John Leguizamo

John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (/ˌlɛɡwɪˈzɑːmoʊ/ , LEG-wih-ZAH-moh; Colombian Spanish: [leɣiˈsamo]; born July 22, 1960 or 1964) is a Colombian and American comedian, actor and filmmaker. He has received various accolades, including a Special Tony Award in 2018 for his body of theatre work and for bringing diverse stories to Broadway theatre.

Leguizamo began his career as a stand-up comedian in New York City. He portrayed Luigi Mario in Super Mario Bros. (1993) before earning a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995). He has acted in films such as Carlito's Way (1993), Romeo + Juliet (1996), The Pest (1997), Spawn (1997), Summer of Sam (1999), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Land of the Dead (2005), Ride Along (2014), Chef (2014), John Wick (2014), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), The Menu (2022), Bob Trevino Likes It (2024), and The Odyssey (2026). He also voiced Sid the Sloth in the Ice Age franchise (2002–present) and Bruno Madrigal in Encanto (2021).

Leguizamo is also known for his television roles including his HBO special Freak (1998), a filmed version of his eponymous Broadway show, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. This was a historic win, making Leguizamo the first ever Latino to win this award. He was further Emmy-nominated for his roles in the Paramount miniseries Waco (2018) and the Netflix miniseries When They See Us (2019). He has also acted in ER (2005–2006) and Bloodline (2016–2017). He hosted the MSNBC series Leguizamo Does America (2023) and PBS series American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos (2024).

For Broadway productions he has performed and written, he received four Tony Award nominations, two for Freak (1998), and one each for Sexaholix (2002) and Latin History for Morons (2018).