JOHN
LEGUIZAMO

John Leguizamo is a Colombian-born American actor, writer and performer born in Bogotá on 22 July. Sources differ on his birth year, citing 1960 or 1964. His work moves between solo theatre, film, television and animation.

After moving to New York as a child, Leguizamo developed a stage career built around character voices and storytelling. His Off-Broadway solo show Mambo Mouth brought several characters together in one performance and established an approach he would return to in later shows.

His film work includes Carlito’s Way (1993), Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Moulin Rouge! (2001). These productions show the breadth of his screen career, from crime drama to Shakespeare adaptation and musical romance.

A different audience came to know his voice as Sid the sloth in Ice Age (2002). The animated character’s expressive delivery became a recurring part of the film series and a contrast to his live-action roles.

Leguizamo returned to solo theatre with Latin History for Morons, which reached Broadway in 2017. He later explored overlooked Latino contributions to US history in the documentary series VOCES American Historia. Across these projects, performance and an interest in whose stories are told frequently meet.