Alec Mapa

Alejandro "Alec" Mapa (/ˈmɑːpə/; born July 10, 1965) is an American[1] actor, comedian and writer.[2] He got his first professional break when he was cast to replace B. D. Wong for the role of Song Liling in the Broadway production of M. Butterfly. He gained recognition for roles such as Adam Benet on Half & Half, Suzuki St. Pierre on Ugly Betty and Vern on Desperate Housewives. Mapa recurred as Renzo on Switched at Birth.

Alec Mapa
Alec Mapa, February 2008
Born
Alejandro Mapa

(1965-07-10) July 10, 1965
San Francisco, California, U.S.
OccupationActor, comedian, writer
Years active1987-present
Spouse(s)
Jamison Hebert
(
m. 2008)
Children1
Websitewww.alecmapa.com

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, Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy, which was made into a concert film and premiered on Showtime in 2015.

Early life

Mapa was born in San Francisco and attended George Washington High School.[2] While in high school, he played Randolph McAfee in a production of Bye Bye Birdie.

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 Broadway 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 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. Off-Broadway, Mapa earned a nomination at the 2001 Lucille Lortel Awards for his performance in the Jessica Hagedorn play Dogeaters, 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, 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. He played Adam Benet in the UPN comedy Half & Half.

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 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 and Marley & Me, 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.

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.

Mapa also performed on the 2009 Atlantis 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 Entourage.

In 2015, Mapa appeared on Candidly Nicole with Nicole Richie.[3]

Personal life

Mapa is gay[1] 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.[4] 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. Mapa is of Filipino descent.

Credits

Writer

Filmography
Film performances
Year Title Role Notes
1988 Bright Lights, Big City Yasu Wade
1988 A New Life Sybil
1996 The Substance of Fire New Receptionist
1998 Playing by Heart Lana
2003 Who's Your Daddy? Nat-San Wang
2004 Connie and Carla Lee / N'Cream
2005 Hard Pill Protester
2005 Pollen Howard 12 minutes
2006 Dirty Laundry Daniel
2008 Marley & Me Jorge
2008 Tru Loved Mr. Bushnell
2008 You Don't Mess with the Zohan Claude
2008 Laughing Matters... The Men Himself stand-up comedy; ASIN B0010P5UOU
2011 Going Down in LA-LA Land Himself
2011 Half-Share Ito Short Film (29 minutes)
2011 Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure Gill Samms
2011 Winner Takes All Simon Short Film (15 minutes); included in the compilation film Black Briefs (2012)
2012 Family Restaurant Daddy Short Film (10 minutes)
2014 Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy Himself concert film of one-man show
2014 Such Good People Jigme Wanchuck
2017 A Very Sordid Wedding Marty Wells
2017 The Year of Spectacular Men Overzealous Casting Director
TBA Chick Fight Post-production


