Hector Elizondo American actor Date of Birth: 22.12.1936 Country: USA

1. Biography of Héctor Elizondo
2. Early Life and Talents
3. College and Early Career
4. Acting Career
5. Collaboration with Garry Marshall

Biography of Héctor Elizondo

Héctor Elizondo (born on December 22, 1936) is an American actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won an Emmy Award. Elizondo was born in New York to Puerto Rican mother Carmen Medina Reyes and Basque father Martin Echevarria Elizondo. His parents moved to New York, like many Spanish-speaking country residents at the time, in search of a better "American-style" life.

Early Life and Talents

During his childhood, Elizondo demonstrated talents in sports and music. He sang for Frank Murray's Boys' Choir at the age of ten. After graduating from high school in 1951, he enrolled in the High School of Performing Arts. Additionally, he displayed excellent skills in baseball and basketball at his regular school, which were good enough to earn him invitations from the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

College and Early Career

In 1954, Elizondo entered the City College of New York with plans to become a history teacher. However, at the beginning of his studies, he became a father and had to drop out of college to work full-time to support his family. He later divorced and gained full custody of his son Rodd. Elizondo currently resides in Sherman Oaks, California with his wife Carol Campbell, an Emmy Award-winning photographer and prominent publisher.

Acting Career

From 1962 to 1963, Elizondo studied dance at the Ballet Arts Company in Carnegie Hall. In 1963, he landed roles in two off-Broadway shows, "Kill the One-Eyed Man" and "The Great White Hope." His first major success was portraying God in the role of a Puerto Rican steam room attendant in the play "Steambath," for which Elizondo received an Obie Award. Most of his roles, both in that time and present day, have been as a friend or assistant to the main character. He also voiced the villain Bane in "Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman."

Collaboration with Garry Marshall

In 1974, Elizondo played a former mafioso who hijacked a train in the action film "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three." In the 1980s, Elizondo became friends with director Garry Marshall, and their friendship has proven beneficial to both. Their first joint film project was "Young Doctors in Love," and they went on to release several more films together.