| Paul Rodriguez | |
|---|---|
Rodriguez at a USO show aboard the USS Nimitz, June 19, 2003 |
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| Born | January 19, 1955 Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico |
| Occupation | Actor/Comedian |
| Years active | 1983–present |
Paul Rodriguez (born January 19, 1955) is a Mexican-American stand-up comedian and actor.
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Rodriguez was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, México to Mexican agriculture ranchers..[1] His family migrated to East Los Angeles, where he enlisted in the military; he was stationed in Iceland and Duluth, Minnesota. His son, Paul Rodriguez Jr., is a professional skateboarder nicknamed P-Rod.
Rodriguez endorsed Meg Whitman in the 2010 California gubernatorial election.[2]
Rodriguez considered becoming a lawyer, but instead went into comedy. His first shot at national fame, the ABC sitcom a.k.a. Pablo, was canceled after seven episodes.
In 1988, Rodriguez replaced Bob Eubanks as host of The Newlywed Game. The show lasted one season before being canceled, During his Tenure as host of the Newlywed Game, The show began using the 1958 hit record Book of Love by The Monotones as the theme song.
Rodriguez has starred in several feature films including, D.C. Cab, Born in East L.A., Tortilla Soup, Rat Race, and Ali. He directed and starred in the film A Million to Juan. Rodriguez has also performed voice-over roles on King of the Hill, Dora the Explorer and Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
Many of his comedy specials involve serious issues for the Latino community, and Rodriguez is known for his charity work. He has performed on several Comic Relief charity specials. In 1995, he performed a comedy television special live at San Quentin State Prison. He produced and was featured on the 2002 comedy special titled The Original Latin Kings of Comedy. In 2004, Comedy Central ranked him 74th on its list of the 100 Greatest Standups of all Time.[3]
Rodriguez is a part-owner of the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood, California, the site of comedian/actor Michael Richards' highly-publicized on-stage rant against two African American men who were heckling him.[4] Of Richards' repeated use of the word nigger, Rodriguez said, "Once the word comes out of your mouth and you don't happen to be African American, then you have a whole lot of explaining".[5]
Rodriguez also has an interest in farming with operations in California's Central Valley. He is the chairman of the California Latino Water Coalition, a group trying to draw attention to California's dire water situation. He also had a night show called El Show de Paul Rodriguez on Univision in the early 1990s.
Rodriguez currently stars in the comedy-reality series 'Mis Videos Locos' on MTV Tr3s.
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | D.C. Cab | Xavier | |
| 1986 | Quicksilver | Hector Rodriguez | |
| The Whoopee Boys | Barney Benar | ||
| Miracles | Juan | ||
| 1987 | Born in East L.A. | Javier | |
| 1993 | Made in America | Jose | |
| 1994 | A Million to Juan | Juan Lopez | |
| Rhythm Thief | Eladio | ||
| 1995 | Rough Magic | Diego | |
| 1998 | Melting Pot | Gustavo Alvarez | |
| 2000 | Price of Glory | Pepe | |
| Mambo Café | Gustavo Alvarez | ||
| G-Men From Hell | Winiford 'Weenie Man' | ||
| 2001 | Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles | Diego | |
| Tortilla Soup | Orlando Castillo | ||
| Rat Race | Gus the Cabbie | ||
| The Shipment | Jose Garcia | ||
| Ali | Dr. Ferdie Pacheco | ||
| 2002 | |||
| Blood Work | Det. Ronaldo Arrango | ||
| Back by Midnight | Next Week | ||
| Time Changer | Eddie Martinez | ||
| 2003 | Chasing Papi | Costas Delgado | Uncredited Role |
| How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass | Jose Garcia | ||
| 2004 | A Cinderella Story | Bobby | |
| 2005 | The World's Fastest Indian | Fernando | |
| 2006 | Cloud 9 | Mr. Wong | |
| Swap Meet | Councilmen Gonzales | ||
| Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen | Cupid | Voice Role Direct-to-Video Release |
|
| 2007 | One Long Night | Poncho | |
| 2008 | Vicious Circle | Professor | |
| Beverly Hills Chihuahua | Chico | Voice Role | |
| 2009 | Lonely Street | Det. Romero | |
| Porndogs: The Adventures of Sadie | Bato | Voice Role | |
| The Deported | Ernesto | ||
| 2010 | Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore | Crazy Carlito |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Gloria | Jerry | Episode: An Uncredited Woman |
| 1984 | a.k.a. Pablo | Paul Rivera | 6 episodes |
| 1986 | Hardesty House | ||
| Tall Tales & Legends | Julio | Episode: Ponce de Leon | |
| The Golden Girls | Ramone | Episode: Vacation | |
| 1988–1989 | Trial and Error | Tony Rivera | 8 episodes |
| 1988–1989 | The Newlywed Game | Himself | |
| 1990 | Grand Slam | Pedro Gomez | 8 episodes |
| 1991 | Hi Honey - I'm Dead | Ralph (The Angel) | TV-Movie |
| Great Performances | Satanas | Episode: La Pastorela | |
| 1995 | Live in San Quentin, Paul Rodriguez | Himself | Live TV-Special |
| The Eddie Files | Construction Worker | Episode: Geometry - Invasion of the Polygons | |
| Touched by an Angel | Ben Rivera | Episode: Trust | |
| 1996 | Latino Laugh Festival | Himself | Live TV-Special |
| 1998 | King of the Hill | Jacinto | Episode: Three Days of the Kahndo |
| 2000 | Ready to Run | T.J. | Voice Role TV-Movie |
| 2000–2001 | Resurrection Blvd. | Paulie | 4 episodes |
| 2002 | American Family | Flaco | Episode: Mexican Revolution |
| 2003 | The Twilight Zone | Rosas | Episode: Tagged |
| The Proud Family | Limo Driver | Voice Role Episode: Adventures in BeBe-Sitting |
|
| Dora the Explorer | Leon, the Circus Lion | Voice Role Episode: Leon, the Circus Lion |
|
| 2005 | The Buzz on Maggie | Julio's Father | Voice Role Episode: Lunchlady |
NCLR Bravo Awards