Deborah Marcano is a Brooklyn native, first-generation Trinidadian-American from a multicultural family. She attended Williams College and earned a Master of Science in Urban Affairs from the City University of New York.
After working with non-profit organizations, she decided to pursue her passion for acting. Studies with Gene Frankel, William Esper, Karen Kohlhaas and Rosalyn Coleman were then followed by years of performances in NY theaters, schools, prisons and shelters.
Deb then moved to Los Angeles and stopped acting. Life’s challenges compelled her to put everything on hold. Fifteen years later, she returned to live her dream. She studied with Sam Christensen, Wendy Davis and The Second City and performed in more than 30 independent films in less than three years.
“When I was a child, I wanted to be an actor. The ones I admired were the ‘older characters’: Lucy, Granny Clampett, Aunt Esther, Maude, and Miss Jane Pittman. I couldn’t play those roles at a younger age. But I am doing it now! I’ve had such a diverse range: bible thumper, protest leader, Mother Nature and even Madam President, to name a few. I get to use all my life experiences – happy and sad – to bring these characters to life!”
A globe trekker and advanced scuba diver, Deb has traveled solo to 6 continents and visited 80+ countries. Her photography has been displayed in solo and group exhibitions, public libraries, journals, newspapers, and Macy’s Herald Square. Her short film, Positive Attitude screened at 20 festivals in the United States, Caribbean and Africa and led to her twice appointment by the Mayor to the HIV Health and Human Services Planning Council of New York.
Deb volunteers as an adult literacy tutor, photographer with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep – capturing images of deceased newborns, and as a speaker with Defy Ventures – inspiring and assisting incarcerated women develop their business plans.
The proud “Mum” of five in Lalibela, Ethiopia for almost 20 years, not by biology but the heart, Deb’s journey to motherhood was featured in the Tell Your Story HuffPost series and the book, Borderless Voice.
