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.
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Biography
Cantone was born in
Stoneham, Massachusetts. He hosted a children's show called,
Steampipe Alley
, from 1988 to 1993. Much of his comedy derives from the fact that he is
gay,
camp and
Italian-American.
Previously, he appeared at a roast for comedian
Denis Leary. Along with Leary, Cantone attended
Emerson College, in Boston. He is 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
.
He occasionally does stand-up concerts, where in addition to spot-on impressions of Liza Minelli, 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.
Sex and the City
Cantone's breakout role was that of
Charlotte York's gay and incredibly uptight 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
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'
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
, that 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.