | The Lost Strait | Majid | Bahram Tavakoli | |
| 2018 | Rabbit | Behnoud | Mani Baghbani | |
| 2018 | Centipede | Mansoor | Abolhassan Davoudi | |
| 2019 | Alive | Yaser | Hossein Amiri Doomari, Pedram Pouramiri | |
| 2019 | Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood | Sadegh | Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian | |
| 2019 | Four Fingers | Nader Istadeh | Hamed Mohammadi | |
| 2019 | We Are All Together | Majid | Kamal Tabrizi | |
| 2019 | Zero Floor | Saeed | Ebrahim Ebrahimian | |
| 2019 | Dance with Me | Ehsan | Soroush Sehhat | |
| 2020 | Bone Marrow | Majid Bodaghi | Hamid Reza Ghorbani | |
| 2020 | Amphibious | Atta | Borzou Niknejad | |
| 2020 | Drown | Hojat | Mohammad Kart | |
| 2020 | Atabai | Yahya | Niki Karimi | |
| 2020 | Sun Children | School Vice Principal | Majid Majidi | |
| 2020 | After the Incident | | Pouria Heidary Oureh | |
| 2022 | The Loser Man | Ahmad Khosravi | Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian | |
| 2023 | Leather Jacket Man | Issa Farahmand | Hossein Mirzamohammadi | |
| 2024 | Alligator Blood | | Javad Ezzati | Directorial feature film debut |

### Web

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Platform | Notes |
| 2010–2012 | Bitter Coffee | Baba Eti | Mehran Modiri | Filimo | Supporting role |
| 2013 | Mozaffar's Treasure | Habib | Mehran Modiri | Filimo | Supporting role |
| 2021 | Mutual Friendship | Himself | Shahab Hosseini | Namava | Talk show; 1 episode |
| 2021–2025 | Mortal Wound | Malek Maleki | Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian | Filimo | Main role; 48 episodes |
| 2025 | The Savage | Davood Ashraf | Houman Seyyedi | Filmnet | Main role |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes | Network |
| 2002 | Night Tales | | Saeed Aghakhani | TV series | |
| 2004 | I'm a Tenant | Food Delivery | Parisa Bakhtavar | TV series | IRIB TV3 |
| 2004 | Fasten Your Seatbelts | Captain's Assistant | Mehdi Mazloumi | TV series | IRIB TV3 |
| 2006–2007 | Mozaffar's Garden | Houman | Mehran Modiri | TV series | IRIB TV3 |
| 2008 | Residential Camp | Siamak Karimi | Javad Razavian | TV series | IRIB TV5 |
| 2008 | Man of Many Faces | Dr. Tabibian's Father | Mehran Modiri | TV series | IRIB TV3 |
| 2008 | Sweet Dreams | | Seyyed Vahid Hosseini | TV series | IRIB TV1 |
| 2008 | Like Nobody | | Abdolhassan Barzideh | TV series | IRIB TV2 |
| 2009 | Sweet Salty | | Javad Ardakani | TV film | |
| 2009 | Will Happen | | Behrouz Shoeibi | TV film | |
| 2009 | Please Don't Turn Around | | Mehdi Mazloumi | TV series | IRIB TV5 |
| 2009 | Last-born | | Ishmael Mehdipour | TV film | |
| 2009 | Haft-seen | | Hossein Tabrizi | TV film | |
| 2010 | Privacy Policy | Naser | Siroos Moghaddam | TV series | IRIB TV1 |
| 2010 | Chavosh Bahar | | Afshin Arbabi | TV series | |
| 2010 | Yalda's Deadlock | | Abbas Ranjbar | TV film | Sahar TV |
| 2010 | Between Staying and Leaving | | Behrouz Shoeibi | TV film | IRIB TV2 |
| 2011 | 50-50 of a Shop | Masoud Eshghi | Shahed Ahmadlo | TV series | IRIB TV5 |
| 2011 | White As a Star | | Javad Roustaee | TV film | |
| 2012 | Hand Over Hand | Saeed | Mohsen Yousefi | TV series | IRIB TV3 |
| 2012 | Bite | | Majid Salehi | TV film | IRIB TV1 |
| 2012 | It's Time to Grow Up | | Zharzh Hashemzadeh | TV film | IRIB TV3 |
| 2012 | Wet Letters | | Marjan Ashrafizadeh | TV film | |
| 2013 | Haft-seen | | Yadollah Samadi | TV series | IRIB TV5 |
| 2013 | Chimney | Haji Ansari | Mohammad Hossein Latifi | TV series | IRIB TV1 |
| 2014 | Behind Closed Doors | | Masoud Rashidi | TV film | |
| 2014–2015 | Great Troubles | Latif Hamkar | Borzou Niknejad | TV series | IRIB TV3 |
| 2015 | Khandevaneh | Himself | Rambod Javan | TV program | IRIB Nasim |
| 2016 | Standardized Patient | Omid | Saeed Aghakhani | TV series | IRIB TV1 |
| 2016 | Seven | Himself | Mojtaba Amini | TV program | IRIB TV3 |
| 2017 | Get Together | Himself | Mehran Modiri | TV program | IRIB Nasim |
| 2023–2024 | Homeland | Ghasem | Kamal Tabrizi | TV series | IRIB TV3 |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Playwright | Director | Stage |
| 2003 | The Crucible | Arthur Miller | Mahlagha Bagheri | |
| 2006 | Julius Caesar | William Shakespeare | Masoud Delkhah | Molavi Hall |
| 2010–2011 | The Ruthless Killer Hasse Karlsson | Henning Mankell | Masoud Rayegan | Iranshahr Theater |
| 2013 | Rumors | Neil Simon | Rahman Seyfi Azad | Iranshahr Theater |
| 2014 | The Sunshine Boys | Neil Simon | Siamak Safari | City Theater of Tehran, Niavaran Cultural Center |
| 2017–2018 | The Prisoner of Second Avenue | Neil Simon | Mahlagha Bagheri | Iranshahr Theater |
| 2022 | 300 | | Amir Jadidi | Sa'dabad Complex |

