Jonathan Alberto “John Leguizamo“ (born July 22, 1964) is a Colombian-American actor, comedian, voice artist, and producer.
According to Leguizamo, his paternal grandfather was of Italian descent and his maternal grandfather was Lebanese. Leguizamo has also described himself as being of Amerindian and Mestizo heritage. Leguizamo’s father was once an aspiring film director and studied at Cinecittà, but eventually dropped out due to lack of finances. When Leguizamo was four years old, his family emigrated to the United States and lived in various neighborhoods of Queens in New York City, including Jackson Heights. Leguizamo attended the Joseph Pulitzer Middle School (I.S.145) and later the Murry Bergtraum High School.
Leguizamo started out as a stand-up comic doing the New York nightclub circuit. In 1984, he made his television debut with a small part in Miami Vice. His other early roles include: an extra in Madonna’s Borderline video (1984), as a friend of Madonna’s boyfriend; Mixed Blood (1985); Casualties of War (1989); Die Hard 2 (1990); Hangin’ with the Homeboys (1991); the robber in Regarding Henry (1991) and Night Owl (a.k.a. Nite Owl) (1993), which was filmed from 1989-1991.
