
Hector Elizondo
37 Fans
Age
84
Birthday
Dec. 22nd, 1936
Born in
New York City, New York, USA
Height
5' 10
Hector Elizondo's Main TV Roles |
Main Movie Roles |
Guest TV Roles
[none found]Hector Elizondo (born December 22, 1936) is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of God in the 1970 Off-Broadway play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award. Since then Elizondo has participated in over eighty films and has made numerous television appearances.
Born in New York City, the son of Carmen Medina Reyes and Martín Echevarría Elizondo, a notary public and accountant. His father was of Basque ancestry and his mother was Puerto Rican; his parents moved from Puerto Rico to New York City, with the hope of finding a better way of life.
In the 1980s, Elizondo befriended 'Garry Marshall'; Marshall was impressed with his talent and it was to become a lifelong friendship, which would bring benefits for both. Their first movie together was Young Doctors in Love. In some of the movies in which Elizondo appeared, he went uncredited and he would not have minded staying that way for the movie Pretty Woman; however, it was Marshall who insisted on crediting him. His role in Pretty Woman only lasted 10 minutes, but it led to his receiving a Golden Globe nomination.
In 1999, he co-starred in Runaway Bride as Fisher, the husband of the male protagonist's ex. Elizondo has participated in over 80 movies and 17 of them have been Marshall's. In fact, Elizondo has appeared in every movie that Marshall has directed. Elizondo also had a brief appearance as a fisherman in the movie Overboard which starred 'Kurt Russell' and 'Goldie Hawn'.
In 2001, he was featured in the short-lived television drama Kate Brasher and portrayed security head Joe in the movie The Princess Diaries, a role he reprised in the 2004 sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
He is probably best known to the television audience as Dr. Phillip Watters on the CBS television series Chicago Hope created by well known television creator David E. Kelley. He has won both an Emmy and ALMA award and was nominated for a Satellite Award and several SAG Awards for playing this role. He is one of only two people to remain on the show for its entire run, the other being Adam Arkin.
On April 30, 2008, it was announced by USA Network that Elizondo would be cast on Monk as Dr. Neven Bell, Adrian Monk's new psychiatrist. Elizondo was brought in to fill the void left by the sudden death of 'Stanley Kamel', who played Monk's previous psychiatrist Dr. Charles Kroger, on April 8, 2008 of a heart attack.
In 2011, Elizondo became a main cast member on the new ABC comedy Last Man Standing, which stars 'Tim Allen'.
Elizondo has been married three times. He has a son from his first marriage. Since 1969 he has been married to Carolee Campbell, an Emmy Award winning actress, photographer and publisher. They live in Sherman Oaks, California.
In April 2013, Elizondo participated in the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, held at the University of Southern California, promoting children's reading.
Elizondo is proud of his Latino heritage and refuses to accept roles that are stereotypical and/or demeaning in any way. He is also an accomplished guitarist, singer and dancer.
TRIVIA:
- To date, he is the only member of the gang in "The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three" that is still alive.
- Considered by director/producer 'Garry Marshall' (qv) to be his "good luck charm", and as such is offered a role in each of his movies.
- Often works with director 'Garry Marshall' (qv).
- Hector is a fine guitarist and singer. Wife 'Carolee Campbell' (qv) is a noted bookbinder, photographer and actress.
- Appears in so many 'Garry Marshall' (qv) films that his credit in the beginning of _Exit To Eden (1994)_ was "As Usual... Hector Elizondo".
- Hector received a Tony for his role in 'Bruce Jay Friedman' (qv)'s "Steambath".