| Al Madrigal | |
|---|---|
| Pseudonym | Latin Breeze |
| Birth name | Alessandro Liborio Madrigal |
| Born | July 4, 1971 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Genres | Observational comedy, Satire |
| Subject(s) | American culture, Human behavior, Family, Fatherhood, Cultural Assimilation |
| Website |
Official Website |
Alessandro Liborio "Al" Madrigal (born July 4, 1971[1]) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Perhaps best known for co-starring in the CBS prime-time situation comedies Gary Unmarried with Jay Mohr and Welcome to the Captain[1] with Jeffrey Tambor and Raquel Welch, he is also a regular sketch performer on The Late Late Show[2] with Craig Ferguson and appears on other network shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live. He recently became a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. A fixture on the stand-up comedy circuit, he is among the most prominent members of the Latino community to achieve recognition in the mainstream U.S. comedy scene.
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A native of San Francisco, California, Madrigal grew up in the city's Inner Sunset District, where his neighbors included future comedians Mike Pritchard, Margaret Cho and the Meehan Brothers. He attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory High School where he was salutatorian for the class of 1989. He then attended the University of San Francisco, but left the school two credits shy of receiving a degree. Madrigal worked for 10 years in a human resources staffing agency run by his family. In 1998, he decided to pursue a full-time career in comedy.[3]
Madrigal appeared in San Francisco's comedy clubs, both as a solo performer and as a member of the sketch group Fresh Robots, which he co-founded. In 2002, he enjoyed his first major exposure in two comedy festivals: Sketchfest in San Francisco, as part of Fresh Robots,[4] and the "New Faces" showcase of the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal.[5]
In 2003, Madrigal successfully auditioned for a starring role on The Ortegas, a comedy series for the Fox Network. The series, which was based on the BBC comedy The Kumars at No. 42, cast Madrigal as the son of a Mexican American family in California who hosts a TV talk show from a studio he operates in the backyard of his parents' home.[6] However, the network dropped the series from its schedule before broadcasting any of its six filmed episodes.[7]
Comedy Central featured his stand up in their animated series Shorties Watchin' Shorties. Madrigal won a jury award in 2004 for best stand-up comedian at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado. After winning the award, he signed a talent holding deal with CBS.[8] However, he would not appear on a CBS until January 2008, when he was cast as a building attendant named Jesus (pronounced “Jee-sus”) in the CBS comedy Welcome to the Captain.[9] The series was cancelled after six episodes.[10]
Madrigal was the star of a 2005 Comedy Central special, and has been a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. He co-starred in the CBS series Gary Unmarried (originally titled Project Gary), which debuted on CBS in September 2008.[5] He appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on July 8, 2009.[11] He appeared again on Conan's new TBS Show Conan on May 10, 2011.[12] It was announced on May 17, 2011, that he would be joining The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
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