Jean Zarzour |
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I was born Jean-Marie Zarzour to a lovable, sentimental, bear-hugging, bull-in-a-china-shop, Lebanese union carpenter, Francis David Zarzour and an intelligent (I.Q. 174!), generous, exotically beautiful, funny, Lebanese girl from his church, Jean Angela (Ganim) Zarzour. I've never known more authentic, resilient or loving people.
Born the youngest and only girl of four kids, I was ready to torture my poopy-head brothers and survive a male dominated household with one bathroom - a challenge that never came in handy.
By the age of 16, I was a comic entertainer, playing a friendly, acerbic, wandering clown at the Garfield Hts., Ohio Home Days Summer Fair. I was paid $25 and all the corn dogs I could eat. I'd KILL for that gig today!
Before the end of my senior year in high school, I moved to New York City to study acting at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and The Stella Adler Conservatory, when Stella Adler was my teacher in her 80's. Ms. Adler maintains her reign as the utmost authority on the Konstantin Stanislavski Acting "Method". In my mind, she is the epitome of the contemporary power-woman, while keeping every man within eyesight captivated by her vast knowledge and coy flirtatiousness when it suited her. Even in her 80's, she was blessed with classic beauty, feminine allure and unwrinkled cleavage, occasionally adorned with a large, red silk rose, pinned at the very top of her blouse that she wore under a jacket, while insisting that we RESPECT the theater and never be BORING or play small, which she described as "PITSY KAKA!"
I'll never forget when an actor was about to perform his monologue and showed up in a costume that was ripped, wrinkled and dirty, which had nothing to do with the character he was playing. She was furious! She let him know that when he walked on stage, he was not meant to look like the starving bohemian that he was. This sort of act was disrespectful and offensive to her, as if he'd done something profane.
Her beauty, femininity, brilliant and powerful mind were always on equal footing. My heroine!
While studying in NY, I was hired as a receptionist for Jim Henson Associates to answer phones, type actor rejection letters, sample marketing merchandise and sign Miss Piggy autographs. It was, by far, the best "real" job I've ever had. Later, I worked as a receptionist for legendary political campaign consultant, David Garth at Garth Associates. David pioneered the use of cinéma vérité for campaign ads, helping engineer the victory for Ed Koch over Mario Cuomo for NYC mayor in 1977. It was during those years when I mastered the art of schmoozing everyone, just like a political candidate!
In my early 20's I spent 2 years in England working as a print and promotional model in London and Wales. It was the height of the JAZZERCISE craze, so I also taught a jazz-ballet fusion dance class at 4 popular dance and fitness studios in Kensington and Richmond On The Thames, riding a 1-speed bike to and from studios, each about 5 miles 1 way. My ass was like sculpted marble!
Eventually, I went back to Ohio and began waitressing and house cleaning to pay the bill. Nothing inspired me to succeed as an actor more than being elbow deep in other people's dirty dishes and toilets! 1 year later, I began working full-time as an actor and morning drive-time radio side-kick at WZAK as Jean Zarzour, WLTF as Crystal Lite and WMMS as Jean Jeannie with the News That's STEAMY! The pseudonyms were NOT my idea. Over time, 4-6 agents across 5 states on the East Coast, Midwest and Southeast, had me shooting commercials and voicing radio, TV spots and corporate video narrations. Yes, the O.G. of VIDEOS - "vid·e·o·tape/ˈvidēōˌtāp/ noun videotape magnetic tape for recording and reproducing visual images and sound on a video cassette."
In 1988 I was member of an Improv Troupe and by 1989, I realized it was better pay to be the owner of an Improv Troupe, so I founded a Corporate Entertainment Company, LIPSCHTICK! Putting the SHOW in BUSINESS, nationwide. Event entertainment is still a fulfilling way to ham it up for thousands of humor-starved executives.
My first speaking role in a feature film was in The Public Eye opposite Joe Pesci and Stanley Tucci, who played my husband. My second thrilling role came when Neil Simon liked my audition (and undoubtedly my 2 large, black facial moles) so much that he wrote the part of a hairdresser named Flo especially for me in the film version of his WWII period play, Lost In Yonkers. It was an honor to work with Mr. Simon and Director, Martha Coolidge. They loved my work so much, they cut me from the film. If you buy me dinner and a couple of Manhattan's, I tell you all about my experience working with Mercedes Ruehl. I've had the pleasure of working with luminaries like James Coburn, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hank Azaria, Josh Gad, Michael Imperioli, David Morse, Shaquille O'Neal, Seth Rogen and Ben Stein, and Rob Lowe. In Feast Of The Seven Fishes, written and Directed by Robert Tinnell, I had the honor to work opposite Paul Ben-Victor (Vinyl, The Irishman) Ray Abruzzo (Lil Carmine in The Sopranos) and Joey "Pants" Pantoliano (Ralph Cifaretto in The Sopranos). Working opposite and being hugged by Cate Blanchett while filming Where'd You Go Bernadette, Directed by Richard Linklater, who also couldn't resist a warm hug, were career highlights.
In 2006, I founded Find Your Voice-Acting Institute, providing training for Theater, Film, TV and Voice Actors, becoming the premiere Voice Over Training Center with Demo production services, in Cleveland.
In 2023, you'll see me in 2 feature films; as the DOCTOR in MONICA starring Patricia Clarkson and Italian Deli owner, Mrs. Sanelli in DEAR ZOE starring Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) and Jessica Capshaw.
In late 2021, I filmed 2, multiple Film Festival award winning short films; SNOW GLOBE & THE CAT, opposite Joel McKinney Miller (Brooklyn Nine Nine) and another short film, SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN, which has won 6 awards for BEST SHORT FILM and BEST 1st TIME DIRECTOR, Directed by Bryan Reeves, adapted from a short play by Peter Anthony Fields.
