| Paul Marcarelli | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 May 1970 North Haven, Connecticut |
| Occupation | Film, voice actor, screenwriter |
Paul Marcarelli (born May 24, 1970) is an American actor best known as the "Test Man" or "The Verizon Guy" character in commercials ("Can you hear me now?") for Verizon Wireless. He appeared in all of his Verizon commercials wearing a gray Verizon jacket and his own horn-rimmed glasses until 2010.[1] In February 2011, he revived his role as the Verizon test man in a commercial advertising the release of the iPhone 4 for the Verizon Wireless network. He is a native of North Haven, Connecticut.[2]
He is a graduate from North Haven High School and received his B.A. in English from Fairfield University.[3]
In 2002 he started appearing as the "Test Man" character in Verizon Wireless commercials,[4] for which Entertainment Weekly named him one of most intriguing people of 2002.[5] Marcarelli had already appeared in numerous commercials for companies including Old Navy, Merrill Lynch, Dasani, and Heineken. He also performed in industrial and promotional films, and as a voiceover artist for Comedy Central, United Airlines and Aetna Insurance, among others.
A founding member of New York's Mobius Group Productions, Marcarelli produced and performed in works by Eric Bogosian, Warren Leight, and Richard Nelson.[2] Mobius' production of The Adding Machine, in which he played the lead role, garnered the award for excellence in overall production from the New York International Fringe Festival in 2001; and his 2005 production, Bridezilla Strikes Back! starring Cynthia Silver, which The New York Times called "irresistible,"[6] won the Fringe's overall excellence award for outstanding solo show.
Marcarelli appeared on the October 12, 2009 episode of The Price Is Right during the showcase sponsored by Verizon Wireless. The signature white hard hats used in the commercials were worn by members of the studio audience.[7]
Marcarelli is also a founding member of the Table Ten Films production company.[4]
When he received word that his character would soon be retired from Verizon commercials, Marcarelli came out as gay.[8]
He has a twin brother, Matthew, a decorated Captain at the New Haven Fire Department.
Marcarelli's contract with Verizon has ended as of April 14, 2011.[9]
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/verizon-phases-out-can-you-hear-me-now-guy--2754