Zannino was born on August 21, 1923 in Istanbul, Turkey as Giannis Papadopoulos. He was an actor and production manager, known for Midnight Express (1978), Mikres Afrodites (1963) and Voitheia o Vengos, faneros praktor '000' (1967). He was married to Zafeiria "Jenny" Sfountouri. He died on May 27, 1995 in Athens, Greece.