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
| Asia Rainbow TV Awards | 2016 | Best Actor in Comedy | Spare | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2017 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Midday Adventures | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2019 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2020 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Atabai | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2023 | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Leather Jacket Man | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2024 | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Alligator Blood | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2024 | Best Director | Alligator Blood | Nominated |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2024 | Best First Director | Alligator Blood | Won |
| Hafez Awards | 2015 | Best Actor – Television Series Comedy | Great Troubles | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2016 | Best Actor – Motion Picture | In Due Course | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2017 | Best Actor – Motion Picture | Midday Adventures | Won |
| Hafez Awards | 2018 | Best Actor – Motion Picture | Lottery | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2019 | Best Actor – Motion Picture | Centipede | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2020 | Best Actor – Motion Picture | Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2021 | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Mortal Wound | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2021 | Best Actor – Motion Picture | Drown | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2021 | Jury Prize | Drown and Mortal Wound | Won |
| Hafez Awards | 2023 | Best Actor – Motion Picture | Atabai | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2024 | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Mortal Wound: Revenge | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2024 | Best Director – Motion Picture | Alligator Blood | Nominated |
| Hafez Awards | 2024 | Individual Achievement | Mortal Wound: Revenge, Alligator Blood | Won |
| Iran Cinema Celebration | 2017 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Midday Adventures | Nominated |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2018 | Best Actor in a Leading Role | The Lost Strait | Nominated |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2020 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood | Nominated |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2022 | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Drown | Nominated |
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2022 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Atabai | Won |
| Iranian Film Festival Australia | 2022 | Best Actor | Sun Children | Won |
| Resistance International Film Festival | 2018 | Best Actor | The Lost Strait | Nominated |
| Urban International Film Festival | 2019 | Best Actor | Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood | Nominated |
| Urban International Film Festival | 2022 | Best Actor | The Loser Man | Won |