Ezzatollah Entezami or Ezzatolah Entezami (, 21 June 1924 – 17 August 2018) was an Iranian actor. Entezami, Ali Nasirian, Mohammad Ali Keshavarz, Jamshid Mashayekhi and Davoud Rashidi are known as "the five most important actors in the history of Iranian cinema" because of their influence.
Career
Ezzatolah Entezami started his career on stage in 1941 and graduated from theatre and cinema school in Hanover, Germany in 1958. He has been acting in movies since 1969. His debut performance in Darius Mehrjui’s film, The Cow, received the Silver Hugo in Chicago International Film Festival in 1971. He shined in the role of a naive villager who cannot endure the death of his beloved cow and starts to believe that he is the cow himself.
Entezami was known as one of the most prominent actors in Iranian cinema and has been labeled as the greatest actor in the history of the cinema of Iran. He worked with most of the prominent Iranian film directors, including Darius Mehrjui (eight films), Ali Hatami (four films), Nasser Taqvaee, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Behrouz Afkhami and Rakhshan Bani-Etemad. He was awarded the Crystal Simorgh for the Best Actor twice from the International Fajr Film Festival, for Grand Cinema and The Day of Angel. His work and accomplishments were recognized in October 2006 at the Iran cultural center in Paris.
Personal life
His son, Majid Entezami is an Iranian film score composer.
Selected filmography
Vareite bahari (1949) The Cow (1969) - Masht Hassan Mr. Naive (1970) - Mohammadipoor / Fathollah Khan The Postman (1972) - Niyatollah Bita (1972) - Bita's father Sattar Khan (1972) - Heydar Khan Amoo-Ughli Sadegh the Kurdish (1972) - Sergeant Vali Khan Love’s Tumult (1973) - Kamal Kingdom of Heaven (1975) Sleeping Lion (1976) The Cycle (1976) The Dust Dwellers (1977) - Dr. Sameri In Grouhe Mahkoomin (1977) - Hossein General Condemned (1978) The School We Went To (1980) Hadji Washington (1982) Hajji Washington (1983) - Hajji Hossein-Gholi Noori The Spider’s House (1983) Kamalolmolk (1984) - Nasereddin Shah The Suitcase (1985, released in 1988) Jafar Khan Returns from Europe (1985) Stony Lion (1986) In the Wind’s Eye (1986) The Tenants (1987) - Abbas Shirak (1988) - Haj Khaloo Hezar Dastan (1988, TV Mini-Series) - Hezardastan The Ship Angelica (1989) Grand Cinema (1989) - Aghaiev Eye of the Hurricane (1989) - Amir Houshang Hamoun (1990) - Dabiri The Shadow of Imagination (1990) Saye khial (1991) Banu (1991, released in 1998) The Quiet Home (1991) Once Upon a Time, Cinema (1992) - Nassereddin Shah / Mozzaffaeddin Shah / Mash Hasan Baanoo (1992) - Ghorban Salar The Toy (1992, released in 1994) - Ghadir zafarlu The Battle of Oil Tankers (1993) Day of the Angel (1993, also-sc.) - Amir Jalaleddin Rooz-e fereshte (1994) - Niyyatollah Jang-e naftkesh-ha (1994) The Blue Veiled (1995) The Fateful Day (1995) - Rasul Rahmani Typhoon (1997) The Punishment Committee (1997) - Khan-e Mozaffar Wind and Anemone (1997) Takhti, the World Champion (1998, the first version, unfinished) - Takhti's father Tehran Rozegar-e No (1999) - Khan-e Mozaffar The Mix (2000) - (guest star) The Dark Room Twilight (2001) - Detective Alavi A House Built on Water (2002) - Dr. Sepidbakht's father Divanei az ghafas parid (2003) - Mostofi Jayi baraye zendegi (2003) - Eydi Mohammad A Place to Live (2003) Gav khuni (2003) Order (2004) Stars (2005) The Command (2005) - Reza Ma'roofi Setareh Mishavad (2006) - Rafi Golkar Colors of Memory (2007) - Ghanati Shab (2008) - Dr. Parviz Atash-e sabz (2008) - Judge Zadboom (2009) - Colonel Amiri Forty Years Old (2010) - Judge The Maritime Silk Road (2011) - Slave Merchant (final film role) Gohar Kheirandish a Filmography (2015) - Himself
References
External links
An interview with Ezzatollah Entezami in connection with the recently produced biopic "... and the Blue Sky", directed by Ghazaleh Soltani and produced by Ghasem Gholipour, Mehr News Agency, 21 November 2010, (in Persian). Photo reportage of the interview: .