Carlo Alban
Carlo Alban (born October 3, 1979) is an Ecuadorian actor, best known as "Carlo" from Sesame Street (1993–98). He grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey and attended Rutgers University, majoring in visual arts. He played the role of Luis "McGrady" Gallego on Prison Break (2007–08). He has since gone on to perform in a variety of mediums, including plays and television shows.
Early life
Alban arrived in the U.S. at the age of 7 with his family on a travel visa.[1] However, his family intended to stay in the United States despite the potential consequences, living on an expired visa with the risk of deportation always prevalent.[2] When he was 12 he got his first role in Oliver! as the titular character. He then went on to other roles in New York until he was cast on Sesame Street.[3]
Sesame Street
Alban was on Sesame Street from 1993 to 1998 and during that time his being in the U.S. was against the law.[2] In response to the reasoning for him being on Sesame Street while lacking proper documentation, he said, "what better place to hide than in the spotlight where no one would suspect you?"[4] During these teenage years Alban had several formative experiences that he later talked about in his play Intringulus, including an instance where upon learning the situation of his immigration, a friend tells him to "get out of my country".[5] This experience was among a collection of similar encounters where Alban experienced a 'snag', the name of his one-man show.[4]
Career
Television
He has had recurring roles in Strangers with Candy, Thicker Than Blood, and The Tavern. He has guest starred on Law & Order, The Jury, Touched by an Angel, the HBO prison-themed series Oz, Deadline, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and in Prison Break as Luis "McGrady" Gallego. He played "Birdman" in the film Whip It.
| Production | Date | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 22 | 2018 | William Douglas/ Child 4 |
| The Night Of (TV Mini-Series) | 2016 | |
| H.O.M.E. | 2016 | Manny |
| Sleeping with Other People | 2015 | Microcenter Employee |
| Palladium (Short) | 2014 | Stefon Alexander |
| The Bravest, the Boldest (Short) | 2014 | Chaplain Lieutenant Torres |
| Girls (TV Series) | 2014 | |
| The Sonnet Project (TV Series) | 2013 | |
| Cannonball Beautiful (Short) | 2011 | Bear |
| Margaret | 2011 | Rodrigo |
| The Big Deal (Short) | 2011 | Auggie |
| Hector is Gonna Kill Nate (Short) | 2010 | Hector |
| Whip It | 2009 | Birdman |
| Fringe (TV Series) | 2008 | FBI Tech Agent |
| Glow Ropes: The Rise and Fall of a Bar Mitzvah Emcee | 2008 | Barry |
| Prison Break (TV Series) | 2007-2008 | McGrady |
| The Tape Recorder (Short) | 2007 | Man |
| Life Support (TV Movie) | 2007 | Andre |
| Dentist Visit (Short) | 2007 | Juan |
| Live Free or Die | 2006 | Todd Thomas |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent (TV Series) | 2005 | James Raphael |
| Strangers with Candy | 2005 | Megawatti |
| The Jury (TV Series) | 2004 | Douglas Santago |
| 21 Grams | 2003 | Lucio |
| Snipes | 2001 | Bugsy |
| Deadline (TV Series) | 2000 | Manny |
| Center Stage | 2000 | Eva's Friend |
| Law & Order (TV Series) | 1996-2000 | Ramon Soriano / Damien |
| Touched by an Angel (TV Series) | 1999 | Tino Morante |
| The Tavern | 1999 | Tommy |
| Oz (TV Series) | 1999 | Luis Ricardo |
| Hi-Life | 1998 | Ricky |
| Thicker Than Blood (TV Movie) | 1998 | Lee Cortez |
| Sesame Street (TV Series) | 1993-1998 | Carlo |
| Hurricane Streets | 1997 | Benny |
| Imagine That! (Video short) | 1996 | Carlo |
| Sesame Street: Cookie Monster's Best Bites (Video) | 1995 |
Stage
Alban has made appearances on the stage, including multiple Off-Broadway shows and an appearance in SWEAT on Broadway[6][7]
Regional Theatre Productions:[8]
| Production | Theatre |
|---|---|
| A Parallelogram | Center Theatre Group |
| Lydia | Denver, Yale, Center Theatre Group |
| Hurricane | Asolo Repertory Theatre |
| All About Us | Westport |
| Dreamlandia | Dallas Theatre Center |
| Night of the Iguana | Guthrie Theater |
New York Productions:[8]
| Production | Theatre |
|---|---|
| Tamburlaine Parts I & II | Theatre for a New Audience |
| Intríngulis | Solo show - writer/performer |
| A Small Melodramatic Story | Labyrinth Theater Company |
| References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot | The Public Theater, NYSF |
| A Summer Day | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater |
| Alice in Slasherland, Living Dead in Denmark | Vampire Cowboys |
| Flipzoids | Ma-Yi |
Awards
For television, Alban has been nominated for two Young Artist Awards for his work in Touched by an Angel and Thicker Than Blood. He also received a nomination for an ALMA award for his work in Thicker Than Blood, and Thicker Than Blood received an ALMA award for Outstanding Made-For-Television Movie or Mini-Series[9] He has also received the New Dramatists' Charles Bowden Award[10]
References
- Horwitz, Simi (March 2017). "From 'Sesame Street' to solo star: Carlo Alban". Back Stage West. 9.
- Dailey, Kate (2011-11-25). "I is for Illegal: Acting on Sesame Street without a visa". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- Saltz, Rachel (October 19, 2011). "Carlo of 'Sesame Street,' on Being an Illegal Immigrant in Real Life". The New York Times.
- "Undocumented and Unafraid: Carlo Alban". Latino USA. 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- "Intringulus Review". Daily Variety. November 11, 2010.
- "'Sweat': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- "Carlo Albán Theatre Credits". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- "Carlo Alban". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
- "1999 NCLR ALMA AWARDS" (PDF). Alma Awards.
- "Carlo Alban". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. 2017-04-28.
- SpotCo. "Sweat Broadway - Official Site". Sweat Broadway - Official Site. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- "2017 Pulitzer Prizes". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
