John Leguizamo

Last updated

John Leguizamo
NYU Expansion Plan Lawsuit Press Conference (12122282936) (cropped).jpg
Leguizamo in 2014
Born
John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez [1]

(1960-07-22) July 22, 1960 (age 64) or
(1964-07-22) July 22, 1964 (age 60)
Bogotá, Colombia
Citizenship
  • Colombia
  • United States
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1984–present
Spouses
Yelba Osorio
​
​
(m. 1994;div. 1996)​
Justine Maurer
​
(m. 2003)​
Children2
Comedy career
Medium
  • Film
  • stand-up
  • television
Genres
Subject(s)

John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez ( /ˌlɛɡwɪˈzɑːmoʊ/ , LEG-wih-ZAH-moh; Colombian Spanish: [leɣiˈsamo] ; born July 22, 1960 or 1964 [note 1] ) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and film producer. He has appeared in over 100 films, produced over 20 films and documentaries, made over 30 television appearances, and has produced various television projects. He has also written and performed for the Broadway stage receiving four Tony Award nominations for Freak in 1998, Sexaholix in 2002, and Latin History for Morons in 2018. He received a Special Tony Award in 2018.

Contents

Leguizamo began his career as a stand-up comedian in New York City. After several years of doing supporting roles in film and television, he rose to fame with major roles in the fantasy adventure Super Mario Bros. portraying Luigi Mario and the crime drama Carlito's Way portraying Benny Blanco (both from 1993), followed by a role as drag queen Chi-Chi Rodriguez in the road comedy To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), for which he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination. Other films Leguizamo has since appeared in include Romeo + Juliet (1996), The Pest (1997), Summer of Sam (1999), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Empire (2002), Love in the Time of Cholera (2007), Righteous Kill (2008), The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), The Counselor (2013), John Wick (2014), John Wick 2 (2017), and The Menu (2022). As a voice actor, he narrated the sitcom The Brothers García (2000–2004) and played Sid the Sloth in the Ice Age franchise and Bruno Madrigal in Encanto (2021). [3]

Leguizamo is also known for his television roles including Freak (1998) for which he received the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. [4] This was a historic win, making Leguizamo the first ever Latino to win this award in Emmy history. [5] He received further Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the Paramount miniseries Waco (2018) and the Netflix limited series When They See Us (2019). He has also appeared on ER , The Kill Point , Bloodline , and The Mandalorian . [6] In 2023, he hosted the MSNBC series Leguizamo Does America. [7]

Early life and education

Leguizamo was born in Bogotá, Colombia, the son of Luz Marina Peláez and Alberto Rudolfo Leguizamo. [1] His father was once an aspiring film director and studied at Cinecittà in Rome, Italy, but eventually dropped out due to lack of finances. [8]

John has Indigenous Colombian (Muisca), European (especially Iberian), and some African ancestry. [1] His paternal grandfather was a wealthy Colombian landowner, and his great-great-grandfather, Higinio Cualla, was Mayor of Bogotá for sixteen years in the late 1800s, and was considered an important modernizer of the city. [1] Before this discovery, Leguizamo had claimed 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, [9] and marched in the parade on June 12, 2011. [10] It was determined that Leguizamo's maternal lineage includes the 16th-century Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar, as well as Jerónimo Betuma, a 17th-century indigenous Colombian of noble birth.

When Leguizamo was 3 years old, [11] his family emigrated to New York City, [12] where they lived in various neighborhoods in Queens, including Jackson Heights. [13] [14] He later credited growing up as one of the first Latino children in the neighborhood as formative in his acting ability: "It was tough. There were lots of fights. I would walk through a park and be attacked, and I had to defend myself all the time. But this helped me to become funny so that I wouldn't get hit." His parents divorced when he was 13 and lived with his mother growing up. [15] [16] [17] [18] Leguizamo and his family constantly moved apartments in Queens, attending multiple elementary schools. Leguizamo was arrested twice as a teenager, once for jumping a turnstile at a New York City Subway station and another time for truancy. His family later sent him to Colombia for a year where he stayed with his relatives. [19]

Leguizamo attended Joseph Pulitzer Middle School (I.S.145) and later Murry Bergtraum High School. As a student at Murry Bergtraum, he wrote comedy material and tested it on his classmates. He was voted "Most Talkative" by his classmates. After graduating from high school, he began his theater career as an undergraduate at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, from which he eventually dropped out in favor of a career in stand-up comedy. Post-NYU, Leguizamo enrolled at LIU Post and at HB Studio, [20] where he took theater classes.

