Adoni Maropis - Biography

Being an exceptional all-around athlete in high school near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it appeared Adoni would pursue a professional career in some sport. Turning down various athletic scholarships, he enrolled at West Virginia University and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration.

But, from years of being entertained by Adoni's impromptu comedic performances and impersonations which began when he was a small child, his father, Petro, told him that the suit and tie of the business world would probably choke him to death and encouraged Adoni to give acting a shot. Surprised, yet intrigued at this suggestion, Adoni enrolled at a performing arts school, Point Park College (now a University) in Pittsburgh, and studied acting, dialects, singing, and a bit of dance... and performed many stage productions at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.

Although Adoni is truly blessed with athletic ability and creative talent, what truly makes Adoni stand out is that he is a Type 1 Diabetic, and has been since he was 18 months old. His parents were told he would be weak and sickly, and in and out of hospitals his whole life. Ultimately, a renowned diabetic specialist told his father that most likely Adoni would be dead by the age of 25. This has been proven by his numerous athletic awards and championships throughout high-school and college which involved everything - strength, speed, quickness and finesse. The list includes: tennis, basketball, baseball, football, weightlifting, arm-wrestling, fitness, and his favorite pastime, which is table tennis (ping-pong).

Strange as it may seem, Adoni became the 2011 National Champion in Hardbat Ping Pong and 2012 US Open Champion in Liha (Sandpaper) Ping Pong.

Some of Adoni's diverse and memorable roles include: the lead villain, Fayed, in Season 6 of the Fox critically acclaimed hit series series 24 (2001) with Kiefer Sutherland. the flamboyant evil sorcerer, Quan Chi, in the TV show Mortal Kombat (1998), the regal falcon-man, Sakr, in the feature film "Hidalgo" with Viggo Mortensen, and the sarcastic undercover Hidalgo (2004) in the feature film The Gristle (2001). He also had supporting roles in the features Troie (2004), Le roi scorpion (2002) and Bad Company (2002)... along with many Guest Starring roles on TV.