Television performances
GenreYearTitleRole EpisodesNotes
TV series1987ABC Afterschool SpecialPeng"Supermom's Daughter"
TV series1990The Cosby ShowWretched Fan"Off to See the Wretched"
TV series1992Flying BlindLucas"The Secret of My Great Dress"
TV series1992Melrose PlaceJeweler #2"The Whole Truth"
TV series1993Key West"The Second Day in Heaven"
TV series1993The Young Indiana Jones ChroniclesNguyen"Paris, May 1919"
TV film1994Hart to Hart: Crimes of the HartHal Trask
TV series1994RoseanneKyle"Skeleton in the Closet"
TV series1995Hangin' with Mr. CooperPerry"Halloween"
TV series1995Law & OrderBrian Yoshimara"Rebels"
TV series1995M.A.N.T.I.S.Troy"The Sea Wasp"
TV series1995SeinfeldPaul"The Pool Guy"
TV series1996The Jamie Foxx ShowIke Yee"A Star Is Almost Born"
TV series1996NYPD BlueAngela"Unembraceable You"
TV series1997Murder OneDamien Vasquez"Chapter Seventeen, Year Two"
"Chapter Eighteen, Year Two"
TV miniseries1997Murder One: Diary of a Serial KillerDamien Vasquez
TV series1997Nick Freno: Licensed TeacherSammy Choi"Party at Nick's Place"
TV series1997NYPD BlueAngela"I Love Lucy"
TV series1997Spy GameAndy Shawn"With Friends Like These..."
"Well, Nothing to Fear But Death Itself"
TV series1998FriendsThe Housekeeper"The One with All the Thanksgivings"
TV series1998Holding the BabyNelson"No Man Is a Fantasy Island"
TV series1999Dharma & GregTrina"Welcome to the Hotel Calamari"
TV series2001Some of My Best FriendsVern Limoso"Pilot"
"Fight Night"
"Blah, Blah, Blah"
"A Brief Encounter"
"Shaggy Dog Story"
"The Marriage Counselor"
"Scenes from an Italian Party"
"Kiss Me Guido"		8 episodes
TV series2002Baby BobBrian"House of the Rising Son"
TV series2002Half & HalfAdam Benet"The Big Crappy Birthday Episode"1 episode; 58 episodes total
TV series2003AliasNSC Techie"The Nemesis"
TV series2003Half & HalfAdam Benet7 episodes; 58 episodes total
TV special2004E! 101 Most Awesome Moments in EntertainmentHimself
TV series2004Half & HalfAdam Benet15 episodes; 58 episodes total
TV series2004I'm with HerHenry Liu"Not in My Dress You Won't"
TV series2004Significant OthersParent #1"A School, Not Cool & a Fool"
TV series2005Desperate HousewivesVern"Color and Light"5 episodes total
TV series2005Half & HalfAdam Benet23 episodes; 58 episodes total
TV series2005WisecrackHimselfstand-up comedy
TV series2006Desperate HousewivesVern"Beautiful Girls"
"The Miracle Song"		5 episodes total
TV series2006Half & HalfAdam Benet11 episodes; 58 episodes total
TV series2006Help Me Help YouAndrew"Inger Management"
TV series2007Desperate HousewivesVern"Come Play Wiz Me"
"Into the Woods"		5 episodes total
TV series2007HeartlandTeddy DeSilva"A Beautiful Day"
TV series2007Ugly BettySuzuki St. Pierre"How Betty Got Her Grieve Back"
"Family/Affair"
"Betty's Wait Problem"
"A Nice Day for a Posh Wedding"
"I See Me, I.C.U."
"Bananas for Betty"		6 episodes; 30 episodes total
TV special2007The Visible Vote '08: A Presidential ForumHimself
TV series2008CelebracadabraPilot Contestant
TV special2008Dancing with DogsHimself (Host)
TV series2008Transamerican Love StoryHimself (Host)"Getting to Know You"
"Something's Cookin'"
"Love's a Beach"
"I Love the Nightlife"
"I Like the Way You Move"
"Meet the Folks"
"Season Recap"
"Season Finale"
TV series2008Ugly BettySuzuki St. Pierre"Zero Worship"
"Odor in the Court"
"The Kids Are Alright"
"Jump"
"Crimes of Fashion"
"Betty Suarez Land"
"Ugly Berry"
"Crush'd"
"Tornado Girl"		9 episodes; 30 episodes total
TV special2009Alec Mapa: No Fats, Femmes or AsiansHimselfstand-up comedy
Documentary2009Annul VictoryHimself
TV series2009NumbersClerk"Old Soldiers"
Animated TV series2009Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the WorldUncle Bakla"House of Race Cards"
"Marry X-Mas"		voice actor
TV series2009Ugly BettySuzuki St. Pierre"Sisters on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown"
"There's No Place Like Mode"
"A Mother of a Problem"
"The Born Identity"
"In the Stars"
"Curveball"
"The Fall Issue"
"The Butterfly Effect: Part 1"
"Level (7) with Me"
"The Bahamas Triangle"
"Be-Shure"		11 episodes; 30 episodes total
TV special20102010 NewNowNext AwardsHimself
TV series2010The Gossip QueensHimself (Host)50 episodes; 68 episodes total
TV series2010JonasChef Shiraki"A Wasabi Story"
TV special2010Pride: The Gay & Lesbian Comedy SlamHimselfstand-up comedy
TV series2010RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2Himself"The Snatch Game"
TV series2010Ugly BettySuzuki St. Pierre"The Passion of the Betty"
"Smokin' Hot"
"Fire and Nice"
"Hello Goodbye"		4 episodes; 30 episodes total
TV series2010The ViewHimself
Guest Co-Host		2 episodes
TV series2011The Gossip QueensHimself (Host)18 episodes; 68 episodes total
TV series2011Rules of EngagementRestaurant Manager"The Power Couple"
TV series2011RuPaul's Drag UHimself (Guest Judge)"Suddenly Single"
TV series2012ScandaliciousHimself (Presenter)4 episodes
TV series2014Switched at BirthRenzo8 episodes
TV Series2015Major CrimesNurse"The Jumping Off Point"
TV Series2015Candidly NicoleHimself"Gay"
TV Series2016MomMilo"Quaaludes and Crackerjack"
TV series2016-2020Henry DangerJack Frittleman4 episodes
TV series20162 Broke GirlsLawrence"And the Lost Baggage"
TV series2018Raven's HomeMapa"The Falcon and the Raven, Part 1"
TV series2019Doom PatrolSteve / Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man3 episodes
TV series2019Team KaylieGeraldEpisode: "Lights, Camera, Retraction"
TV series2020Danger ForceJack FrittlemanEpisode: "The Danger Force Awakens"
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References
  1. Rotter, Joshua (August 29, 2005), "Half & Half's Alec Mapa Goes All Out", AfterElton.com, archived from the original on November 18, 2007, retrieved 2007-11-02
  2. Alec Mapa on IMDb
  3. https://twitter.com/alecmapa/status/638800767298744320?s=21
  4. Hartinger, Brent (November 9, 2008). "More Gay Celebrity Boyfriends!". After Elton. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  5. "The Big Nervous Breakup Episode" on IMDb
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