John Leguizamo

At 59 years old, John Leguizamo has this physical status:

John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (Spanish: [le-samo]; born July 22, 196013:04) is an American actor, comedian, and film director. He came to prominence in Super Mario Bros. (1993) as Luigi, as Luigi, and in a supporting role in Carlito's Way (1993). He appeared in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! later in life. Julie Newmar (1995), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has since appeared in Romeo + Juliet (1996), A Brother's Kiss (1997), Body Count (1998), Summer of Sam (1999), Moulin Rouge. (2002) (2001), Collateral Damage (2001), The Alibi (2005), The Alibi (2006), Righteous Kill (2008), Repo Men (2006), The Counselor (2013), and John Wick (2014). In the animated film series Ice Age (2002–2004), he has performed Sid the Sloth as the narrator of the sitcom The Brothers Garca (2000–2004), and in Encanto (2021). Leguizamo appeared on ER and was a series regular on The Kill Point. He is also known for his role on Bloodline as Ozzy Delvecchio.

Leguizamo has appeared in over 100 films, directed more than 20 films, directed more than 20 films, performed in numerous films (including a Special Tony Award), has performed or appeared in many other television shows as of 2021. He has been nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, including one in 1999 for his role in Freak.

Early life

Leguizamo was born in Bogotá, Colombia, on July 22, 1960, the son of Luz Marina Peláez and Alberto Rudolfo Leguizamo. His father was once an aspirant filmmaker and enrolled at Cinecittà, but he had to leave due to a lack of funds. According to Leguizamo, his surname is of Basque origins and he has distant Basque roots.

According to Leguizamo's genealogy, the people of Puerto Rican, Italian, and Lebanese ancestry were not present in Leguizamo's, as he has often stated. His family is Colombian, and a DNA test revealed that his ancestry is European (mostly Spanish), as well as Indigenous and distant African roots. Higinio Cualla, the landowner and his great-grandfather, lived in Bogotá for sixteen years in the late 1800s and was considered a key modernizer of the area. Leguizamo had already stated that he was Puerto Rican on his father's side, which was one of the reasons he was selected as the Puerto Rican Day Parade Global Ambassador of the Arts, and he marched in the parade on June 12, 2011. It was determined that Leguizamo's maternal lineage included the 16th-century Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar, as well as Jerónimo Betuma, a 17th-century indigenous Colombian of noble origins.

When Leguizamo was a child, his family immigrated to New York City, where they lived in various communities in Queens, including Jackson Heights. "It was tough." He later credited growing up as one of the first Latino children in the neighborhood as formative in his acting skills: There were a lot of fights in the city. I would walk through a park and be attacked, and I'd have to defend myself all the time. But this made me laugh so much that I wouldn't be surprised." Leguizamo attended Joseph Pulitzer Middle School (I.S.145) and later the Murry Bergtraum High School. He produced comedies and tested it on his classmates as a student at Murry Bergtraum. His classmates named him as "Most Talkative." He began his theater career as an undergraduate at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, but he later dropped out in favour of a career in stand-up comedy. Leguizamo, a student at LIU Post, and HB Studio, where he took theater lessons, joined Post-NYU, Leguizamo.

Personal life

Yelba Osorio, a Canadian actress, married Leguizamo in 1994 and divorced in 1996 after two years of marriage.

Justine Maurer, a costumer on Carlito's Way, married him on June 28, 2003. Leguizamo is Catholic, and Maurer is Jewish. They have two children, Allegra Sky Leguizamo (born 1999) and son Ryder Lee "Lucas" Leguizamo (born 2000). They live in Manhattan.

The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors awarded Leguizamo the Rita Moreno HOLA Award for Excellence in 2008 (HOLA). He received the Made in NY Award from New York City in 2011.

Leguizamo received an Honorary Degree from Marymount Manhattan College in 2018.

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Career

Leguizamo began as a stand-up comedian in New York's nightclub circuit in 1984, and in 1987, he appeared in two shows, including as Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream. With a small part in Miami Vice, he made his television debut in 1986. In addition to Madonna's boyfriend in his "Borderline" video (1984), a robber in regard to Henry (1991), and Night Owl (1993).

In 1992, he appeared in Whispers in the Dark as John Castillo. In 1993, Leguizamo was given the lead role in the Mario Bros. The film was based on the Mario video game franchise. Despite being a universally poor show, the film began his acting career in Hollywood and became one of his signature roles. It also gave him a jump in his career, allowing him to appear in more comedic roles in the upcoming years. He appeared in Brian De Palma's Way as Carlito Brigante's nemesis, "Benny Blanco from the Bronx," which also elevated his career in more formal roles.