You can see SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN at https://youtu.be/a8ru1INvuLY
Born the youngest and only girl of four kids, I was ready to torture my poopy-head brothers and survive a male dominated household with one bathroom - a challenge that never came in handy.
By the age of 16, I was a comic entertainer, playing a friendly, acerbic, wandering clown at the Garfield Hts., Ohio Home Days Summer Fair. I was paid $25 and all the corn dogs I could eat. I'd KILL for that gig today!
Before the end of my senior year in high school, I moved to New York City to study acting at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and The Stella Adler Conservatory, when Stella Adler was my teacher in her 80's. Ms. Adler maintains her reign as the utmost authority on the Konstantin Stanislavski Acting "Method". In my mind, she is the epitome of the contemporary power-woman, while keeping every man within eyesight captivated by her vast knowledge and coy flirtatiousness when it suited her. Even in her 80's, she was blessed with classic beauty, feminine allure and unwrinkled cleavage, occasionally adorned with a large, red silk rose, pinned at the very top of her blouse that she wore under a jacket, while insisting that we RESPECT the theater and never be BORING or play small, which she described as "PITSY KAKA!"
I'll never forget when an actor was about to perform his monologue and showed up in a costume that was ripped, wrinkled and dirty, which had nothing to do with the character he was playing. She was furious! She let him know that when he walked on stage, he was not meant to look like the starving bohemian that he was. This sort of act was disrespectful and offensive to her, as if he'd done something profane.
Her beauty, femininity, brilliant and powerful mind were always on equal footing. My heroine!
While studying in NY, I was hired as a receptionist for Jim Henson Associates to answer phones, type actor rejection letters, sample marketing merchandise and sign Miss Piggy autographs. It was, by far, the best "real" job I've ever had. Later, I worked as a receptionist for legendary political campaign consultant, David Garth at Garth Associates. David pioneered the use of cinéma vérité for campaign ads, helping engineer the victory for Ed Koch over Mario Cuomo for NYC mayor in 1977. It was during those years when I mastered the art of schmoozing everyone, just like a political candidate!
In my early 20's I spent 2 years in England working as a print and promotional model in London and Wales. It was the height of the JAZZERCISE craze, so I also taught a jazz-ballet fusion dance class at 4 popular dance and fitness studios in Kensington and Richmond On The Thames, riding a 1-speed bike to and from studios, each about 5 miles 1 way. My ass was like sculpted marble!
Eventually, I went back to Ohio and began waitressing and house cleaning to pay the bill. Nothing inspired me to succeed as an actor more than being elbow deep in other people's dirty dishes and toilets! 1 year later, I began working full-time as an actor and morning drive-time radio side-kick at WZAK as Jean Zarzour, WLTF as Crystal Lite and WMMS as Jean Jeannie with the News That's STEAMY! The pseudonyms were NOT my idea. Over time, 4-6 agents across 5 states on the East Coast, Midwest and Southeast, had me shooting commercials and voicing radio, TV spots and corporate video narrations. Yes, the O.G. of VIDEOS - "vid·e·o·tape/ˈvidēōˌtāp/ noun videotape magnetic tape for recording and reproducing visual images and sound on a video cassette."
In 1988 I was member of an Improv Troupe and by 1989, I realized it was better pay to be the owner of an Improv Troupe, so I founded a Corporate Entertainment Company, LIPSCHTICK! Putting the SHOW in BUSINESS, nationwide. Event entertainment is still a fulfilling way to ham it up for thousands of humor-starved executives.
My first speaking role in a feature film was in The Public Eye opposite Joe Pesci and Stanley Tucci, who played my husband. My second thrilling role came when Neil Simon liked my audition (and undoubtedly my 2 large, black facial moles) so much that he wrote the part of a hairdresser named Flo especially for me in the film version of his WWII period play, Lost In Yonkers. It was an honor to work with Mr. Simon and Director, Martha Coolidge. They loved my work so much, they cut me from the film. If you buy me dinner and a couple of Manhattan's, I tell you all about my experience working with Mercedes Ruehl. I've had the pleasure of working with luminaries like James Coburn, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hank Azaria, Josh Gad, Michael Imperioli, David Morse, Shaquille O'Neal, Seth Rogen and Ben Stein, and Rob Lowe. In Feast Of The Seven Fishes, written and Directed by Robert Tinnell, I had the honor to work opposite Paul Ben-Victor (Vinyl, The Irishman) Ray Abruzzo (Lil Carmine in The Sopranos) and Joey "Pants" Pantoliano (Ralph Cifaretto in The Sopranos). Working opposite and being hugged by Cate Blanchett while filming Where'd You Go Bernadette, Directed by Richard Linklater, who also couldn't resist a warm hug, were career highlights.
In 2006, I founded Find Your Voice-Acting Institute, providing training for Theater, Film, TV and Voice Actors, becoming the premiere Voice Over Training Center with Demo production services, in Cleveland.
In 2023, you'll see me in 2 feature films; as the DOCTOR in MONICA starring Patricia Clarkson and Italian Deli owner, Mrs. Sanelli in DEAR ZOE starring Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) and Jessica Capshaw.
In late 2021, I filmed 2, multiple Film Festival award winning short films; SNOW GLOBE & THE CAT, opposite Joel McKinney Miller (Brooklyn Nine Nine) and another short film, SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN, which has won 6 awards for BEST SHORT FILM and BEST 1st TIME DIRECTOR, Directed by Bryan Reeves, adapted from a short play by Peter Anthony Fields.
You can see SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN at https://youtu.be/a8ru1INvuLY
