John Leguizamo
John Leguizamo
John Alberto Leguizamo is a Colombian-American actor, voice actor, producer, stand-up comedian, playwright and screenwriter. As of 2009, Leguizamo has appeared in over 75 films, produced over 10 films, starred on Broadway in several productions, made over a dozen television appearances, and has produced or starred in many other television shows...
NationalityColombian
ProfessionComedian
Date of Birth22 July 1964
CountryColombia
jobs school class
I was just school class clown and that was it. Someday I'll get a job as a cab driver or whatever.
teacher school math
Well I was about to be expelled from school, I had been arrested and a teacher said: "Why don't you try acting, instead of distracting the class? Why don't you use your comic talent for something more productive?" My maths teacher suggested I do comedy and I decided to have a go. I pursued it after that. I was about 17.
school writing night
I was always writing. I was writing in high school because it was a really competitive school for class clowns; I used to have to write all of my snaps and my disses the night before and then act like I was making it up the next day.
latin school kids
I read that 36% of Latin kids drop out of high school, and we're the most bullied minority in schools right now. And my son had troubles in elementary school. So that made me really question being Latin in the United States.
teacher school math
I was working at Kentucky Fried Chicken when my math teacher said, "You're failing in school, you're messing up, why don't you just try this?" I said, "Alright, let me try it," and I started going to acting classes and I loved it. I thought, "I may not make it but I love doing it."
art drama school
First I went to C.W. Post and I was a psychology and theater major and then I transferred to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts as a drama major.
school writing trying
I would be jokesmithing. I had files with tons of disses that I would try to write as I was on the train going to school.
school ghetto cards
At Murry Bergtraum [High School] if you were really funny you sat at this table at with all of the funniest dudes, the toughest, the coolest - everybody sat at that table. It was like the ghetto Algonquin Round Table. [Comedy] was my entry, my membership card.
father school different
At Murry Bergtraum High I wanted to be as different from my father as possible. So I acted out in school, I was very anti-authority.
bouncing comedy expelled kid since walls
I've been bouncing off the walls since childhood. Expelled from school. In trouble. Kid with no future. Comedy was the only answer.
dad loser loves poet
Every dad who loves his daughter is not going to want her to go with the penniless slacker loser poet bum, when she could go out with someone who's successful.
ahead career character cover feeds hit life living local love month morning point reporter research spanish ton traveled tv work
a ton of research -- more than I've ever done before for anything. I've hit this point in my career where I just love doing research. It's what feeds me -- going and living the life of my character -- so for this I went to Ecuador a month or two ahead to work on my Spanish and get the feel for the place. I also traveled around with this local TV reporter who was doing the same thing Manolo does, and every morning we'd go to the morgue to cover murders.
type work
When you're that type of personality and come into any work environment,
came early mother
My mother came in early in the process,