Ace Mahbaz

Ace Mahbaz (born 25 June 1986) is an actor and writer, known for Small World and Sehen statt Hören. He was born in Tehran and raised in Europe, currently residing in London and Berlin.

Ace Mahbaz
Mahbaz, 2014
Born	Seyed-Ali Mahbaz (1986-06-25) 25 June 1986 (age 39) Tehran, Iran
Occupation(s)	Actor, writer

Personal life

Ace Mahbaz is a well-known figure in the deaf community, having appeared in theatre plays and films using sign language. He currently resides in London and Berlin, and is fluent in six sign languages.

Career

As a teenager, Ace Mahbaz discovered his passion for performing on stage, which led him to create and perform plays in several European countries during his time in Italy and France. He is known for his exceptional skills in Visual Vernacular (VV), a form of performance art that create a visual narrative and has its roots in Deaf culture and has been developed over the last 40 years in many countries around the world. Mahbaz's strength lies in his ability to use VV to tell stories that are both emotionally powerful and visually captivating.

He has since appeared as an actor and performer in various sign languages, including DGS, BSL, LIS, Svenska TS and LSF, at festivals such as Festival Clin d'œil [fr]^[1] in Reims, France. Ace has won first place in the poetry slam competition (BÄÄM! Der Deaf Slam^[2] and Poetry Slam vs. Gebärden Slam) in Berlin twice. He has also acted in various short films and played the roles of Oberon and Theseus in a production of A A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare's Globe.

Mahbaz is also a co-creator and actor in the sitcom TV series Small World. He works for the television program Sehen statt hören on Bayerischer Rundfunk as an author, director, and presenter.

In 2024, he was cast in BBC One series Reunion.^[3]

Theatre

• Peter Pan (National Swedish Touring Theatre), actor - 2019
• Hem (National Swedish Touring Theatre), actor - 2019
• Festmeny (Teater Manu), Performer - 2015
• A Midsummer Night's Dream^[4] (at Shakespeare's Globe) Actor - 2014
• 4Play^[5] (Deafinitely theatre) Actor - 2013
• Metroworld (On/OFF Compagnie)^[6] Actor, writer - 2011-2014
• Amor Jr. (DAVANTI theatre) Actor, director - 2009-2011
• Il cioccolato (DAVANTI theatre) Actor, director - 2008

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Type	Role	Notes
2021	One Letter	Shortfilm	Actor	Nominated for The British Short Film Awards 2022
2016	Small World	TV series	Writer, actor	World's first sitcom series in sign language, performed entirely in British Sign Language (BSL). IMDb
2015	Love Is Blind	Shortfilm	Actor	Nominated for Best Short Film at Cannes Film Festival 2015. IMDb
2014	Battle Lines	Shortfilm	Actor	IMDb
2011	Red little Riding Hood	Shortfilm	Actor	IMDb