Career

Early career

Leguizamo signing playbills in 2008 JohnLeguizamo.JPG
Leguizamo signing playbills in 2008

Leguizamo started out as a stand-up comic doing the New York nightclub circuit in 1984, and in 1988, he performed at The Public Theater in two shows, including as Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream in which he appeared with Fisher Stevens. [21] He made his television debut in 1986 with a small part in Miami Vice . His other early roles include: a friend of Madonna's boyfriend in her "Borderline" video (1984); Mixed Blood (1985), Casualties of War (1989). In the 1990s he played a terrorist in Die Hard 2 (1990), Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991), the robber in Regarding Henry (1991), Super Mario Bros. (1993), and Night Owl (1993). In 1991, Leguizamo also wrote and performed in the Off-Broadway production Mambo Mouth, where he played seven different characters. Mambo Mouth won an Obie Award and an Outer Critics Award. He was listed as one of 12 "Promising New Actors of 1991" in "John Willis' Screen Worlds Vol. 43".

In 1992, he starred in Whispers in the Dark as John Castillo. In 1993 Leguizamo portrayed Luigi in the film Super Mario Bros. , based on the Mario video game franchise. Despite being considered a critical and financial failure universally, the film was considered to be his breakthrough role, allowing him to appear in better comedic roles in the following years. That same year, he had a prominent role in Brian De Palma's Carlito's Way as Carlito Brigante's nemesis, "Benny Blanco from the Bronx," which also boosted his career in serious roles. In 1993, Leguizamo wrote and performed in Spic-O-Rama, where he made fun of the stereotyping of Latinos in the United States. The production won a Drama Desk Award and four Cable ACE Awards. Both Mambo Mouth and Spic-O-Rama were later filmed for presentation on HBO.

In 1995, Leguizamo created, produced, wrote, and starred in the 1995 Latino-oriented variety show called House of Buggin' on Fox Television. Some audiences saw this as the Latino version of In Living Color . The show showcased Leguizamo's well-known ability to assume a wide variety of colorful, energetic characters, but due to poor ratings the show ran less than one season. Leguizamo also starred in Romeo + Juliet (1996) as Tybalt Capulet, as Violator in Spawn , Cholo in Land of the Dead , and Pestario 'Pest' Vargas in The Pest , the latter being one of his few roles as a lead actor in a studio film. In 1995, he starred as drag queen Chi-Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar for which he received a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and starred in the 1996 action film Executive Decision as Captain Rat. In 1998, he debuted on Broadway in the production of Freak , a semi-autobiographical one-person play that was filmed for HBO and released on October 10, 1998, with Spike Lee sitting in as director. The show won him the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. In 1999, he starred in the lead role of Vinny in Summer of Sam which was written and directed by Spike Lee.

2000–2009

Leguizamo at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival John Leguizamo (4701169051).jpg
Leguizamo at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2000, Leguizamo portrayed both Genies in Arabian Nights , a TV mini-series adaptation of the epic One Thousand and One Nights . In 2001, RCA/BMG Records released John Leguizamo LIVE, a CD compilation of Leguizamo's stage routines. Among the bits are a primer Leguizamo gives on the history and culture of Latinos in America, which with the dubious tale of the mating of an Inca princess with a Spanish conquistador, thus creating the original dysfunctional Latin family, each member of which is voiced by Leguizamo. The CD also includes a musical intermission, with two salsa/hip-hop tunes, "The Night Before Christmas" and "Gotta Get Some", and footage from Leguizamo's tours and two interactive games, "Spanish Fly Pick-Up Line".

To promote the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge! , he appeared on a celebrity edition of the US version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? with Kelly Ripa, Kevin Sorbo, Alfre Woodard, Martin Short and Chevy Chase. Appearing as the first celebrity to sit in the hot seat, he eventually tried for $125,000, but got the answer wrong. In 2002, he starred in the movie Empire . That same year he wrote and performed in Sexaholix... A Love Story, which explained his love life and how he started his own family. Later in 2002, on the syndicated version, a question about the movie featured his character and Meredith Vieira mentioned that Leguizamo had played Lautrec and had been on the show. In 2002, he voiced Sid the Sloth for the film Ice Age , reprising the role for the sequels Ice Age: The Meltdown , Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs , Ice Age: Continental Drift and Ice Age: Collision Course . The game versions of the films also used his voice. In 2003, he voice-acted Globox from Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc . Leguizamo portrayed Paul in the Brad Anderson thriller film Vanishing on 7th Street . [22]

