Latino Comedy. com Article about Joey Diaz
November 19th, 2006
NICKNAME:
“Uncle Joey”
BIRTHPLACE:
Havana, Cuba
HOMETOWN:
North Bergen, NJ
RESIDES:
Los Angeles, CA
WEBSITE:
joeycocodiaz.com
When you see the upcoming, highly anticipated remake of the “Longest Yard”, you’ll see Hollywood royalty - Burt Reynolds, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and James Cromwell to name a few. But in all the hoopla you’ll also see an unknown, overweight, Italian type who is flat-out hilarious.
His name: Joey “Coco” Diaz
However, Joey “Coco” is not a complete unknown. You’ve seen him in the box office smash hit “Spiderman II” during the climactic train scene where he stands up for the battered Spidey. You also might remember him as Queen Latifah’s boss Freddy in the action packed comedy “Taxi”. His other film appearances include “Dickey Roberts: Former Child Star”, Rodney Dangerfield’s last film “Back by Midnight” and a scene stealing performance in “Analyze That”. But it’s the “Longest Yard” that is going to put Joey “Coco” on the celluloid map!
As far as comedy goes, Dangerfield, Sandler and Harold Ramis can’t all be wrong. Joey “Coco” is a proven comedy star on the rise. He is an accomplished standup comic of twelve years, who has performed in clubs from coast to coast. With his R-rated look at life, you can catch Joey “Coco” performing regularly at Mitzi Shore’s world famous Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip.
Joey “Coco” is originally from North Bergen, NJ where he honed his rapid fire comedy style. When you’re the only spic in an Irish / Italian neighborhood, you better be really funny. He officially got his start in Boulder, CO at the Beck’s Comedy Competition. There he stole the show and never looked back, going all the way to the finals of Seattle’s International Comedy Festival with Aisha Tyler. A first for an R-rated comic.
Off the success of the competition, Joey “Coco” pursued his dream of going to Los Angeles and trying his hand at acting. Not long after, he was spotted by a CBS executive and put into the television pilot “Bronx County”. Yes, a drama! Joey “Coco” does drama too. As a matter of fact Joey “Coco” is so good at drama that he has landed roles in several other TV dramas including CBS’s “Cold Case”, NBC’s “ER” and ABC’s “NYPD Blue” and “Karen Cisco”.
Joey’s many television appearances aren’t limited strictly to drama. You’ll see him on FOX’s “Mad TV” doing a fan favorite spoof of the “Sopranos” or look for him in a scene on HBO’s “Arli$$” performing with the late, great James Coburn (Respect).
Whether on stage or on screen, his presence is always felt. Joey “Coco”s rise is being paralleled to other great comedy crossovers like Robin Williams, Richard Pryor and Jamie Foxx. So do yourself a favor and catch Joey “Coco” Diaz on a stage near you.
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