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Phoenix Tour Armenia / Blog  / Armenian Actors Of Hollywood: Marco Khan (Marco Khanlian)

Armenian Actors Of Hollywood: Marco Khan (Marco Khanlian)

Hollywood actor Marco Khanlian, aka Marco Khan (born March 27, 1979) is known for his roles in the films “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Iron Man”, “Camp X-Ray”, “10,000 BC”, as well as his boundless love for his historical homeland Armenia.

Marco Khanlian was born in the capital of Iran, Tehran. His father, Levon Khanlian was from Lebanon, and his mother Anna Karamyan was from Georgia. The Khanlian family lived well in Tehran, but for the sake of a better life, the family moved to Italy. There, Marco and his younger brother Aleko graduated, and a couple of years later they moved to California (USA).

Having mastered English at the age of 17 (the actor knows 4 languages - Armenian, Farsi, Italian, and English), Marco became the head of the family and managed the restaurant business for 12 years. However, the restaurant business closed when his father passed away.

“After the death of my father, I thought about life and realized that I did not want to do this all my life. Once my friends from the gym advised me to try myself as a supporting actor. And because I was athletic, I was offered a job at the Universal Studios” - says Marco.

The first works of Marco were the projects “Waterworld” and “Wild-Wild West”. Due to his unusual appearance and large Armenian nose, Marco often played negative characters, which, in principle, played to his advantage.

During one of the shooting days, director Gore Verbinski noticed the actor and, assessing his appearance, offered to go to acting classes and seriously think about the profession of an actor. After the classes, the life of Marco Khanlian changed, and they began to recognize him as the actor Marco Khan.

“My Armenian nose helped me move forward in my career. Thanks to the nose, I became more recognizable, and I began to receive offers to work with such Hollywood stars as Adam Sandler, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr., Albert Brook, Camilla Belle, Kristen Stewart and others”- says the actor.

Marco Khan starred in many famous Hollywood films: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End”, “10,000 BC”, “God Is Not Dead”, "Straw Dolls”, “Camp X –Ray”, “Don't Mess with the Zohan”, “Iron Man”, “Las Vegas”, “Pitbull”, and many others.

In addition to Hollywood, the actor also dreams of trying his hand at the Armenian film industry. Marco claims that he has long dreamed of visiting Armenia, feeling truly at home and creating his own Armenian Hollywood there.

“When I arrive in Armenia, I will definitely kneel down and kiss our land. When I hear how everyone speaks our language, I will cry, but these will be tears of joy. Armenia is a great country, and someday everything will change for the better, I am sure of it!” - says Marco Khan.

Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan
Marco Khan