Birth Date:
Birth Place:
Gender:
Nationality:
Professions:
Dec 9, 1959 (64 years old)
Stoneham
Male
United States of America
Actor , Stand-up comedian , Impressionist , Screenwriter , singer , Voice Actor , Comedian
Mario Cantone is a multi-talented comedian, actor, writer, and singer with a net worth of $3 million. He gained fame for his memorable roles in the television series "Sex and the City" and "Men in Trees". Cantone has showcased his talents on the big screen in films such as "Last Request", "Otherhood", and "All My Life", and on Broadway in productions like "Love! Valour! Compassion!", "The Violet Hour", and his one-man show "Laugh Whore". Additionally, he is known for his frequent appearances on the daytime talk show "The View".
Born on December 9, 1959, in Stoneham, Massachusetts, Mario Cantone is the fourth of five children of Elizabeth and restaurant owner Mario Sr. From a young age, he showed a knack for entertainment by performing celebrity impressions at school talent shows. He graduated from Stoneham High School in 1978 and then attended Emerson College, earning his degree in 1982. During his college years, he forged a close friendship with future comedian and actor Denis Leary.
After college, Cantone relocated to New York City, where he initially worked as a chocolate vendor at Trump Tower. While selling chocolates, he entertained customers with his dynamic celebrity impressions. He later transitioned to working as a jewelry salesman before fully committing to his career as a stand-up comic.
Cantone's television career began in 1988 as the host of the children's show "Steampipe Alley", which aired until 1993. In this show, he played various characters including a parody of television chef Julia Child named Julia Children. In 1994, he appeared in an episode of "NYPD Blue". From 2000 to 2004, Cantone gained widespread recognition for his role as Anthony Marentino, the gay wedding planner, in "Sex and the City". He then portrayed gay hairdresser Terri Romano in "Men in Trees" from 2006 to 2008.
In 2015, Cantone was featured in two episodes of the VH1 series "Hindsight". The following year, he began making guest appearances on the game show "The $100,000 Pyramid" and, in 2017, appeared on "Match Game". That same year, he portrayed Anthony Scaramucci on Comedy Central's "The President Show". From 2020 to 2022, Cantone played Mal Martone in the FX series "Better Things" and reprised his role as Anthony Marentino in the "Sex and the City" sequel series "And Just Like That…", which premiered in 2021. He also competed as "Maize" on the eighth season of the reality singing competition "The Masked Singer" and is a frequent guest on "The View".
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Cantone's film career began with a notable role in the 1994 comedy "Who Do I Gotta Kill?", alongside Sandra Bullock and Steve Buscemi. He also appeared in Gore Verbinski's 1997 black comedy "Mouse Hunt". Cantone went on to feature in several comedies during the 2000s, including "Last Request", "Three Days to Vegas", and "Staten Island". He reprised his role as Anthony Marentino in the big-screen adaptations of "Sex and the City" and "Sex and the City 2" and lent his voice to the animated film "Surf's Up". More recent film credits include "In Stereo", "Otherhood", and "All My Life".
In 1995, Cantone made his Broadway debut as a replacement for Nathan Lane in Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning play "Love! Valour! Compassion!". Later that year, he acted alongside Patrick Stewart in Shakespeare's "The Tempest". In 2002, Cantone returned to Broadway with his one-man show "An Evening with Mario Cantone". The following year, he starred in Richard Greenberg's play "The Violet Hour", a role specifically written for him. In 2004, Cantone appeared in a revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical "Assassins", and also performed in his second one-man show on Broadway, "Laugh Whore".
Mario Cantone is openly gay and married his partner of 20 years, Jerry Dixon, in 2011. Dixon is a director, actor, composer, lyricist, and choreographer, and they have collaborated on several Broadway projects, including Cantone's one-man shows.
