Biography
Early Years:
 Born
in Lahijan in 1939, Parviz Sayyad is considered one of
Iran's top talents. A
young Parviz cultivated his passion for acting by joining
the theatre. From there, when the National Television
of Iran was formed in 1960, Sayyad started
producing tele-theater shows. Becoming one of the main
leaders of Iranian Television, Sayyad along with
Apick Youssefian, who later with her daughter Mary Apick
played
in many
of
Sayyad's
films, created Amir Arsalan.
Following the success
of Amir Arsalan, Sayyad joined Parviz
Kardan in another popular
TV
series called Sarkar Ostovar, where the infamous
Samad was born. Innocent, funny, street-smart
and the village idiot, all roled into one, the Samad
was a character that audiences fell in love with overnight.
This popularity paved the way for
Sayyad's directorial debut in Samad
and the Flying Carpet. Sayyad
continued his worked in television and was part of
other Iranian classics such as Octopus,
and Daie Jon Napoleon (My Uncle Napoleon)
as the deceptive Assadallah Mirza.
Samad Grows Up
 With Samad becoming a household name,
Sayyad was able to produce more than seven Samad films.
Over the next eight years, the adventures of Samad were
produced in a series of funny and memoriable movies which
included Samad
goes to School, and Samad becomes an Artist.
Sayyad's work as an actor, director and producer flourished
and he was able to continue working in television and
film until the revolution of 1979. Following the political
turmoil
in Iran, Sayyad was determined to continue his
work of creating interesting stories and contributing
to the Iranian arts. He relocated to Los Angeles and
began the second phase of his career.
Sayyad next film The Mission (1983)
gained entry into The Berlin Film Festival,
The London Film Festival,
and won The Jury Grand Prize at The Locarno Film Festival
(1983). The allowed for the next feature film Checkpoint (1987).
This film dealt with the tensions and complexities of Iranian
American relations during the Hostage Crisis. The film
was met with some resistance as it explored political issues
which many people did not want to discuss. Following this
film, Sayyad set his mind to creating many plays and shows
for the Iranian community. Over the years he has writtern,
directed and produced over 40 projects which include his
play Khar, and Faalgoosh.
Today,
Parviz Sayyad remains one of the top figures of the Iranian
film and theatre industry.
 His own theatre group called the Traveling Theatrical
Troupe serves Iranian audiences around the world with
fresh and poignant productions. He has also written a
book, and continues to attend lectures and events to
entertain his fans. In addition, he produced and stars
in his own TV Show broadcast every Sunday on Iranian
Satellite TV to millions of people worldwide.
His daughter Maryam Sayyad acts as his co-host pulling
in a younger audience and keeping the show fresh. His
older daughter Banafsheh Sayyad has her own dance troupe
and performs shows for dance lovers internationally.
(photo from left to right: Banafsheh Sayyad, Parviz
Sayyad, Maryam Sayyad)
Parviz Sayyad's talent in creating topics
that speak to the
audience
through
humor, controversy, drama, and raw emotion remains
appreciated by people around the world. His most recent
project is the classic role of Amoo Norooz in the upcoming
Babak and Friends
- A First Norooz, the first Iranian-American
cartoon about the special New Year's celebration of Norooz.
Image Gallery:
Actor -
filmography
Babak and Friends - A First Norooz (2004)
Samad Returns From the War (1988)
Checkpoint (1987)
On Wings of Eagles (1986) TV Series
Samad
Goes to War (1984)
Ferestadeh (1983)
... aka Auftrag, Der (West Germany)
... aka The Mission
Samad Darbehdar Mishavad - Samad becomes Homeless
(1978)
Samad dar Rah-e Ejdeha - Samad On
the Path of Dragon (1977)
Daie Jan Napelon - My Uncle Napleon (1976)
Samad Khoshbakht Mishavad - Samad Gets Lucky (1975)
Zanburak (1975)
Dar Ghorbat (1975)
... aka Far from Home (International: English title)
... aka In der Fremde (West Germany)
Asrar Ganj Dareheye Jenni (1974)
Maslakh (1974)
Mozafar (1974)
Samad Artist Mishavad - Samad Becomes an Artist (1974)
Samad be madreseh miravad - Samad Goes to School (1973)
Samad va sami, leila va leili - Samad & Sami, Leila & Leili (1972)
Sattar khan (1972)
Khastegar (1971)
Samad va Fulad Zereh Deev - Samad and
Fooladzereh, the Monster (1971)
Samad va ghalicheyeh hazrat soleyman - Samad and
The Flying Carpet
(1971)
Hasan Kachal (1970)
Octopus (1969)
Sarkar Ostovar (1968)
Amir Arsalan (1967)
Producer - filmography
Checkpoint (1987) (producer)
Ferestadeh (1983) (producer)
... aka Auftrag, Der (West Germany)
... aka The Mission
Bon Bast (1977) (producer)
... aka Dead-End
Ghazal (1975) (producer)
Samad khoshbakht mishavad (1975) (producer)
Zanburak (1975) (producer)
Mozafar (1974) (producer)
Samad Artist Mishavad (1974) (producer)
Tabiate bijan (1974) (producer)
... aka Still Life (International: English title)
Samad be madreseh miravad (1973) (producer)
Sattar khan (1972) (producer)
Khastegar (1971) (producer)
Samad va fulad zereh div (1971) (producer)
Faryade
dehkadeh (1965) (producer)
... aka The Cry of the Village (International: English title)
Plays: Actor, Playwright
1. Faalgoosh - Eavse Dropper (1989) Produced in Los
Angeles
2. Donkey - Khar - (1983) - Produced in New York
3. Jaan Nesar - (1981) Produced in New York - Colombia University
4. Dead End (1978)
5. At the End of Night (1977)
Books: Writer
The Obstacles of Exiled Cinema (1995)
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