Zen Mariani

Zen Mariani was born in Toronto on the 2nd of March 1987 to Roopa and Giovanni Mariani, both seasoned veterans of countless Toronto area stage productions. His natural aptitude for acting was obvious from an early age, and he became a regular fixture in school and church plays in the Toronto area. He attended Rosedale high school in Toronto, and it was at a public audition at his school that he was selected to play the role of Timothy, in YTV's new show "System Crash". He stayed with System Crash for 4 years, before it's cancellation in 2002. After System Crash he retired from professional acting to attend the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada where he majored in physics. Throughout this time he became increasingly active in the environmental movement, lending his celebrity to various worthy environmental causes. After graduating from Western with honors in the spring of 2009, he enrolled in graduate school at the University of Toronto. He has chosen to pursue research in the field of atmospheric physics, in order to contribute to our understanding of climate change. He received his masters degree in atmospheric physics in the spring of 2010 and is currently working towards a PhD in atmospheric physics under the supervision of Dr. Kimberly Strong in the Department of Physics. Throughout his studies at the University of Toronto he continues to act in various community theatre productions, most recently playing the lead role in Cyrano de Bergerac at the St. Paul's United production of the play.