Reza Larizadeh was born on 28 August 1934 in Ahraz, Southern Iran. He came to England and studied at the Edgbaston School of Science and the University of Wales. In 1958 he took the Conjoint Diploma and the MB BCh and the FRCS in 1962. Before returning to Iran he held appointments at Cardiff, Sheffield Royal Infirmary and Whipps Cross Hospital. In 1967 he joined the staff of the National University of Iran and was promoted rapidly, becoming Associate Professor of Surgery and member of the council of the faculty of medicine in 1969. Further promotion came as senior deputy surgeon at Jorjani Medical Centre in 1970 and with the opening in 1973 of the new Loghmandolleh Medical Centre of the National University of Iran he was appointed surgeon in charge of one of the units. In 1975 he became Professor of Surgery and a year later chief of service of the surgical unit at Loghmandolleh Medical Centre. He married Faezeh Ghadiri in November, 1970. They had met when she was a student at the Dental College in Tehran and she graduated in dentistry and worked for the Ministry of Health. They had one daughter. His untimely death, at the height of his career, on 17 May 1977 was caused by cerebral cancer.