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John Leguizamo: New York
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After graduating from high school (Murry Bergtraum High School), Leguizamo enrolled at New York University where he took theater classes. Leguizamo started out as a stand-up comic doing the New York nightclub circuit. In 1984, he made his T.V. debut with a small part in Miami Vice. In 1985, Leguizamo landed a small uncredited part, making his movie debut, in Mixed Blood and in 1989 he ... had a small part in Casualties of War. In 1991, Leguizamo participated in Hanging with the Homeboys.
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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 ... 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.
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Colombian-Puerto Rican comedian and actor John Leguizamo received acclaim for his one-person shows “Mambo Mouth” (1991), “Spic-O-Rama” (1993) and “Freak” (1997, nominated for a Tony and won an Emmy), all of which were later broadcast by HBO. Sometimes credited as Johnny Leggs or Damien Garcia, John Leguizamo’s acting performance could be seen in such films as Hanging with the Homeboys (1991), Carlito's Way (1993), To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar (1995), Romeo + Juliet (1996), Summer of Sam (1999), Moulin Rouge (2001), Empire (2002), Crónicas (2004), Land of the Dead (2005) and Sueño (2005).
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The popular actor/comedian is the Puerto Rican version of Paul Rodriguez While Rodriguez harped on the humorous cultural idiosyncrasies of being Mexican, Leguizamo twists the curve toward the New York-born Puerto Ricans, even commenting at the way people confuse the two. With vulgarity used liberally but effectively to make key points and to convey honest truths, Leguizamo does masterful imitations of family and friends as he discourses on what it's like to grow up in a dysfunctional family. He touches on Christmas, his relationship with his brother, the discovery of sexual functions, and then, growing older and dating (or in the case of chasing "Rapunzel Garcia," stalking). There are ... two fun musical interludes, one holiday themed (imagine Santa visiting Puerto Ricans) and a nasty-mouthed rap tune about looking for some female action. Not full of huge laughs all the way through, this performance offers the one thing that all great comics share: the ability to make the sad truths of their lives very funny. ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
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John Leguizamo, who got his start as a stand-up comedian, stars in the new Spanish-language film Cronicas. He plays a tabloid reporter from Miami who travels to Ecuador to track down a serial killer.
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John started out as a stand-up comic doing the New York nightclub circuit. In 1984, he made made his T.V. debut with a small part in Miami Vice. In 1985, John landed a small uncredited part, making his movie debut, in "Mixed Blood" and in 1989 he ... had a small part in "Casualties of War". In 1991, John participated in "Hanging with the Homeboys". That same year, he wrote and participated in the Off-Broadway production "Mambo Mouth", where he played seven different characters.
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