Leguizamo at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival John Leguizamo 2 by David Shankbone.jpg
Leguizamo at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival

In 2004, he guest-starred on Dora the Explorer as Captain Pirate Piggy. During the 2005–06 television season, Leguizamo joined the cast of the show ER , playing the emotionally disturbed Dr. Victor Clemente, a new attending who is keen on introducing the staff of County General to better ways of treating patients and cutting-edge technology. Clemente, however, was plagued with personal problems and was fired from the hospital near the end of the season. Dr. Clemente's departure from the show was a blessing for Leguizamo. He revealed to CraveOnline that he was not happy working on the television program. "I was depressed doing ER," he admitted, "I started gaining weight, I was eating doughnuts, I started smoking again. I'm eating McDonald's, things that I know when I'm depressed I do. I tried to kill myself internally." [23]

In 2006, Leguizamo starred in the television pilot for Edison, a 2006 CBS drama about a Los Angeles detective (played by Leguizamo) who relied on impersonations and disguises to solve crimes. Other cast members included Currie Graham and Deidrie Henry. Kevin Rodney Sullivan directed from a script by Ron Milbauer and Terri Hughes. Leguizamo and David Hoberman also served as executive producers. In October 2006, Leguizamo's memoir, Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life, was released. During an interview on Late Night with Conan O'Brien , he stated that his memoir was very candid about experiences involving other celebrities he had worked with. He stated that working with Arnold Schwarzenegger on Collateral Damage (2002) was one of the most enjoyable experiences he'd had as an actor, that Schwarzenegger's accent let him say things that others would think were sexist or homophobic if said by someone else, and that Steven Seagal was an egotist with diva tendencies. [24]

In 2007, he played Michael Beltran in the movie The Babysitters . In 2008, he co-starred in the movie The Happening , written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. [25] In July 2007, Spike TV aired its drama series The Kill Point , which starred Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, and Michael Hyatt. The show was an eight-part series revolving around ex-war veterans whose bank robbery went wrong, thus ending in a hostage situation. Despite high ratings, The Kill Point was not renewed for a second season. A year later, Leguizamo guest-starred on Sesame Street as Captain Vegetable, who tells Elmo to eat his vegetables.

2010–2016

Leguizamo at the Chicago Theatre in 2014 Natalie Merchant coming to Chicago Theatre (14903575283).jpg
Leguizamo at the Chicago Theatre in 2014

In 2010, Leguizamo also guest-starred on The Electric Company as himself, rhyming about commas and quotation marks. In June 2010, Leguizamo opened his semi-autobiographical one-man theater show, Klass Klown (later renamed Ghetto Klown), based on his memoir Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life. After the show ran at various theaters in the United States and Leguizamo performed an "unplugged" version of it under the title John Leguizamo Warms Up at a Chicago theater, it opened on Broadway in March 2011 at the Lyceum Theatre. [26] [27] [28] [29] The show, about Leguizamo's path from obscurity to stardom, opened to many positive reviews and was extended through July 10, 2011. A CD of the show was released. In 2011, Leguizamo received the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance [30] and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for his performance in the show. [31] In September 2011, Leguizamo began an international tour of Ghetto Klown in Los Angeles. [32] On July 13, 2012, PBS debuted Tales From a Ghetto Klown, a documentary about Leguizamo's life and the show's development. On November 16, 2013, John taped Ghetto Klown at The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ for HBO. [33]

In 2012, Leguizamo was cast as Derek Trotter in the American remake of the British BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses . In October 2013, Leguizamo started filming for The Crash , starring alongside Frank Grillo, AnnaSophia Robb, Dianna Agron, Ed Westwick, Minnie Driver, Mary McCormack, Christopher McDonald and Maggie Q. [34] The film is directed by Aram Rappaport and produced by Hilary Shor, Atit Shah and Aaron Becker. In 2014 Leguizamo starred alongside Jon Favreau in Chef as the line cook Martin, a role he prepared for by working as an actual line cook at The Lion in the West Village. [35] Also in 2014, he played a drug dealer in the action comedy film American Ultra alongside Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. He also starred in John Wick as Aurelio in 2014. The Crash was released on January 13, 2017. [36]

In 2015, Abrams ComicArts published the graphic novel adaptation of Leguizamo's one-man Broadway show, Ghetto Klown. As with the live show, the graphic novel explores the actor/comedian's life and career, beginning with his adolescence in Queens, New York, his involvement in 1980s avant-garde theater, his feature film career, and some of the colorful characters he encountered throughout his life. Leguizamo describes the work:

"Ghetto Klown is the history that I probably never should have told anyone but my therapist, but it's a real lesson that even if you suffer a certain amount (a lot) of self-doubt and anxiety, you can still accomplish great things. It's a lesson I'm really excited to impart to a whole new audience."

