Who is Zoe Saldana’s Husband Marco Perego? 5 Facts You Didn’t Know

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To many people, Marco Perego is best known as Hollywood star Zoe Saldana’s husband and the father of her twin sons, Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio. However, there is much more to Marco, a former Italian professional soccer player, than just being a husband and father. Here are five facts about Marco that you may not have known.

His last name is actually Pergero-Saldana.

When Marco and Zoe secretly tied the knot in June 2013, he decided to do something completely outside the norm. He took her last name, though she wasn’t necessarily sold on the idea. Zoe admitted that she tried to talk him out of the idea for fear that he would be emasculated, but he could not be swayed and quickly went to court to have it changed. By the way, Zoe’s last name is Saldana-Pergero and the twin’s last name is Pergero-Saldana.

He’s quite the artist.

Marco is both an established painter and sculptor whose work has been displayed in NYC galleries. Inspired by artists, such as 80’s icon Andy Warhol his paintings sell for as much as $30,000, while his sculptures sell for around $15,000. His work is often described as “pushing the envelope” and “macabre”, though people are proud to own them. If you have any doubt, check out this sculpture of Amy Winehouse, which he created in 2008 (before her death).

After his pro soccer career ended, he worked as a busboy

Marco was such an amazing soccer player that he earned a spot on a professional team in Venice at the age of 17. When his soccer career came to an abrupt ending due to a leg injury at the age of 21, Marco moved from Italy to Spanish Harlem in NYC. To pay his rent, he worked as a busboy, waited tables, and taught soccer on the side.

He practices Transcendental Meditation daily.

Before he married Zoe, Marco was on a mission to enhance his life, which led him to Dr. Alejandro Junger, the creator of the Clean Program. While following the detoxification and purification program, Marco actually lived with the doctor for a short period of time. Today, Marco remains committed to living a very healthy lifestyle and incorporates transcendental meditation, a yoga technique designed to help people find the inner peace needed for a more balanced and enjoyable life, into his everyday life.

His friends call him “Pirate Perego” and his Instagram handle is @pirateyadimar.

Thanks to his long locks with a few beads woven in from time to time, penchant for wearing gold jewelry, heavily tattooed arms, and his resemblance to Captain Jack Sparrow, Marco’s friends often refer to him as Pirate Perego. It is a nickname that he takes full advantage of, based on his Instagram handle and the pirate belt buckle he frequently wears.

Essentially, Marco is a modern day success story. Raised in Italy, he came to America after suffering a career-ending injury, worked day after day to pay his rent, while creating his artwork on the side, and eventually took the art world by storm.

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