Marlon Varando Gaines was born September 30, 1958, in east Tennessee to a young couple, a soldier and cosmetologist. Transitioning through their divorce and segregation into the second grade, his mother drilled into him, "Boy, you better act like you got some sense when you're out in public." With a love of the arts: film, acting, drawing and oil painting, Marlon joined the Navy, the day after his high school graduation, May 27, 1976. Marlon quickly excelled and became one of the youngest Assistant Drill instructors on the Navy base at the age of 17.In May 1978, Marlon entered welding school and after graduating in November, he moved to Houston Texas to begin a 32 year career in welding. Having experienced racial cross fires and every emotion known to man, Marlon expressed his emotions through writing and developed a desire to work in film. In 2009 Marlon moved to Alaska to heal from the loss of a brother and faced death and decided it was time to fulfill his dream to work in film.January 4, 2011, Marlon started film school at the Art Institute in Salt Lake City UT, and after a year, he started working in the entertainment industry as both talent signed on with Talent Management Group, talent agency in Salt Lake City, Utah and in production. Having first worked as an extra, Marlon worked his way into principal talent roles, while still working on other productions as various crew roles in feature films including The Man on Carrion Road, Cokeville, and The Golden Rule. Working with Greg Nicotero and Dave Zucker on Galyntine, AMC pilot has been a highlight for Marlon. With hands on training from Peter Fonda, Marlon exudes the continual work on perfecting his craft and the ability to express emotions that only the human experience provides.