John Alberto Leguizamo (/ˌlɛɡwɪˈzɑːmoʊ/; born July 22, 1964) is a Colombian–American actor, voice actor, producer, comedian, playwright and screenwriter. As of 2009, Leguizamo has appeared in over 75 films, produced over 10 films, starred on Broadway in several productions (winning several awards), made over a dozen television appearances, and has produced or starred in many other television shows.

Biography

Leguizamo married Justine Maurer, a costumer on Carlito's Way, on June 28, 2003, in a Catholic-Jewish ceremony (he is Catholic and his wife is Jewish). They have two children, daughter Allegra Sky (born in 1999) and son Ryder Lee (born 2000), and live in Manhattan. In 2008, Leguizamo received the Rita Moreno HOLA Award for Excellence from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA). He was a recipient of the 2011 Made in NY Award from New York City. He is also a New York Mets fan.

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 was one of the most enjoyable experiences he 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, that Steven Seagal was an egotist with diva tendencies, that Kurt Russell continuously called him a "faggot", and that Leonardo DiCaprio was a "patron of prostitutes".

On June 10, 2011, Leguizamo's father Alberto declared in an interview published in a New York Hispanic newspaper, El Diario, that he is Colombian and not Puerto Rican, and therefore his son John was not half Puerto Rican as he has always stated. Leguizamo had always declared that he was Puerto Rican on his father's side, which was one of the reasons that he was selected as the Puerto Rican Day Parade Global Ambassador of the Arts. In response to his father's allegations, Leguizamo stated that his grandfather was of Puerto Rican descent. A spokesman for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade has stated that Leguizamo would not be stripped of his ambassadorship. Leguizamo marched in the parade on June 12, 2011.

He became a supporter of English football team Leicester City F.C. after an appearance on Soccer AM on Sky 1.

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