The comic is illustrated by Christa Cassano. [37] In 2016, Leguizamo played the role of Ozzy Delvecchio in the second season of the Netflix original series Bloodline . Also in 2016, he produced the Q Brothers' Othello: The Remix at off-Broadway's Westside Theatre. [38]

2017–present

Leguizamo in 2013 John Leguizamo 2013 Comic-Con.jpg
Leguizamo in 2013

In 2017, Leguizamo sang on "Almost Like Praying", a charitable song written and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Proceeds from the song went to the Hispanic Federation to assist relief efforts for those in Puerto Rico who were affected by Hurricane Maria. [39] Also in 2017, he debuted Latin History for Morons, [40] a show about the participation of Latin Americans throughout US history. The show premiered at the Public Theater before moving to Studio 54. Latin History for Morons was nominated for the 2018 Tony Award for Best Play. [41] That year, he also was presented with a Special Tony Award for his body of work and for his commitment to bringing diverse stories and audiences to Broadway for three decades. [42] In January 2018, Leguizamo was announced as the host of the 63rd Obie Awards held in May 2018 at Terminal 5. [43]

In 2018, Leguizamo played undercover ATF agent Jacob Vazquez in the Paramount Network miniseries Waco . The following year, Leguizamo played Raymond Santana's father Raymond Santana Sr. in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us . Leguizamo wrote the original musical Kiss My Aztec, with book by Leguizamo and director Tony Taccone, music by Benjamin Velez, and lyrics by Velez, Leguizamo, and David Kamp. It was developed at the Public Theater in 2018 and premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theater and La Jolla Playhouse in 2019, where it received critical acclaim. [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] Leguizamo also received Smithsonian Magazine's 2018 American Ingenuity Award in the History category. [50]

In 2020, Leguizamo played Gor Koresh in season 2, episode 1 of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian . In 2021, he played Estragon opposite Ethan Hawke as Vladimir in Waiting for Godot and Wallace Shawn with The New Group Off Stage as a video performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. [51] In 2021, Leguizamo provided the voice of Bruno Madrigal in the Disney animated film Encanto , [52] which received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In 2022 he acted in the critically acclaimed Mark Mylod-directed comedy-horror film The Menu alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes, where he played a washed-up movie star attending an exclusive restaurant with his assistant played by Aimee Carrero. Leguizamo based his character on Steven Seagal, with whom he co-starred in Executive Decision. [53] In 2022, he played Scrooge in the Christmas action comedy Violent Night . [54]

In 2023, he briefly hosted The Daily Show after Trevor Noah's departure; Leguizamo was part of a series of rotating guest hosts. His brief tenure was a ratings hit, becoming the second most watched of the rotating guests only behind Al Franken. Other guest hosts included Sarah Silverman, Hasan Minhaj, Roy Wood Jr., Wanda Sykes, Leslie Jones, Kal Penn, Chelsea Handler, and Marlon Wayans. [55] It also was announced he would host the MSNBC series Leguizamo Does America, premiering on Sunday April 16. [7] [56] In summer 2023, his play, Our Hood, an adaptation of Thornton Wilder's Our Town , had its first reading at the Guthrie Theater under the direction of Maija Garcia. [57]

Leguizamo is the host for the PBS series, "American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos", that premiered September 27, 2024. [58]

Personal life

Leguizamo married actress Yelba Osorio in 1994 and divorced in 1996 after two years of marriage. [59]

He married Justine Maurer, a costumer on Carlito's Way , [60] on June 28, 2003. Leguizamo is Catholic and Maurer is Jewish. [61] They have two children, daughter Allegra Sky Leguizamo [62] [63] (born 1999) and son Ryder Lee "Lucas" Leguizamo (born 2000). [64] [65] [66] [67] They live in Manhattan. [68]