Leguizamo appeared in Romeo + Juliet as Tybalt Capulet, as Violator in Spawn, Cholo, and Pestario 'Pest' Vargas in The Pest, the former being one of his few appearances as a lead actor in a studio film. Thank You for Everything! In 1995, Chi-Chi Rodriguez appeared as drag queen Chi-Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo. Julie Newmar, who received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, also appeared in the 1996 action film Executive Decision as Captain Rat, which was directed by Lauren Newmar. He appeared in the film Empire in 2002. He appeared on a celebrity version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2001 to promote the 2001 film Moulin Rouge! Kelly Ripa, Kevin Sorbo, Alfre Woodard, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase are among those who consulted with Kelly Ripa. He figured out that he was eventually charged for $125,000, but then got the answer wrong. A question about the film on the syndicated version of 2002 led to Leguizamo's appearance in Lautrec, and Meredith Vieira said he had performed Lautrec and had been on the program.

Sid the Sloth for the film Ice Age in 2002, he resurrecting the role in the sequels Ice Age: The Dinosaurs, Continental Drift, and Ice Age: Collision Course. His voice was also used in the game versions of the films. He appeared Globox from Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc in 2003. Paul was portrayed by Leguizamo in the Brad Anderson thriller film Vanishing on 7th Street. In the film The Babysitters, Michael Beltran appeared in 2007. He co-starred in the film The Happening, which was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan in 2008. Leguizamo performed in Chef as the line cook Martin in 2014, a job he trained for by serving as an actual line cook at The Lion in the West Village. He appeared as a drug dealer in Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart's action comedy film American Ultra in 2014. He appeared in John Wick in 2014 as Aurelio.

Leguizamo started filming for The Crash in October 2013, starring Frank Grillo, AnnaSophia Robb, Dianna Agron, Ed Westwick, Minnie Driver, Christopher McDonald, and Maggie Q. Aram Rappaport is the film's director, and Hilary Shor, Atit Shah, and Aaron Becker produce it. The Crash was announced on January 13, 2017. In 2021, Leguizamo played Bruno Madrigal in the Disney animated film Encanto.

Leguizamo wrote, produced, edited, and appeared in the 1995 Latino-oriented variety show titled House of Buggin' on Fox Television. Some viewers viewed this as the Latino version of In Living Color. The program showcased Leguizamo's well-known ability to portray a number of colorful, energetic characters, but the show lasted less than a season due to poor ratings.

Both Genies were depicted in Arabian Nights, a television mini-series adaptation of the epic One Thousand and One Nights, in 2000.

Leguizamo appeared on the television show ER from 2005-06, playing Dr. Victor Clemente, a new attendent who is eager to introduce the County General staff to new ways of treating patients and cutting-edge technologies. Clemente, on the other hand, was plagued with personal issues, and was suspended from the hospital near the end of the season. Dr. Clemente's departure from the show was a blessing for Leguizamo. He told CraveOnline that he was not thrilled with being on the television show. "I was sick doing ER," he confessed, "I started gaining weight, I was eating doughnuts, and I began to smoke again." I'm eating McDonald's because I know when I'm sick. "I attempted to kill myself internally."

In 2004, he appeared on Dora the Explorer as Captain Pirate Piggy. Leguizamo appeared in the television pilot for Edison, a 2006 CBS drama about a Los Angeles detective (played by Leguizamo) who relied on impersonations and masks to solve crimes in 2006. Currie Graham and Deidrie Henry were among the cast members. Kevin Rodney Sullivan was directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan from a Ron Milbauer and Terri Hughes script. Both Leguizamo and David Hoberman were executive producers.

Spike TV's drama series The Kill Point starred Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, and Michael Hyatt in July 2007. Ex-war veterans whose bank robbery went wrong, putting the show in a hostage situation. Despite high success, The Kill Point was not renewed for a second season. Leguizamo appeared on Sesame Street as Captain Vegetable, who warns Elmo not to eat his vegetables.

Leguizamo appeared on The Electric Company as himself in 2010, learning about commas and quotation marks. In 2012, Leguizamo was cast as Derek Trotter in the American remake of the British BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. In the second season of Netflix's original series Bloodline, Leguizamo appeared as Ozzy Delvecchio.

