Paul Rodriguez, a charming and endearing Latino stand-up comic, was born in Mexico and raised in East Los Angeles. After completing his military service, he utilized the GI bill to attend college, initially intending to pursue a career as an attorney. However, his interest in comedy developed while taking elective courses, leading him to hone his stand-up act at L.A.'s renowned The Comedy Store while working as a doorman.
Paul's big break came as an opening act for various concerts, universities, and as a warm-up comedian on Norman Lear's short-lived sitcom Gloria (1982) starring Sally Struthers. Lear was so impressed that he created a sitcom specifically for Paul, a.k.a. Pablo (1984),which garnered brief public attention. Other comedy series followed, including Trial and Error (1988) and Grand Slam (1990),as well as a few films, such as D.C. Cab (1983) and Born in East L.A. (1987).
As a comedian, Paul stuck to his Latino roots, making an appealing crossover hit. He broke through the talk show venue with "El Show de Paul Rodriguez," which ran for four years, and expanded into directing with the film A Million to Juan (1994),which he also co-wrote and starred in. More recently, he appeared alongside Paul Hogan in Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001) and had an atypical role in director Clint Eastwood's Blood Work (2002) as an arrogant, smarmy police detective.
Paul has been visible in a range of films, including A Cinderella Story (2004),The World's Fastest Indian (2005),and Cloud 9 (2006). He also executive-produced and starred in the comedy concert film The Original Latin Kings of Comedy (2002). He has been featured on various cable comedy showcases, solidifying his reputation as one of the country's best-known Hispanic comics in the U.S.
Paul has been recognized for his tireless charity work, supporting organizations such as the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Farm Aid, Leukemia Telethon, Project Literacy, and Housing Now, among many others.
