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Zen Gesner Profile |
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Birth Date: June 23, 1970
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Birth Place: Van Nuys, California, USA
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Birth Name: Zen Brant Gesner
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Height: 6'1"
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Biography |
Zen Gesner is a television and movie actor. He is most
recognized for his roles as "Sinbad" in the syndicated
television series The Adventures of Sinbad, and as a regular
cast member on the ABC daytime drama All My Children. More
recently he's appeared in Miller Lite's "Man Laws"
commercials as one of the "Men Of The Square Table". The
actor also guest-starred on an episode of the popular sitcom
Friends in which he played Rachel Green's boyfriend. A
graduate of the prestigious London Academy of Music and
Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Gesner has appeared in several movies
since his cinematic debut as an FBI agent in the 1994 comedy
Dumb & Dumber, including Me, Myself & Irene, Shallow Hal and
There's Something About Mary. In 2005, he featured in the
romantic comedy Fever Pitch starring Drew Barrymore and
Jimmy Fallon.
The son of Harry Gesner and stage actress Nan Martin, Zen
Brant Gesner was born on June 23, 1970 in Van Nuys,
California. His parents named him after the Japanese
Buddhist sect that preaches enlightenment through
meditation, and he had an older half-brother, Casey Martin
Dolan, from his mother's first marriage to musician Robert
E. Dolan.
Zen Gesner was originally interested in music as a boy, and
plays both the piano and trumpet. He became an aspiring
actor while attending Santa Monica High School after landing
a small part in the school's production of Hamlet, and went
on to play leading roles in the school's rendition of
"Nicholas Nickleby" and "The Sound of Music". Upon
graduation, Gesner joined the South Coast Repertory Company
in Orange County, CA, performing in small roles and watching
experienced actors ply their craft.
After touring the audition circuit, Gesner sought admission
to LAMDA's intensive summer program on Shakespeare and was
accepted. Towards the end of the course, he was offered a
position in the general three-year programme at the Academy,
whose American alumni include such actors as Alexis Denisof,
John Lithgow and Donald Sutherland.
As a student at LAMDA, Gesner not only performed in such
plays as Richard III, The Cherry Orchard and Anything Goes,
but also studied everything from poetry to archery to
fire-blowing. He especially excelled in fencing and during
his second year, earned an advanced certificate from The
Society of British Fight Directors. Post-graduation from the
Academy, the actor worked as Assistant Fight Director to the
Royal Opera House, London.
Seeking to progress his acting career, Zen Gesner moved back
to the States, where he met and married his wife Cynthia
Farrelly Gesner (sister of the writer-directors Peter and
Bobby Farrelly) in 1995. They moved to Hollywood, where
Gesner worked part-time in construction while auditioning
for television and movie roles. It was during this time that
Gesner made his feature film debut in Dumb & Dumber and put
his real-life surfing skills to use as a surfer in the Chris
Isaak music video, "Somebody's Crying."
After four auditions and a screen test, Gesner won the title
role in the syndicated fantasy-action series, The Adventures
of Sinbad. The series was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa,
and involved heavy stuntwork and use of special effects.
Between shoots, Gesner added to his physical performance
skills by picking up tricks from a local circus troupe, such
as tightrope walking, inverted rope-climbing,
kicking/flipping up from the ground (known as "kipping"),
and stunt flips. Although listed on the fall lineup for a
third season, the well-rated series ended its run after the
second season due to contract disputes between the
production company and series distributors.
Since the conclusion of Sinbad in 1998, Zen Gesner has
appeared on television series such as Friends and All My
Children. He played the role of David Patrick in the 2005
movie The Ringer, a film about the Special Olympics. He was
also the spokesperson for Chicken Of The Sea's 2005 "What
Women Want" marketing campaign. Gesner and his wife Cynthia
have three sons: Finn, Rory, and Tuck.
Gesner is brother-in-law to the Farrelly Brothers, and has
received several small roles in Farrelly Brothers movies,
including Dumb & Dumber, Fever Pitch, Kingpin, Me, Myself &
Irene, Osmosis Jones, Shallow Hal and There's Something
About Mary.
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Other Information |
Son, Finn Harry Gesner, born in Capetown, South Africa. [24
July 1997]
He is the son of actress Nan Martin. His brothers-in-law are
Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly.
Has a second son named Rory Gesner
Third son, Tuck John Gesner, was born July 11th, 2003 in
Santa Monica, California.
Attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
(LAMDA) |
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I am your huge fan, I love watching my Sinbad DVD over and over again. I think you are a brilliant actor. I wish you all the very best in your career. I look forward to seeing you in a movie/tv soon.
Love lots.
Jeudi Curtis
I'm happy to see that you are still working in the industry. I've been a fan since Sinbad. Please keep up the good work.
Sincerly from a Canadian Fan;
Roberta Nickle