Ángel Salazar (March 2, 1956 – August 11, 2024) was a Cuban-American comedian and actor. He was known for saying "Sheck it out" ("check it out") before, during, and after jokes. As an actor, he was best known for his role as ''Chi-Chi'' in the 1983 film '' Scarface''.

Early life

Salazar was born in Cuba in 1956. He left the country as a teenager, swimming to the

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by the U.S. military) is a United States military base located on of land and water on the shore of Guant ...

and eventually settling in New York City.

Career

Salazar first began performing stand-up comedy when he was eighteen, debuting his "check it out" line in his first open-mic appearance, and soon went on to acting. In his most famous role, he played Chi Chi in '' Scarface'' (1983); his other film credits included '' Punchline'' (1988) and '' Carlito's Way'' (1993). Salazar also appeared on ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' is an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, and again in 2014 and 2015. Each season a comedian from an initially large group of hopefuls was picked as ...

'' and many HBO Comedy specials. His last film he was shooting was ''The Brooklyn Premiere'' aka "ScarFace Resurrection" by Brooklyn-born director Eric Spade Rivas, which had him reunite in scenes with

Steven Bauer Steven Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson; December 2, 1956) is a Cuban American actor. Bauer began his career on PBS, portraying Joe Peña, the son of Cuban immigrants on '' ¿Qué Pasa, USA?'' (1977–1979). He played Manolo "Ma ...

(Manolo from ''Scarface'') for one more go as partners in crime. He continued to do stand-up throughout his life, with his last performance at the

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, location of the

Laugh Factory Laugh Factory is a chain of comedy clubs in the United States. The chain is owned by Laugh Factory Inc., and the founder and current chief executive is Jamie Masada. Endurance record The Laugh Factory keeps track of an endurance record for ...

in July 2024.

Personal life and death

Salazar divided his time between Florida and New York City. On August 11, 2024, he died while staying at a friend's residence in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. He was 68 and had an enlarged heart.

Filmography

Film

Television

Documentary

Music video

References

External links

*https://www.tmz.com/2024/08/14/scarface-angel-salazar-spin-off/ * {{DEFAULTSORT:Salazar, Angel 1956 births 2024 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American entertainers of Cuban descent American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors Comedians from New York City Cuban emigrants to the United States Male actors from New York City Hispanic and Latino American male comedians