Talent

“For as long as I can remember, drama, dance, music…the arts in general were a major part of our lives growing up. My siblings and I were always involved in some form of an artistic pursuit even when our parents frowned on the idea. My undying passion to be an actor transcended all reasonable counter arguments posed by others. Any other career was simply not an option for me”.

Born in Tehran, Iran and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Diana Simonzadeh has been acting professionally for many years. She has worked with such notable artists as playwright Tony Kushner and director Frank Galati in the Midwest Premiere of Homebody/Kabul at Steppenwolf Theatre in the role of Mahala and more recently, alongside playwright Jason Wells and director, Michael Donald Edwards in the World Premiere of Perfect Mendacity at Asolo Rep in Florida as Samira. Diana is also responsible for all solo vocals on the Homebody/Kabul soundtrack performed in the Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles productions.

Favorite theatre credits include Martine in A Doctor in Spite of Himself, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Violet in Le Bourgeois Avant-Garde, andJames Tyrrel in Richard the 111. As a trained singer and dancer, Diana has had the pleasure of performing such roles as Anita in West Side Story, Roxie Hart inChicago and solo performances in a Cole Porter Revue as well as Studs Terkel’s, The Good War just to name a few.

In addition to industrials, commercials and an infomercial, Diana Simonzadeh has been busy acting in front of the camera in numerous student and indie films around town. "One of the latest films I've acted in, All We Had http://allwehadmovie.com/ by Be A Productions, is based on a true story of a Hell’s Angels biker in the 1960s that’s lost everything except her two young children whom she finds herself fighting for." In All We Had, Official Selection at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival, Diana plays the lead character, San. More recently, Diana has been collaborating with Mankato Pictures in the making of their upcoming film, The Candy Cane Contraption in which she plays the lead character, Elf. Diana also played the lead female in The 5:22, a film based on George Harrar’s short story of the same title. Produced by Ephemeron Films and directed by Bernadette Demisay, The 5:22 has picked up numerous awards as it continues to tour festivals throughout the US and Europe.