Marcel Forestieri
Ever since Jr. High, performing has been a passion for Marcel. In 1970, while still in high school, he stumbled upon the idea of impersonating Elvis Presley. Prior to that no one even knew what an “Elvis Impersonator” was. However, upon graduation Marcel took to the stage and never looked back. Finally in 1984, after 13 years and thousands of performances in front of millions of people, he hung up the jumpsuit and moved on. During that time he also had a brief run on Broadway as Conrad Birdie in “Bring Back Birdie”, which also starred Donald O’Conner and Chita Rivera. The next decade or so would bring various acting roles both on stage and in front of the camera. In 1996, while producing an audition tape for “Saturday Night Live”, Marcel stumbled upon the idea to impersonate Jay Leno. This soon caught the attention of the real Jay Leno who arranged for Marcel to appear on the “Tonight Show” in a featured sketch as Jay. This and other performances on the “Tonight Show” has allowed Marcel the opportunity to perform for thousands of audiences in Casinos and Corporate events across the country. As the #1 Jay Leno Impersonator, he has performed for such major corporations as Reebok, McDonald’s, American Express, Continental Airlines, Xerox, Ramada Inn, Compaq, and many more. For the past several years he has also hosted the second longest running show in Las Vegas and the #1 impersonator show in the world, “Legends in Concert”.
Around 1980 though, there was another driving force that would ultimately bring him full circle to where he is today. Deep in his soul was a desire to find out who he really was and why he was really here. Then there came a total surrender to God and Spirit as the journey began. Becoming a student of the Bible, he moved from church to church, denomination to denomination looking for the answers. However, there always seemed to be something missing, something that didn’t quite add up. In the scriptures Jesus said “If you believe in me and the works that I do, the same works shall you do and greater works shall you do because now I go to the Father.” “Well, if that was true” Marcel thought “why was it that so many wonderful people, who had turned to God and Spirit, still in so much pain and turmoil in their lives? Why did they feel good for that one hour a week in church and the rest of the time feel sad, angry, depressed, sick and frustrated? Why did we have to suffer? Did we even have to suffer? Where was the real joy, the real peace? Not just the denial mind games we all play with ourselves, where we tell everyone how wonderful things are even though we’re really dying on the inside? What was the missing piece?” Finally one day Marcel cried out to God, “What’s going on here? This minister says this, this priest says that, this pastor says one thing, this rabbi says another. Everybody’s separated. Everybody thinks their doctrine is right and everyone else’s is wrong. Yet everyone has the same problems and nobody seems to have a real answer or solution…… WHO’S RIGHT?” God quietly answered, “I Am Right.” “Good answer!” Marcel replied, “Then you teach me, you lead me.” And so the journey continued.
Then in 2005 Marcel met Transformational Life Coach/Teacher, Dale Halaway. This man had been on his own spiritual journey for several decades as well. Although not a religious man, a Bible scholar or even a church going person, he seemed to have a true inner peace and wisdom about him and a relationship and understanding of God and Spirit that Marcel had never seen before. Marcel thought “What was it that he had? What was it that he’d learned and embodied? How had he been transformed? Can I do the same?”
Now, after five years of his own intense Transformational Healing with Dale Halaway, Marcel has become a Transformational Life Coach, teacher and speaker himself.
“This is the missing piece I’ve been looking for all these years. This doesn’t change what I believe but rather completes what I believe. I am finally realizing and stepping into who I really am and why I’m really here.”
- Marcel Forestieri -