Biography

Jeff was born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri. From a young age it was clear that Jeff was a creative child. He graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in May of 2000 with a BA in design and illustration. Soon afterwards, he worked at various design firms until he painted murals for a living. During this time, he had his first taste in the industry on CMT's "Home Blitz," with Country music stars Gretchen Wilson and Trace Atkins, for which the director gave him high praise. Years later, Jeff moved to Chicago to further his ambitions of learning the craft of acting. The following year, Jeff obtained his first agent and two months later landed his first co-star role on season 11 of Chicago Fire. A month later, appeared in his first feature film role in "The Unseen," directed by Vincent Shade. By 2024, Jeff has added several short films and two more Feature films as well as many commercials. Jeff is mentored by Geoffrey Blake (an award winning actor and member of the Actors Studio), Casting Director legend Lisa London, Casting Director Stephen Snyder and is part of the The Extra Mile with his current mentor and close friend, Glenn Morshower. Jeff has two children, Blake Zarinelli and Jason Alexander Zarinelli.
- IMDb mini biography by: JCZ