Mariana van Zeller Biography
Mariana van Zeller is a well-known Portuguese journalist and correspondent currently working for National Geographic Channel. Van Zeller came into prominence for her show Trafficked. The show premiered in 2020.
Mariana has previously worked as a chief correspondent for Fusion TV and as a main correspondent for the Vanguard documentary series. The series aired on Current TV. In the course of her career, Mariana has won several awards including the Peabody Award. She claims to be fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, French and Arabic.
Mariana van Zeller Age
The journalist was born on May 7, 1976, in Cascais, Portugal. Van Zeller is 47 years old as of 2023.
Mariana van Zeller Height
Mariana is a woman of average height. Her height is approximately 5 feet 8 inches and her weight is estimated at 58 Kg. Her hair is blonde and paired well with her blue eyes.
Mariana van Zeller Family
Mariana hails from Cascais, Portugal. Her father is Eduardo Belo van Zeller, and her mother is Marta Filomena de Vilhena de Bettencourt. Her paternal uncle is the Portuguese chemical engineer and businessman, Francisco Xavier Belo van Zeller. On March 17, 2015, Van Zeller for her American Citizenship.
Mariana van Zeller Husband
Just like her successful career, Van Zeller is in a happy successful marriage with her husband, Darren Foster. The married couple met back at Columbia University where they were classmates. They eventually started dating and settled down. They share one son called Vasco Foster born in July 2010. Vasco is 13 years old. As for Darren’s profession, he is a director and producer currently working with National Geographic Channel. He is also the recipient of two awards; an Emmy and a Peabody award.
Mariana van Zeller Education
The journalist went to the Universidade LusÃada de Lisboa. She majored in international relations and graduated in 1998. She later joined the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2001. In 2002, Mariana attained her master’s degree. Mariana has disclosed the difficulties she went through while applying to Columbia University. She stated that she had to apply three times and the third time, she flew to New York to speak to the Dean himself.
Mariana van Zeller Trafficked
Her show Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller became an instant hit after premiering on December 2, 2020, on Nat Geo TV. The fourth season of the show premiered on January 18, 2024. Van Zeller started her journalism career when she joined the Portuguese TV network SIC.
She later moved to SIC NotÃciasA, when SIC started a new channel. In 2001, Van Zeller was one of the journalists on scene, who covered the September 11 attacks. This was after she was contacted by a SIC producer who directed her to the CBS Building where the rest of the news team was.
In 2002, after graduating from Columbia University, the journalist went to London to work on a documentary. She also got to learn Arabic at Damascus University in Syria. She had to learn the language to be able to seek out stories in the Middle East. Her documentaries have been featured on various media outlets including; PBS’s Frontline/World, the CBC, and Channel 4.
Mariana van Zeller TV Shows
- El Chapo: CEO of Crime
- Inside: Secret America
- Pimp City: A Journey to the Center of the Sex Slave Trade
- Vanguard
- Narco Bling
- Obama’s Army
- Trafficked With Mariana van Zeller
Mariana van Zeller’s Net Worth
Van Zeller has to made quite a fortune from her successful journalism career. The journalist’s estimated net worth is $5 million.