Mohammad Kassabi was born on June 25, 1955, in Abshar Alley off Rey Street, one of the older sections of Tehran where traditional urban life still coexisted with the rapidly modernizing city. His family belonged to the fabric of ordinary Tehranis—neither wealthy nor poor, but living in the pulsating energy of districts like Naziabad, where community ties, neighborly relations, and the rhythms of street life created a lively backdrop for a child’s imagination.
Kassabi spent his childhood, adolescence, and youth in Naziabad, a neighborhood known for its working-class authenticity and cultural vigor. Naziabad in the 1960s was a microcosm of Tehran: lively local markets, the echoes of street vendors, children playing football in alleyways, and the enduring presence of community centers and schools that shaped a generation of urban youth. It was in these spaces that Kassabi’s artistic inclinations began to surface. Family members and childhood friends later recalled that he was a boy who loved storytelling, impersonation, and playful theatricality—qualities that would eventually crystallize into a lifelong vocation.
His formal education took place in several Tehran schools: Razi Elementary School, Elahi High School, Fateh, and finally Rastakhiz High School, where he completed his diploma in 1977. These school years were marked by the expanding influence of state-run cultural programs, student theater groups, and extracurricular artistic activities, fertile environments that provided opportunities for early expression. It was during this period, in fact, that Kassabi began his semi-professional association with theater.
