Zhan Videnov was born on 22 March 1959 in Plovdiv.
He finished the English Language High School in Plovdiv and later graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations with a degree in international economic relations.
He was engaged as an expert at the Biotechnika Corporation and the Autoelectronics enterprise. Later he occupied posts in the governing bodies of the Komsomol organizations in Plovdiv and Sofia.
At the 14th Congress of the Bulgarian Socialist Party held in 1990 he was elected member of the Supreme Party Council (SPC), and in November 1990 he was included in the SPC leadership of the BSP.
Deputy to the 7th Grand National Assembly /GNA/ and the 36th National Assembly from the BSP.
During the 40th Congress of the BSP, which took place in December 1991, he was elected chairman of the Supreme Council of the BSP, re-elected at the 41st Congress held in June 1994.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Democratic Left government from 21 January 1995. He resigned as prime minister in late December 1996 following some dramatic domestic developments.
Following his withdrawal from the state and party leadership (in 1996 he was replaced as leader of  the BSP by Georgi Parvanov), the most conspicuous event around him  was the publication of a book of memoirs ("Beyond the Backstage of the Political Theatre", 1998). It can be regarded as an embodiment of its author.  
1998 - member of the Open Forum Movement within the BSP.

President of the European Social Values Foundation.
Lecturer at the Business College in Plovdiv.
His name has never been associated with any corruption scandals.

Languages: English, French, and Russian.
Married, with one child.