Born in Nutley, New Jersey, Nick Zano's passion for the movies began when he first watched "Goodfellas" at the age of 12. He had long dreamed of becoming a Navy Seal, but all that changed in one afternoon at the cinema. Shortly after that, Zano and his family moved south to West Palm Beach, Florida, where he finished his high school education.
Throughout his years at Wellington High School he was active in both the drama and TV production departments. In his junior year, Zano and his closest friends produced a weekly television program. The offbeat skit comedy show landed Zano in detention quite often, where he would kill time by writing a series of short films. Those shorts, which he starred in and helped to direct, made their way to the JVC Universal Film Competition semifinals three years in a row.
Shortly after high school, he was offered a position with Prelude Pictures ("Lost in Space," "Black Dog") in Television and Feature Film Development. During that time he also acted as associate producer on the World AIDS Day TV special "Living Positive," hosted by Lou Diamond Phillips.
In June 2001, Zano made the move to Los Angeles, where he began the daily grind of auditioning. His charm and quick wit had casting directors calling him in for reads even when the character description was totally opposite to his looks. "One of the first jobs I booked when I arrived in L.A. was for a movie where they wanted a Japanese acrobat!" Zano said.
Zano's mental rolodex of movie knowledge helped him land the hosting gig on MTV's "Movie House," which premiered on the channel in May 2002.
He remains close with his sisters and his mom, who always supported and inspired him.
<< MTV News Correspondents Main