In 2008, Leguizamo received the Rita Moreno HOLA Award for Excellence from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA). In 2011, he received the Made in NY Award from New York City. [69] [70] In 2018, Leguizamo received an Honorary Degree from Marymount Manhattan College. [71] Leguizamo gave the commencement speech to the Class of 2022 at Vassar College. [72]

Activism

In 2004, Leguizamo was one of the celebrity supporters of Voto Latino, co-founded by Rosario Dawson. [73] In 2012, he co-founded NGL (Next-Generation Latinx) Collective to create content for Latinx audiences. [74] Backed by GoDigital Media Group, in 2022 NGL merged with mitú "to create the largest digital-first "Latinx powerhouse" in the US." [75] Leguizamo has also been heralded as a preservationist for the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. [76]

In 2016, Leguizamo authored a searing op-ed in The New York Times , calling out Donald Trump's "racist rhetoric" and urging Latinos to vote. [77] As of 2022, he is on the board of directors for the National Museum of the American Latino. [78]

Leguizamo has also been an activist directly through his artistic work. In 2017, he opened Latin History for Morons at The Public, and it later went to Broadway. Netflix filmed it in 2018, advocating that "teaching Latin history is the first step toward conquering prejudice." [79] In 2020, Leguizamo's directorial debut, Critical Thinking , was released. He starred in the biographical drama set in 1998 about an inner-city teacher and students who compete in the US National Chess Championship. [80] He said that he wanted to, "create a universal message of hope and spread this message to the world." [81] In 2022, he performed Ghetto Klown "at Rikers Island Correctional Facility for an audience of justice-involved young men." [82]

Leguizamo is an outspoken critic of Hollywood's whitewashing in the casting of movies. In 2022, he spoke out against the casting of James Franco to portray Fidel Castro in the upcoming film Alina of Cuba: La Hija Rebelde, stating "I don't got a prob with Franco but he ain't Latino!" [83] In a 2023 interview with TMZ, Leguizamo, who previously starred in the 1993 Super Mario Bros film, criticized The Super Mario Bros. Movie for having actors Chris Pratt and Charlie Day voice the Italian-American Mario and Luigi, saying "No I will not [be watching]. They could've included a Latin character, like I was groundbreaking and then they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion. They dis-included. Just cast some Latin folk! We're 20% of the population. The largest people of color group and we are underrepresented." [84]

Leguizamo is an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. In 2023, he, alongside other figures, appeared in a video produced by Teen Vogue and online magazine Them called Dear Trans Youth affirming his support for transgender youth. [85]

Filmography

Film

Selected credits

Television

Selected credits

Theater

YearTitleRoleVenue
1991Mambo MouthWriter / PerformerOff-Broadway
1993Spic-O-RamaWriter / PerformerChicago
1998 Freak Writer / Performer Cort Theatre, Broadway debut
2001SexaholixWriter / Performer Royale Theatre, Broadway
2003 Broadway Theatre, Broadway
2008 American Buffalo Walter Cole Belasco Theatre, Broadway
2011Ghetto KlownWriter / Performer Lyceum Theatre, Broadway
2017Latin History for MoronsWriter / Performer Studio 54, Broadway

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryTitleResultRef.
1999 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Variety Special John Leguizamo: Freak Nominated
Outstanding Performance in a Variety Special Won
2018 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Waco Nominated
2019 When They See Us Nominated
2015 New York Emmy Awards Entertainment Program or SpecialThe Lineup: The Best New York MoviesWon
Interview or DiscussionWon
1995 Golden Globe Award Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar Nominated
2001 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Moulin Rouge! Nominated
1998 Tony Awards Best Play Freak Nominated
Best Actor in a Play Nominated
2002 Best Special Theatrical Event SexaholixNominated
2018 Best Play Latin History for MoronsNominated
Special Tony Award Received

Discography

Charted songs

List of charted songs, with year released, selected chart positions, and album name shown
TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
US [86] CAN [87] WW [88]
"All of You" (with Stephanie Beatriz, Olga Merediz, Adassa, Maluma, and Encanto cast)20217183111 Encanto: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Bibliography

Books

Comic Books

Notes

  1. ↑ There are conflicting sources regarding Leguizamo's birth year. While sources prior to Finding Your Roots airing state his age as having been born on July 22, 1964, [2] the episode of Finding Your Roots in which he appears briefly shows a family tree which states a birth date of July 22, 1960. [1] 13:00

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Freak is a solo performance written by and starring John Leguizamo that debuted on Broadway in 1998. In Freak, subtitled "A Semi-Demi-Quasi-Pseudo Autobiography ," Leguizamo tells his own coming-of-age story by portraying dozens of different characters—friends, relatives, neighbors, etc.—that he knew growing up in Queens. Freak was also released that same year as a live television special on HBO directed by Spike Lee.

