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John Leguizamo
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Biography

Fast-talking and feisty-looking John Leguizamo has continued to impress movie audiences with his versatility: he can play sensitive and naďve young men, such as Johnny in Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991); cold-blooded killers like Benny Blanco, gunning down reformed gangster Al Pacino in Carlito's Way (1993); a heroic Navy SEAL, stopping aerial terrorists in Executive Decision (1996); and drag queen Chi-Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995). Arguably, not since ill-fated actor and comedian Freddie Prinze starred in the smash TV series "Chico and the Man" (1974) has a youthful Latino personality had such a powerful impact on critics and fans alike.

Born July 22, 1964, in Bogotá, Colombia, Leguizamo was four when his family emigrated to the United States. He was raised in Queens, New York, attended New York University and studied under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg for only one day before Strasberg passed away. The extroverted Leguizamo started working the comedy club circuit in New York and first appeared in front of the cameras in an episode of "Miami Vice" (1984). His first film appearance was a small part in Mixed Blood (1985), and he had minor roles in Casualties of War (1989) and Die Hard 2 (1990) before playing a liquor store thief who shoots Harrison Ford in Regarding Henry (1991). His career really started to soar after his first-rate performance in the independent film Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991) as a nervous young teenager from the Bronx out for a night in brightly lit Manhattan with his buddies, facing the career choice of staying in a supermarket or heading off to college and finding out that the girl he loves from afar isn't quite what he thought she was.

The year 1991 was also memorable for other reasons, as he hit the stage with his show Mambo Mouth (1991) (TV), in which he portrayed seven different Latino characters. The witty and incisive show was a smash hit and won the Obie and Outer Circle Critics Award, and later was filmed for HBO, where it picked up a CableACE Award. He returned to the stage two years later with another satirical production poking fun at Latino stereotypes titled Spic-O-Rama (1993) (TV). It played in Chicago and New York, and won the Drama Desk Award and four CableACE Awards.

In 1995 he created and starred in the short-lived TV series "House of Buggin'" (1995), an all-Latino-cast comedy variety show featuring hilarious sketches and comedic routines. The show scored two Emmy nominations and received positive reviews from critics, but it was canceled after only one season. The gifted Leguizamo was still keeping busy in films, with key appearances in Super Mario Bros. (1993), Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Spawn (1997). In 1998 he made his Broadway debut in Freak (1998) (TV), a "demi-semi-quasi-pseudo-autobiographical" one-man show, which was filmed for HBO by Spike Lee.

John Leguizamo stared in:

Title Year Saw with/at: Scene On Rating
Die Hard 2 1990 With Jessica 0000-00-00 ***
Regarding Henry 1991 With Trish, Neil at Showcase Orange 0000-00-00 ** 1/2
To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar 1995 w/ Family on DVD 2006-05-04 ***
Romeo + Juliet 1996 0000-00-00 *** 1/2
Moulin Rouge! 2001 on DVD w/ Suzy 2002-02-01 ***
Ice Age 2002 w/ Suzy & Kenda on DVD 2002-11-29 ***
Assault on Precinct 13 2005 2022-04-03 ** 1/2
Ice Age: The Meltdown 2006 Suzy & Hanna on DVD 2008-02-17 ** 1/2
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 2009 Suzy and Hanna at Destina Middletown 2009-07-02 ** 1/2
The Lincoln Lawyer 2011 Suzy 2011-08-24 ** 1/2
Ice Age: Continental Drift 2012 Hanna 2012-10-20 * 1/2
Kick-Ass 2 2013 Suzy 2013-12-09 ***
Chef 2014 Suzy 2014-08-10 *** 1/2
John Wick 2014 Suzy 2019-09-02 **
Sisters 2015 Suzy, Beth, Mandy and Lorry in Berlin 2015-12-29 *** 1/2
John Wick: Chapter 2 2017 2023-02-16 **
Encanto 2021 Suzy and Hanna 2021-12-27 ***