Yani Gellman

Biography

Yani Gellman (born September 2, 1985) is a Canadian/American film and television actor. Gellman was born in Miami, Florida to a Canadian father and an Australian mother; he was named "Yani" after a family friend. His father was a reporter, and the family frequently moved during Gellman's childhood, living in Australia, Spain, and eventually settling in Toronto. Gellman's acting debut was in a 1998 episode of the Canadian television series, Animorphs. After appearing in several more television productions, he was cast in supporting roles in the 2000 film, Urban Legends: Final Cut and in 2002's Jason X. In both films, his characters eventually became victims of serial killers. Gellman became known among teenage audiences after playing the part of Paolo Valisari, an Italian pop star, in 2003's The Lizzie McGuire Movie. Most recently, he appeared in episodes of the series Wild Card, and has been cast in the Canadian series Monster Warriors. Gellman speaks Spanish, having learned it during his time living in Spain. He has a university degree in Political Science.