Kevin Cahoon is an American actor, director, writer, and singer-songwriter. In 2023, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Performance in a Musical for his performance in Shucked on Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colman Domingo</span> American actor, playwright and director (born 1969)

Colman Jason Domingo is an American actor, playwright, and director. Prominent on both screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, and two Tony Awards. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Porter</span> American actor and singer (born 1969)

William Ellis Porter II is an American actor and singer. Porter gained notice performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor. Porter won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role as Lola in Kinky Boots. He credits the part for "cracking open" his feminine side to confront toxic masculinity. For the role, Porter also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.

Maria-Christina Oliveras is an American television, stage and film actress, singer and voice-over artist. She has performed extensively on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally, and in various films and television series, and is known for her versatility and transformational character work in a number of world premieres. She is of Filipino and Puerto Rican descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Leguizamo filmography</span>

The following is the complete list of filmography of John Leguizamo.

Benjamin Velez is an American composer and lyricist.

SEEN with Nick Barili is a digital interview series created in partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and hosted by Nick Barili. The series highlights the contributions of Latinx creatives to the film industry, exploring their cultural impact, personal journeys, and challenges in Hollywood. Featuring in-depth conversations with icons such as Eva Longoria, John Leguizamo, and Edward James Olmos, the series aims to inspire dialogue about representation and inclusion in cinema. In 2022, SEEN was a recipient of a Clio Award bronze medal in the "Social Good" category.

