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John Leguizamo

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Biography

Colombian-born actor and comedian John Leguizamo has made a career proving that it is possible to be taken seriously both as a raunchy comic performer and a serious dramatic actor. Since 1991, when he won over audiences and critics with his one-man show, the off-Broadway Mambo Mouth, Leguizamo has been working steadily in film, television, and theater. Whether playing lowlife criminals, conflicted womanizers, or flamboyant drag queens, he has impressed viewers with his often sharply satirical characterizations of Latinos, making fun of stereotypes even as he blows them to smithereens.

Born in Bogota, Colombia, on July 22, 1964, Leguizamo immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of four. Deciding that he wanted to go into acting, he studied the craft at New York University and with the legendary Lee Strasberg for one day before Strasberg died. Of his teacher's unexpected departure, Leguizamo later quipped, "I have that effect on people." Leguizamo began his career as a standup comedian in various New York clubs, and debuted on television with a 1986 turn on Miami Vice. His film debut followed in 1989 with a small role in De Palma's Casualties of War. In 1991, he appeared in similarly incidental roles in a number of movies, including Die Hard 2 and Regarding Henry, which cast him as the gunman who shoots Harrison Ford in the head. The same year, however, his career advanced, thanks to both a starring role in Hangin' With the Homeboys and the aforementioned Mambo Mouth. This successful production, in which Leguizamo portrayed seven different Latino characters, played to sold-out theaters and won its star and writer Obie and Outer Critics Circle Awards. It was later shown on HBO, where it won a CableACE award.

Two years later, Leguizamo returned to the stage, this time with Spic-O-Rama. Another one-man show, it enjoyed a sold-out run in Chicago before relocating to New York, where it won its creator a Drama Desk Award and, when it aired on HBO, four CableACE Awards. That same year, Leguizamo also kept busy in film: A second outing with De Palma, Carlito's Way, resulted in acclaim for his performance as "Benny Blanco from the Bronx," a young punk who brings out the worst in a trying-to-mend-his-ways Al Pacino. The actor then netted additional recognition for his first starring role in a major film, Super Mario Bros. In 1995, Leguizamo created and starred in House of Buggin', a TV comedy-variety show in the style of Fox's In Living Color that was the first show of its kind to feature an all-Latino cast. Despite a number of positive reviews and two Emmy nominations, the show was canceled after a relatively brief run. Meanwhile, Leguizamo's film work was winning him greater recognition: His turn as the flamboyantly trashy Chi Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar netted him a Golden Globe nomination.

Leguizamo continued on a prolific bent, starring in Pest and William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet in 1996 and making additional appearances in such films as The Fan (1996), Spawn (1997), and Dr. Dolittle (1998), in which he was cast as the voice of a rat. However, he received his most favorable notices for his continuing stage work, as he made his Broadway debut in 1998 with Freak, a "demi-semi-quasi-pseudo-autobiographical" one-man show directed by Pest co-creator David Bar Katz. The show was a critical and commercial success, and it won an Emmy when it was shown on TV later that year. In 1999, Leguizamo took on a very different role for Spike Lee's Summer of Sam. Playing a womanizer racked with Catholic guilt for cheating on his wife (Mira Sorvino), Leguizamo combined humor and pathos in his characterization of a deeply conflicted man. 1999 also saw Leguizamo branch out into producing, serving as executive producer (and star) of Frank Whaley's directorial debut, Joe the King. Also starring Ethan Hawke, Camryn Manheim, and Val Kilmer, the crime-drama premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a screenwriting award. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Infamous (2003) (TV) .... Lex Vargas
Scene Stealers (2002) (V) .... Himself
Point of Origin (2002) (TV) .... Keith Lang
Spun (2002) .... Spider Mike
Sexaholix: A Love Story (2002) (TV) .... Himself
... aka John Leguizamo's Sexaholix: A Love Story (2002) (TV) (USA: complete title)
Ice Age (2002) (voice) .... Sid
Zigzag (2002) .... Singer
Collateral Damage (2002) .... Felix
Empire (2002) .... Victor Rosa
Night Club of Your Dreams: The Making of Moulin Rouge, The (2001) (TV) .... Himself/'Toulouse-Lautec'
King of the Jungle (2001) .... Seymour
2001 ALMA Awards (2001) (TV) .... Presenter
What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001) .... Berger
Moulin Rouge! (2001) .... Toulouse Lautrec
My VH1 Music Awards (2000) (TV) .... Host
VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards (2000) (TV) .... Himself
"Brothers Garcia, The" (2000) TV Series (voice) .... Narrator
Titan A.E. (2000) (voice) .... Gune
... aka Titan: After Earth (2000) (USA: promotional title)
Arabian Nights (2000) (TV) .... Genie of the Lamp/Genie of the Ring
51st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, The (1999) (TV) .... Himself
Summer of Sam (1999) .... Vinny
Joe the King (1999) .... Jorge
... aka Joe Henry (1999) (USA)
Kids Are Punny (1998) (TV) (voice)
... aka Rosie O'Donnell's Kids Are Punny (1998) (TV) (USA: complete title)
Freak (1998/I) (TV)
Doctor Dolittle (1998) (voice) .... Rat #2
Body Count (1998) .... Chino
Frogs for Snakes (1998) .... Zip
Spawn (1997) .... Clown
Brother's Kiss, A (1997) .... Lefty Louie
Pest, The (1997) .... Pestario 'Pest' Vargas
Romeo + Juliet (1996) .... Tybalt
... aka Romeo and Juliet (1996)
... aka William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996) (USA: complete title)
Fan, The (1996) .... Manny
Executive Decision (1996) .... Rat
... aka Critical Decision (1996)
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995) .... Miss Chi-Chi Rodriguez
Pyromaniac's Love Story, A (1995) .... Sergio
... aka Burning Love (1995) (Belgium: video title English title)
"House of Buggin'" (1995) TV Series
Night Owl (1993/I) .... Angel
Spic-O-Rama (1993) (TV)
Carlito's Way (1993) .... Benny Blanco
Super Mario Bros. (1993) .... Luigi Mario
Puerto Rican Mambo (Not a Musical) (1993) .... Guess my nationality guy
Time Expired (1992) .... Ruby
Whispers in the Dark (1992) .... John Castillo
Mambo Mouth (1991) (TV) .... Himself
N.Y.P.D. Mounted (1991) (TV)
... aka N.Y. Mounted (1991) (TV) (UK)
Regarding Henry (1991) .... Gunman
Out for Justice (1991) .... Boy in Alley
Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991) .... Johnny
Poison (1991) (as Damien Garcia) .... Chanchi
Gentille alouette (1990) .... Ortiz
Street Hunter (1990) .... Angel
Die Hard 2 (1990) .... Burke
... aka Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) (promotional title)
Revenge (1990) .... Ignacio, Amador's Cousin
Casualties of War (1989) .... Diaz
That Burning Question (1988)
Mixed Blood (1985) .... Macetero

Links

Contact

c/o William Morris Agency
151 El Camino Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
USA