(Episode 252) "Green Book" Actor: Dimiter Marinov.

<p>Epsiode 252.<br/>&quot;Green Book&quot;<br/>Actor.<br/>Dimiter Marinov.<br/><br/><br/>At the age of five, Dimiter believed that the classical violin would be his future. Since the age of 11, he became first violin in a youth symphony orchestra and traveled all over Europe, the US and Central America. In 1979, Mr. Marinov performed at the United Nations Circle Hall in New York conducted by maestro Lenard Bernstein. Following the completion of an Associate Degree, he discovered his passion for acting. At the age of 18, Dimiter was drafted into the Bulgarian Army which was mandatory during the Communist era. He was assigned to an Artillery Intelligence Unit. Within a year of his service, Dimiter was detained by the Peoples&apos; Military Tribunal. He was accused of conspiring against the Peoples&apos; Republic and trying to escape to the West. The verdict was three years political imprisonment. Regardless of the difficulties that followed after his prison term, Dimiter graduated with a Master&apos;s Degree from the Bulgarian National Academy for Theatre and Film in Sofia. In 1990, Dimiter traveled throughout Europe, Canada and the United States as an actor-singer in a Bulgarian folk-jazz stage anthology entitled - Mystery Voices. Following the last performance in the United States, Dimiter defected as a political refugee in Knoxville, Tennessee. This new-found emigrant&apos;s life would challenge Dimiter for a number of years. Without money, friends and relatives, he struggled to support himself while learning the language he never knew and trying to fit in. He took on various jobs including dishwasher, air-brush artist and a handyman. In 1993, Dimiter drove across country in his Volkswagen Bug to San Diego, California. The diverse environment helped Dimiter to find new venues to grow and establish himself as a &quot;new American&quot;. Playing his violin and singing in a vast number of restaurants while working as a coffee barista, he managed in 1996 to become an owner of a coffee shop, a restaurant and expend i