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Stated on Finding Your Roots Season 8, Episode 7: Incredible Journeys, February 15, 2022.
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  3. ↑ "The Brothers Garcia Reboot The Garcias Is Coming to HBO Max with Original Cast". Movieweb. April 30, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  4. ↑ "John Leguizamo". emmys.com. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  5. ↑ "15 History-Making Latinos at the Emmys". AARP. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Bloodline Season 2: John Leguizamo Nabs 'Violent' Series-Regular Role". TVLine. August 20, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Reyes, Raul A. (April 13, 2023). "'Leguizamo Does America' takes viewers on a road trip, Latino style". NBC News . NBCUniversal . Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ Leguizamo, p. 9
  9. ↑ Gratereaux, Alexandra (October 6, 2011). "Leguizamo's Dad: John's Not Puerto Rican!". Fox News . Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Huge crowd for Puerto Rican parade". Eyewitness News . WABC-TV. June 13, 2011. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  11. ↑ "John Leguizamo plans Emmy speech: 'I'm an immigrant and I bring great positivity'". www.nbcnews.com. Associated Press. September 13, 2019.
  12. ↑ Leguizamo, p. 12
  13. ↑ Zook, Kristal Brent (July 19, 2001). "Comedy That Hits Close to Home". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 18, 2021. Born in Bogota, Colombia, to a Puerto Rican father and a Colombian mother of Indian ancestry, Leguizamo was raised in the multiethnic Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens.
  14. ↑ Leguizamo, p. 16
  15. ↑ "John Leguizamo: One-Man Firebrand | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  16. ↑ Zook, Kristal Brent (July 19, 2001). "Comedy That Hits Close to Home". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  17. ↑ "One On 1: Actor/Comedian John Leguizamo". ny1.com. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  18. ↑ Singh, Anita (January 31, 2012). "Hay Festival Cartagena: John Leguizamo on Hollywood" . The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  19. ↑ Sengupta, Somini (May 4, 1998). "The Stuff of Memories And Manic Wit; A Comic Revisits Queens, the Source Of Material for His Broadway Show". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  20. ↑ "HB Studio - Notable Alumni | One of the Original Acting Studios in NYC".
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  24. ↑ "Fresh Intelligence : Radar Online : John Leguizamo Trashes Everyone He's Ever Worked With". Radar Online. October 27, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  25. ↑ Gans, Andrew. ""The Happening," with Wahlberg, Leguizamo and Buckley, Opens Wide June 13". Playbill. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  26. ↑ Hurwitt, Robert (June 3, 2010). "John Leguizamo goes deeper, darker in 'Klown'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  27. ↑ Isherwood, Charles (March 22, 2011). "A Queens Guy Toughs It Out in Hollywood". The New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  28. ↑ "John Leguizamo: Klass Klown". Berkeleyrep.org. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  29. ↑ "John Leguizamo to Play Lyceum Theatre on Broadway Starting Feb. 21". BroadwayWorld.
  30. ↑ "John Leguizamo honored for one-man play "Ghetto Klown"". Fox News Latino. May 17, 2011. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Drama Desk Awards Go to Book of Mormon, Normal Heart, War Horse, Sutton Foster, Norbert Leo Butz". Playbill. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  32. ↑ Wada, Karen. "John Leguizamo and 'Ghetto Klown' coming to the Ricardo Montalban Theatre". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  33. ↑ Aucoin, Don (July 12, 2012). "In 'Tales From a Ghetto Klown,' Broadway minus the glitz". Boston.com (The Boston Globe).
  34. ↑ Justin Kroll (October 29, 2013). "'The Butler' Producer Sets up Next Pic Starring Frank Grillo and Minnie Driver (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  35. ↑ Van Syckle, Katie (May 7, 2014). "How Much Did the Chef Cast Actually Learn About Cooking While Making the Movie?". Grubstreet. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  36. ↑ Kroll, Justin (October 29, 2013). "'The Butler' Producer Sets up Next Pic Starring Frank Grillo and Minnie Driver (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  37. ↑ Parkin, JK (January 1, 2015). "Exclusive preview: John Leguizamo's 'Ghetto Klown'" Archived September 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine . Comic Book Resources.
  38. ↑ "John Leguizamo Brings The Q Brothers' OTHELLO: THE REMIX Off-Broadway Tonight". Broadway World. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  39. ↑ Villafañe, Veronica. "Lin-Manuel Miranda Releases Star-Studded 'Almost Like Praying' Song For Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief". Forbes. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  40. ↑ "John Leguizamo's LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS". Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  41. ↑ "2018 Tony Award Nominations: 'SpongeBob SquarePants' and 'Mean Girls' Lead the Pack" Playbill, May 1, 2018
  42. ↑ "John Leguizamo to Receive Special Tony Award". Broadway Buzz. NYC. May 1, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  43. ↑ McPhee, Ryan (January 17, 2018). "John Leguizamo will Host the 2018 Obie Awards". Playbill.
  44. ↑ "Review: Berkeley Rep's 'Kiss My Aztec!' brings past to present and future". Datebook. June 7, 2019.
  45. ↑ "'Kiss My Aztec' turns the historical hysterical". San Francisco Examiner . June 7, 2019.
  46. ↑ "BWW Review: KISS MY AZTEC! at Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a Hilarious, Socially Hip Historical Romp Through the Aztec Empire". Broadway World . June 18, 2019.
  47. ↑ "Review: John Leguizamo's 'Kiss My Aztec!' a splashy and entertaining musical ode that puts a twist on history". The San Diego Union-Tribune . September 9, 2019.
  48. ↑ "La Jolla Playhouse's 'Kiss My Aztec!' Takes a Wildly Satirical Look at Colonial History". Times of San Diego . September 10, 2019.
  49. ↑ "Review Roundup: What Did Critics Think of KISS MY AZTEC! at La Jolla Playhouse?". Broadway World . September 12, 2019.
  50. ↑ "2018 American Ingenuity Award Winners". Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  51. ↑ "Waiting for Godot". The New Group. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  52. ↑ Song, Katie (November 5, 2021). "'Encanto' Star John Leguizamo on Why the Film Is So Important: 'I Never Thought I'd See This In My Lifetime'". Variety . Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  53. ↑ "John Leguizamo Based 'The Menu' Character On Steven Seagal: "He's Kind Of A Horrible Human"". Deadline Hollywood . November 20, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  54. ↑ Kit, Borys (February 14, 2022). "John Leguizamo, Beverly D'Angelo Join David Harbour in Violent Night (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter .
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  83. ↑ Trepany, Charles. "James Franco to play Fidel Castro in 'Alina of Cuba' following sexual misconduct lawsuit". USA Today. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
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  85. ↑ Kurtz, Judy (March 31, 2023). "Elliot Page, Margaret Cho, John Leguizamo among celebs offering 'message of solidarity to trans youth'". The Hill. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
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