In 1985, Marciano moved to California where he studied acting at the Drama Studio London in Berkeley, earning a living by working as a bartender.[3] His big break came two years later as a guest star in Wiseguy, playing a mobster impersonating Lorenzo Steelgrave. In 1989 he played the diner owner Stanley in Pepsi's 'Diner' commercial shown in the UK.
More small parts followed, including Cop #1 in the film Lethal Weapon 2, before he played the role of bicycle messenger/poet Jeffrey Lassick in legal dramaCivil Wars from 1991–1993. He was then cast as Detective Raymond Vecchio in Due South in 1994. He played the part for two seasons before his character was replaced by Detective Stanley Kowalski (Callum Keith Rennie), due to filming commitments. He returned for the series finale in 1999 where Vecchio and Kowalski's ex-wife got together. He then appeared in the 1996 season 3 episode of Touched By An Angel entitled "Into The Light" playing a dying man in need of a heart transplant. Later he took the role of Giorgio Clericuzio in the 1997 mini-series of Mario Puzo's The Last Don.
