John Leguizamo

John Leguizamo married actress Yelba Osorio in 1994 and they divorced in 1996.

On June 28, 2003, he married Justine Maurer. Their daughter Allegra Sky was born in 1999, and son Ryder Lee ‘Lucas was born in 2000.

John Leguizamo was born on July 22, 1964 in Bogotá, Colombia, to Alberto and Luz Leguizamo. His family migrated to the US when John was young and he grew up in Jackson Heights, a rough neighborhood in Queens, New York. His father was once an aspiring film director. His parents divorced when he was 14.

He attended the Joseph Pulitzer Middle School and the Murry Bergtraum High School. He began his theater career at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, but eventually he dropped out to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. He also took theater classes at LIU Post. He was once arrested for truancy, and once for hopping a subway turnstyle.

In order to "straighten him out," he was sent back to Colombia for a year, where continued his mischiefs. He also attended a local acting school, which he funded by working at Kentucky Fried Chicken.

He had a stint at New York University in 1991, but he left school to join the Off Center Theater, a comedy troupe in Manhattan.

Starting his career as a stand-up comedian in New York nightclubs in 1984, John Leguizamo made his television debut in 1986 with a small role in ‘Miami Vice’.

In 1991, he wrote and performed seven different characters in the play ‘Mambo Mouth’, an Off-Broadway production. In 1992, he played John Castillo in the film ‘Whispers in the Dark’.

He then bagged the lead role of Luigi in the film ‘Super Mario Bros.’ in 1993. The film helped him to make a position for himself in Hollywood. In the same year, he played an important role as "Benny Blanco from the Bronx," in the film ‘Carlito's Way’, which earned him more serious roles.

In 1993, he again wrote and performed in the play ‘Spic-O-Rama’, where his performance of making fun of the stereotyping of Latinos in the US earned him critical acclaims. The play was filmed for HBO.

He created, produced, wrote, and performed in the 1995 television variety show ‘House of Buggin' aired on Fox. However, due to poor ratings, the show was concluded even before the completion of the first season.

John Leguizamo was listed as one of the 12 ‘Promising New Actors of 1991’ in John Willis' Screen Worlds Vol. 43 for his performance in the theater for ‘Mambo Mouth.’

His lead role in the film ‘Super Mario Bros’ was one of his memorable roles. His portrayal of Luigi, the slightly younger but taller fraternal twin brother of Mario, boosted his career and earned him better comedic roles.