Alfonso Ribeiro (born September 21, 1971 in The Bronx, New York, USA) is an actor, television director, dancer, and game show host who starred as Carlton Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Aside from his role as Carlton, he is also known for portraying Alfonso Spears, the best friend of Ricky Stratton in the final three seasons of the sitcom Silver Spoons. He also hosted the GSN game show Catch 21 (based on the popular casino game "Blackjack") from 2008-2011. Ribeiro is the current host of AFV (America's Funniest Home Video), replacing previous host Tom Bergeron (who is also the host of Dancing with the Stars).
Career[]
Ribeiro first gained recognition in 1983 when he received positive reviews for his performance in the leading role of the Broadway Musical The Tap Dance Kid. In 1984, Ribeiro appeared as a dancer in a Pepsi commercial that featured Michael Jackson, and was cast as Alfonso Spears in Silver Spoons that same year.
Ribeiro's breakout role would not come until 1990, when he starred as Carlton Banks in the sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air with his trademark "Carlton Dance," gaining fame with fans of the show.
Following the series finale of Fresh Prince, Ribeiro starred as Dr. Maxwell Stanton in the final three seasons of sitcom In the House. Since then, Ribeiro has often done voice work, directing and hosting for various television series (although he still guest stars on occasion).
Dancing with the Stars[]
Ribeiro appeared on the nineteenth season of Dancing with the Stars in the fall of 2014, where he was partnered with professional dancer Witney Carson. During his duration on the show, he performed two dances based on Fresh Prince: his famous "Carlton Dance" (which earned perfect scores from the judges) and the "Apache (Jump On It)" dance from "Viva Lost Wages" during finale night. Ribeiro went on to win that season of Dancing with the Stars, beating out Sadie Robertson and Janel Parrish, who placed second and third respectively.
Personal life[]
Ribeiro married to Robin Stapler in 2002, but they divorced in 2006 after four years of marriage. Together, they have one child, a daughter named Sienna Ribeiro.
In 2012, Ribeiro married writer Angela Unkrich. Together, they have a son named Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro Jr. (born October 27, 2013) and Unkrich is currently pregnant with the couple's second child together.
Trivia[]
- During his introduction in Dancing with the Stars before the week of the "Carlton Dance," Ribeiro admitted that he had trouble finding roles following Fresh Prince due to being typecast because of his role as Carlton. Despite this, he still enjoyed his time on the show and the time he spent playing the character.
- Alfonso has a cameo appearance in the music video for Will Smith's song "Wild Wild West."