Alejandro "Alec" Mapa (; born July 10, 1965) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He got his first professional break when he was cast to replace B. D. Wong for the role of Song Liling in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of '' M. Butterfly''. He gained recognition for roles such as Adam Benet on ''

Half & Half ''Half & Half'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeffrey Klarik that aired on UPN from September 23, 2002, to May 15, 2006. The show focuses on the lives of two paternal half-sisters in their twenties who were estranged throughout t ...

'', Suzuki St. Pierre on '' Ugly Betty'' and Vern on '' Desperate Housewives''. Mapa recurred as Renzo on '' Switched at Birth''. Mapa co-hosted the Logo network reality dating game show '' Transamerican Love Story'' with Calpernia Addams in 2008. In 2013, he debuted in his own

one-man show A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show or one-woman show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieties, including auto ...

, '' Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy'', which was made into a

concert film A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...

and premiered on Showtime in 2015.

Early life

Mapa was born in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

and attended George Washington High School. While in high school, he played Randolph McAfee in the production of ''

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The short story "Dream Man", authored ...

''. Mapa's senior year productions were ''Cabaret'' and ''Harvey'', both in which he had the lead roles. Mapa was also a champion orator in the Humorous and Dramatic Interpretation categories of Speech.

Career

Mapa got his professional break when he was cast to understudy, and then replace B. D. Wong in the

production of '' M. Butterfly''. Mapa later played the role on the national tour. Mapa would return to Broadway in an adaptation of '' L'Hôtel du libre échange'' by

Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the era known as the Belle Époque. He is remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parent ...

and Maurice Desvallières, re-titled, "A Little Hotel on the Side" in 1992. The next year, Mapa was back on Broadway in a Stratford Festival inspired production of

Timon of Athens ''Timon of Athens'' (''The Life of Tymon of Athens'') is a play written by William Shakespeare and probably also Thomas Middleton in about 1606. It was published in the '' First Folio'' in 1623. Timon lavishes his wealth on parasitic companio ...

. Off-Broadway, Mapa earned a nomination at the 2001

Lucille Lortel Awards The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...

for his performance in the Jessica Hagedorn play ''

Dogeaters ''Dogeaters'' is a novel written by Jessica Hagedorn and published in 1990. Hagedorn also adapted her novel into a play by the same name. ''Dogeaters'', set in the late 1950s in Manila (the capital of the Philippines), addresses several socia ...

'', and was featured in every play in the "Whitelands" trilogy, a series of plays about gay Asian men written by Chay Yew; "Porcelain" (1992), "A Language of Their Own" (1995), and "Wonderland" (1999). On television, he has made guest appearances on a wide variety of programs, including ''

The Jamie Foxx Show ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on The WB from August 28, 1996, to January 14, 2001. The series stars Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, and Garrett Morris. Although the show was not ...

'', '' Roseanne'', '' Seinfeld'', '' NYPD Blue'', '' Friends'', '' Murder One'' and '' Dharma & Greg''. He had a supporting role in the short-lived 2001 comedy ''

Some of My Best Friends ''Some of My Best Friends'' (previously titled ''Macho Man'' and ''Me and Frankie Z'' before its television premiere) is an American sitcom television series created by Marc Cherry and Tony Vitale, that aired on CBS from February 28 until April ...

''. He played Adam Benet in the

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

comedy ''

''. He wrote and performed in a one-man play titled "I Remember Mapa", about his experiences growing up gay in San Francisco. Mapa was a featured performer on the

Logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wo ...

original stand-up comedy series ''Wisecrack''. In 2006 appeared as Vern, Gabrielle's personal shopper, on the TV series '' Desperate Housewives''. He had a recurring role on the 2006–2010 series '' Ugly Betty'', as Suzuki St. Pierre, the flamboyant host of a fictional gossip and news show (who, it is revealed, is actually a straight—and married—journalist named Byron Wu). He performed the voice of Rick's flamboyantly gay uncle Bakla on the 2007-2009 animated series '' Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World''. Mapa's film credits include parts in '' Bright Lights, Big City'', '' Playing by Heart'', ''

Connie and Carla ''Connie and Carla'' is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Michael Lembeck and starring Nia Vardalos, Toni Collette, and David Duchovny. The screenplay was written by Vardalos. The film was shot in Vancouver and featured a number of local ...

'' and ''

Marley & Me ''Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog'' is an autobiographical book by journalist John Grogan, published in 2005, about the 13 years he and his family spent with their yellow Labrador Retriever, Marley. The dog is poorly be ...

'', among others. He was featured in the movies '' Super Sweet 16: The Movie'' and '' Tru Loved''. He also played as a stylist in the movie ''

You Don't Mess with the Zohan ''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' is a 2008 American satirical action comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Judd Apatow, and produced by Sandler, Smigel, and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Sandler in ...

''. In 2008, Mapa hosted Logo's '' Transamerican Love Story'', a reality dating program starring transgender woman Calpernia Addams selecting from among eight potential suitors. In the same year, he also hosted ''Dancing With Dogs'' on

Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily ...

. Mapa also performed on the 2009

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and '' Critias'', wherein it represents the antagonist naval power that b ...

Freedom Caribbean Cruise headlining in the Arcadia Theater. In 2010, Mapa became one of the co-hosts of Logo's ''The Gossip Queens'', a daily series where he helps present celebrity gossip. In his act, he jokes that he is sometimes confused with Rex Lee, another flamboyant Asian homosexual who plays Lloyd on the HBO

dramedy Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...

''. In 2015, Mapa appeared on '' Candidly Nicole'' with Nicole Richie.

Personal life

Mapa is gay and lends his support to various projects supporting the gay, lesbian, and Asian American communities. In 2008, Mapa legally married Jamison "Jamie" Hebert, after dating since 2002. On the TV series ''The Gossip Queens'', Mapa stated in the opening episode that he and his husband had adopted a 5-year-old boy. They adopted their child in 2010. Mapa is of Filipino descent.

Credits

Writer

* ''

'' (2006): "The Big Nervous Breakup Episode"

Filmography

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mapa, Alec 1965 births American male actors of Filipino descent American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors Circle in the Square Theatre School alumni American gay actors Gay comedians Living people Male actors from San Francisco LGBT American people of Asian descent Comedians from California LGBT people from California 21st-century American comedians American comedians of Asian descent 21st-century LGBT people