Portrait of 'Little Engineer' actress Mahshid Javadi

Mahshid Javadi , born on January 22, 1996, is a cinema and television actress whose career reflects a rare combination of intellectual rigor, artistic curiosity, and emotional restraint.

A graduate in Applied Mathematics, 'Little Engineer' actress represents a generation of Iranian actors who arrive at performance not by chance, but through deliberate self‑construction.

Javadi began her artistic journey in theater, where she developed discipline and respect for character work.

She began her acting career in West Azarbaijan Province's Urmia city, where she worked in theater and appeared in two television series produced for the provincial Urmia network. Both series were performed in Azerbaijani Turkish.

In order to grow professionally, she made the decision to leave her hometown and move to Tehran to change the course of her acting career. She believes that working only in provincial TV series leads to stagnation rather than progress.

Her first significant appearance came with the television series 'My Mother', where she portrayed the youth of the character Maral, a role she still refers to with deep affection.

The series resonated strongly with general audiences, and the series became the project that firmly introduced Javadi to Iranian television viewers.

One of the most memorable aspects of the series for Javadi was the physical preparation required for authenticity.

“For 'My Mother', I had to learn how to milk a cow. With the help of friends and a coach, I learned it properly. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it very much.”

Javadi reached a new level of recognition with the popular series 'Little Engineer', which brought her widespread fame and solidified her position as a rising actress in Iranian television.

Javadi’s cinematic debut came in 2021 with the film 'Anti', marking her official entry into Iranian cinema.

In 2025, she took another significant step by appearing in the home‑entertainment series 'Jackal', acting alongside well‑known figures such as Kambiz Dirbaz and Sajjad Babaee.

One of the most formative professional experiences in Javadi’s career was collaborating with director Javad Afshar.

Beyond acting, Javadi is actively engaged in oil painting, a medium she has taken up seriously in recent years and in which she shows notable talent. 

Perhaps the most emotionally revealing glimpse into Javadi’s inner world is her short prose written for Lake Urmia, her birthplace’s fading symbol:

O ship stranded in mud, O distant memory…

I thought one day you would rise like a phoenix and remain...

Javadi is not an actress driven by noise or spectacle. She belongs to a quieter lineage of artists shaped by discipline, solitude, and observation.