Joey Diaz

Joey Diaz
Birth name Jose Antonio Diaz
Born (1963-02-19) February 19, 1963[1]
Havana, Cuba
Medium Stand-up comedy, television, podcast, film
Nationality Cuban-American
Notable works and roles My Name is Earl
The Longest Yard
Taxi

Joey "CoCo" Diaz is a Cuban-American stand up comedian. He is an actor known for his recurring role as Joey on the TV series My Name is Earl, as well as in movies such as The Longest Yard and Taxi.

Early life

José Antonio Diaz grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey. After losing his mother and father, Joey was taken in by a series of North Bergen families, including two police officers named Robert Bender and Carmine Balzano. Frequent run-ins with the law, including his involvement in fights, kept him moving among a total of four families. Diaz says a total of 20 Italian and Irish families attempted to assist him, such as local funeral home owner Anthony Vanieri. Diaz explains that their sense of humor greatly influenced his own career,[2] which had its earliest beginnings as a student in North Bergen High School.[3]

Career

Diaz left North Bergen for the University of Colorado at Boulder on June 1, 1985, however, his academic life was interrupted by a short stint in prison. After his release, Joey sold Subarus and embarked on his long stand-up career, signing-up for local open mics. Expanding his talent, Diaz moved to Seattle, and continued performing in front of open mic audiences. In 1996 he moved to Los Angeles. After his career spread to other venues, he accepted an offer from a CBS talent scout to work on a television pilot. Although the series was not purchased, the visibility it gave him helped his career, garnering him appearances on the television show Law & Order and in films including Spider-Man 2[2] and the 2004 film Taxi.[3] His most visible role was in the 2005 film The Longest Yard[2][3] and as a prison convict named Joey the Candy Bar Criminal, a part he played in four 2007 episodes of My Name is Earl, and which he obtained on the basis of his own past in prison. That same year he also appeared as "Joey Karate", doing humorous promotions for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in California, clips of which can be found on YouTube.[3]

His subsequent roles include the 2009 TV movie The Dog Who Saved Christmas, and 2011 appearances in "Scarlet Ribbons", an episode of The Mentalist and the film Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.[2]

Diaz is also a frequent guest on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, and former co-host of a weekly podcast with Felicia Michaels named Beauty and Da Beast.[4]

In 2010, Diaz appeared with Joe Rogan on The Alex Jones Show.[5]

As of 2011, Diaz was working on a documentary chronicling his life in North Bergen, and how he was influenced by the various people who took care of him following his parents' death, to whom the film is made in tribute.[2]

As of September 2012, Diaz hosts a bi-weekly morning video podcast called "The Church Of What's Happening Now".[6]

In 2013, he had a role in the movie Grudge Match seen alongside Robert De Niro as his coach.

In Season 2 Episode 12 of Maron, Diaz guest starred as a semi-fictionalized version of himself.

Charity work

Diaz has performed his standup in his hometown of North Bergen for charity. On November 4, 2007, he appeared there to help raise money for North Bergen High School basketball team uniforms.[3]

Personal life

Joey lives in Los Angeles with his wife Terrie and daughter Mercy.

Film and television appearances

Stand Up Comedy Albums

Writer

Self

References

  1. ↑ "#152 - The Church Of lucifer". Libsyn. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 LaMarca, Stephen. "From North Bergen to prison to Hollywood". The Union City Reporter. November 6, 2011. Page 4
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Hague, Jim. "NB comedian lands role on 'My Name is Earl'". The Union City Reporter. September 23, 2007. Page 6
  4. ↑ Beauty and Da Beast Podcast. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  5. ↑ "1 of 4 Joey 'Coco' Diaz & Joe Rogan Alex Jones Show Uncut". YouTube. November 6, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Church Of What's Happening Now with Joey Diaz". Libsyn. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM4xHjQVKg8

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, February 08, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.