Mario Cantone

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Mario Cantone
Mario Cantone, April 2007
Born	December 9, 1959 (1959-12-09) (age 51) Stoneham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, stage
Nationality	American
Years active	1987–present
Genres	Character comedy, observational comedy, physical comedy
Subject(s)	Everyday life, family, celebrities, stereotypes
Spouse	Jerry Dixon (2011–present)
Notable works and roles	Various in Chappelle's Show Anthony Marentino on Sex and the City Mikey Abromowitz in Surf's Up
Website	http://www.mariocantone.com

Mario Cantone (born December 9, 1959) is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, with numerous appearances on Comedy Central including Chappelle's Show. He also played Anthony Marentino on Sex and the City. His unique style is fast-paced and energetic, with much of the humor coming from his impersonations of various characters ranging from his family members, to celebrities, to stereotypes.

Early life

Cantone was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts.^{[citation needed]}

Early career

His first major gig was hosting a children's show called Steampipe Alley, which aired on New York-New Jersey superstation WWOR-TV from 1988 to 1993.

Stand-up career

He occasionally does stand-up concerts where, in addition to impressions of Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland, Bruce Springsteen, and others, he sings original comedic songs such as "Laugh Whore" and an ode to being in love with a bat.

Much of his comedy derives from the fact that he is gay,^[1] camp, and Italian-American.

Acting career

Sex and the City

Cantone's breakout role was that of Charlotte York's gay and incredibly bossy wedding planner in the series Sex and the City on HBO. Much of the humor of that role derived from his regular stand-up persona.

Broadway

Cantone is also a regular stage performer with numerous Broadway credits. He made his Broadway debut in 1995 as replacement for the role of Buzz in the Tony Award–winning play, Love! Valour! Compassion!. Later that year, he returned to Broadway again in the revival of The Tempest. Several years later, Cantone did a workshop for The Lion King as Timon but was not comfortable using a puppet and eventually left the project, which led him to Sex and the City. As Cantone gained popularity and a cult following, he created his own one-man show for Broadway, An Evening With Mario Cantone, which he also wrote. A year later, Cantone starred in the lead of The Violet Hour. Playwright Richard Greenberg had written the part specifically for the actor. However, Cantone and the play itself received mediocre reviews and closed after a month-long run.

In 2004, Cantone starred in the Stephen Sondheim musical Assassins as Samuel Byck. Cantone had originally turned down the role of Carmen Ghia in Mel Brooks's The Producers to star in Assassins in 2001, but it was cancelled because of the 9/11 attacks. His latest Broadway credit was in his second one-man show, Laugh Whore, which he also wrote. Laugh Whore ran from October 24, 2004, to January 2, 2005, at the Cort Theatre and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Special Theatrical Event.

On September 20, 2010, Cantone starred as Jackie Morelli in a staged reading of the Charles Messina play A Room of My Own at The Theatre at 45 Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village.^[2] The play is currently being developed for stage and screen with Cantone set to reprise his role.^{[citation needed]}

Other work

Previously, he appeared at a roast for comedian Denis Leary. Along with Leary, Cantone attended Emerson College, in Boston. He was a favorite guest on the Opie and Anthony radio show, where he is remembered for a tune called "Getcha Balls Out." He currently narrates the Sunsilk "hairapy" advertisements. He also appears on The View, where he reviews televised award ceremonies.

He is the voice of the talent scout bird Mikey Abromowitz in the 2007 computer animated movie Surf's Up.

Personal life

In October 2011, Cantone married his partner of 20 years, musical theater director Jerry Dixon. The ceremony was officiated by pastor Jay Bakker.^[3]

References

1. ^ Stevenson, Bill (9 December 2003), "Super Mario", The Advocate, http://books.google.com/books?id=OmUEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA80&dq=%22mario%20cantone%22%20gay&pg=PA80#v=onepage&q=%22mario%20cantone%22%20gay&f=false 
2. ^ Lenzi, Linda (September 21, 2010). "Photo Coverage: Cantone, Macchio et al. in A ROOM OF MY OWN". http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_Cantone_Macchio_et_al_in_A_ROOM_OF_MY_OWN_20100921. 
3. ^ Mario Cantone marries his partner of 20 years

External links

• Official website
• Mario Cantone at the Internet Movie Database
• Mario Cantone at the Internet Broadway Database

Persondata
Name	Cantone, Mario
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 9, 1959
Place of birth	Stoneham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death