In the In 2018, Leguizamo appeared undercover ATF agent Jacob Vazquez in the In the Waco's undercover ATF agent Jacob Vazquez. In the Netflix miniseries When They See Us, Leguizamo played Raymond Santana Sr., Raymond Santana's father. In 2020, Leguizamo appeared in The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 1.

Leguizamo wrote and performed in the Off-Broadway play Mambo Mouth, where he appeared in seven different characters. Mambo Mouth received an Obie Award as well as an Outer Critics Award. In "John Willis' Screen Worlds Vol. 'British Actors of 1991," he was listed as one of 12 "Promising New Actors of 1991." He was 43 years old at the time.

Leguizamo wrote and performed in Spic-O-Rama in 1993, where he mocked Latino stereotypes in the United States. The production received a Drama Desk Award and four Cable ACE Awards. Both Mambo Mouth and Spic-O-Rama were shot later in life for broadcast on HBO.

In 1998, he appeared on Broadway in Freak, a semi-autobiographical one-person drama starring Spike Lee and released on HBO on October 10, 1998. The show earned him the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Variety or Music Program.

He wrote and performed in Sexaholix's Love Story in 2002, which chronicled his personal life and how he began his own family.

Klass Klown, a semi-autobiographical one-man theater performance based on his memoir Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and My Hollywood Friends: My Life began in June 2010. The show opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre in March 2011 at various theaters in the United States and Leguizamo performed an "unplugged" version of it under the name John Leguizamo Warms Up at a Chicago theater. Many positive reviews followed Leguizamo's transformation from mystery to fame, which was extended to July 10, 2011. The show was released on a CD. For his role in the show, Leguizamo received the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Achievement in 2011. In Los Angeles, Leguizamo began an international tour of Ghetto Klown. PBS premiered Tales From a Ghetto Klown, a documentary about Leguizamo's life and show's growth on July 13, 2012. For HBO, John taped Ghetto Klown at The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ, on November 16, 2013.

He created Othello: The Remix at Off-Broadway's Westside Theatre in 2016.

He opened Latin History for Morons in 2017, a show about Latin Americans' involvement in US history. The show premiered at the Public Theater before heading to Studio 54. The 2018 Tony Award for Best Play was nominated for the Latin History of Morons. He was also recognized with a Special Tony Award for his body of work and for his contribution to Broadway's diverse audiences for three decades this year.

Leguizamo was announced as the host of the 63rd Annual Obie Awards in May 2018 at Terminal 5 in January 2018. He will be given an Honorary Degree from Marymount Manhattan College.

Leguizamo wrote the original musical Kiss My Aztec, with Leguizamo and director Tony Taccone, music by Benjamin Velez, and lyrics by Velez, Leguizamo and David Kamp. It was created at the Public Theater in 2018 and premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theater and La Jolla Playhouse in 2019, where it received critical acclaim.

In the History category, Leguizamo was also recognized by Smithsonian Magazine for his 2018 American Ingenuity Award.

In 2021, he appeared Estragon opposite Ethan Hawke in Waiting for Godot and Wallace Shawn as Vladimir in a video performance during the Covid pandemic.

RCA/BMG Records released John Leguizamo LIVE, a CD compilation of Leguizamo's stage routines, in 2001. Among the bits are a primer Leguizamo discusses Latino history and culture in America, which includes the infamous tale of an Inca princess's mating with a Spanish conquistador, thus creating the original dysfunctional Latin family, each member of which is portrayed by Leguizamo. "The Night Before Christmas" and "Gotta Get Some") are among the CD's highlights, as "Spanish Fly Pick-Up Line" includes a musical intermission, two salsa/hip-hop songs, "The Night Before Christmas" and "Get Some," as well as "Making It" and "The Night Before Christmas."

Leguizamo performed "Almost Like Praying," a charitable written and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, in late 2017. The music's proceeds went to the Hispanic Federation to help those in Puerto Rico who were impacted by Hurricane Maria.

Leguizamo's memoir, Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and My Hollywood Friends: My Life, was published in October 2006. During an interview with Conan O'Brien on Late Night, he said that his memoir was full of information about other celebrities with whom he had worked. Schwarzenegger's appearance on Collateral Damage (2002) was one of his most enjoyable experiences as an actor, and he said that if told by someone else that Steven Seagal was an egotist with diva tendencies, he would say things that others might not agree with.

Leguizamo describes the work:

Christa Cassano illustrates the comic.

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