Alfonso Ribeiro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Afonso Ribeiro.
Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Ribeiro.JPG
Ribeiro in 2011
Born
Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro

(1971-09-21) September 21, 1971 (age 49)
New York City, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor, dancer, director, host, television personality, comedian
Years active1980–present
Spouse(s)
Robin Stapler
​
​
(m. 2002; div. 2006)​

Angela Unkrich
​
(m. 2012)​
Children4

Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro Sr. (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor, director and comedian. He played Alfonso Spears on the sitcom Silver Spoons, Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Maxwell Stanton on In the House.

He is the current host of ABC's America's Funniest Home Videos, replacing host Tom Bergeron, who left after 15 years. Ribeiro has hosted the GSN game show Catch 21, the ABC Family show Spell-Mageddon, and the television show Dance 360. He also starred in the title role of the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid and took part in the 13th season of the British reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Ribeiro won Season 19 of Dancing with the Stars with professional partner Witney Carson.[1]

Early life[]

Ribeiro was born in New York City in the Riverdale neighborhood of The Bronx to Afro-Trinidadian parents.[2] His paternal grandfather was, Albert Ribeiro, a Trinidadian calypsonian of African and Portuguese descent, known professionally as Lord Hummingbird.[3][4][5][6]

Career[]

Early work[]

Ribeiro began his career at age 8. He first gained recognition in 1983 when he played a leading role in the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid. He received positive reviews for his performance and was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award.[7] Ribeiro appeared as a dancer in a Pepsi commercial that featured Michael Jackson in 1984;[8] a rumor spread that Ribeiro died from snapping his neck while dancing in the commercial.[9] The same year, Ribeiro was cast as Rick Schroder's best friend on the TV series Silver Spoons.[10] In 1985, Ribeiro appeared as himself in a commercial on MTV, advertising a dance instruction book he authored called Alfonso's Breakin' & Poppin' Book. In 1986, he released a 12-inch rap record called "Timebomb" on Prism Records.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air[]

Ribeiro's breakout role was as Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from September 1990 to May 1996, the cousin of Will Smith's lead character. Carlton, the character, was known for frequently dancing to Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual", a dance routine that gained fame as "The Carlton".[11]

Later work[]

He later starred on the sitcom In the House with LL Cool J from 1997 to 1999. Ribeiro competed as one of the celebrity singers on the reality television show Celebrity Duets in September 2006, winning over the runner-up Lucy Lawless. In July 2008, Ribeiro hosted the game show Catch 21 on GSN. He also directed some episodes of Meet the Browns and a majority of the Season 2 episodes of the Are We There Yet? television series. Ribeiro hosted his second game show Spell-Mageddon, on ABC Family, in 2013.

On May 24, 2013, Ribeiro made a cameo appearance on The Graham Norton Show to perform "The Carlton Dance", with show guests Will and Jaden Smith.[12] In November of that year, Ribeiro took part as a contestant in the thirteenth series of the British reality show, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here.[13] He was eliminated from the show on December 5, 2013, finishing in seventh place.

On September 4, 2014, Ribeiro was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on Season 19 of Dancing with the Stars. He partnered with professional dancer Witney Carson. He became the fourth celebrity dancer in the show's history to receive a 9 from each judge in week one. On November 25, 2014, Ribeiro and Carson won the competition.[14] In September 2015, he returned as a guest judge in week three of Season 21, and he subbed for Tom Bergeron as host the following week.

On May 19, 2015, Ribeiro was named as Tom Bergeron's successor to host America's Funniest Home Videos.[15] In July 2015, Ribeiro made a cameo appearance in the music video for "All Night" by pop-rock band R5.[16]

In October 2018, he was announced as the host of the UK game show Money Tree. On October 12, 2018, Ribeiro was announced to sit in for Bruno Tonioli as guest judge on Strictly Come Dancing for week 5. He joined regular judges Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, and Shirley Ballas. This also occurred for week 5 of the 2019 series. He also appeared as a contestant on a special Child TV Stars episode of The Weakest Link in 2001. He made it into the final round but lost to Keshia Knight-Pulliam.

Catch 21 was revived in 2019, and Ribeiro returned as the host. His role earned him a 2020 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Game Show Host, but he lost to Alex Trebek. He earned another nomination the following year, but again lost to Trebek.

In 2020, Ribeiro starred in a series of commercials for State Farm Insurance as a fanatic of Chris Paul.

On May 2021, Ribeiro is going to The Kelly Clarkson Show in Los Angeles.

The 90s with Alfonso Ribeiro[]

On July 6, 2019, syndicated radio show "The 90s with Alfonso Ribeiro" launched on multiple radio stations across the country via Sun Broadcast Group.[17][18] Radio veteran Daena Kramer (DK) joined him as co-host. The 3-hour weekly show celebrates 1990s music and culture while Alfonso and DK share their stories, pop culture facts and fun memories from the 1990s.

Personal life[]

Family[]

Ribeiro was previously married to Robin Stapler from January 2002 until August 2006. They have one child together, a daughter for whom they share joint custody.[19]

Ribeiro married Angela Unkrich on October 13, 2012, following a three-month long engagement.[20][21] The two live in Los Angeles and have three children: Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro Jr. (b. 2013), also known as A.J., Anders Reyn Ribeiro (b. 2015), and Ava Sue Ribeiro (b. May 2019).[22][23][24]

Lawsuit against Epic Games[]

In December 2018, Ribeiro, along with Instagram star Russell Horning, aka Backpack Kid, and rapper Terrence Ferguson, aka 2 Milly, brought a lawsuit against Epic Games for their decision to feature respective choreographies in the popular game Fortnite.[25][26] In Ribeiro's case, his "Carlton dance", which he made popular in the 1990s as a cast member of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, is one of the many dances that Fortnite players can purchase for their avatars. Epic Games declined to comment on the lawsuits. The U.S. Copyright Office denied him a copyright for his dance on January 13, 2019.[27] On March 7, 2019, Ribeiro dropped the lawsuit.[28]

Filmography[]

Acting[]

Film and television
Year Title Role Notes
1980 OYE Willie TV series
1984–1987 Silver Spoons Alfonso Spears Regular in seasons 3–5; 72 episodes
1986 John Grin's Christmas Rocky TV movie
1986 Magnum, P.I. Kenneth Episodes: "L.A." (2 hours), "Missing Melody"
1987 Mighty Pawns Frank TV movie
1990 A Different World Zach Duncan Episode: "Hillmann Isn't Through With You Yet"
1990–1996 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Carlton Banks 147 episodes
1993 Ticks Darrel "Panic" Lumnley
1994 Bill Nye, the Science Guy Himself Episode: "Food Web"
1994 Soul Train Host Guest-hosted one episode
1994–1998 Spider-Man Randy Robertson / Teenage Robbie Robertson Voice role
1996–1999 In the House Dr. Maxwell Stanton 51 episodes
1996 Kidz in the Wood TV movie
1997 Extreme Ghostbusters Roland Jackson Voice role
1999 V.I.P. Himself Episode: The Last Temptation of Val
2000 Your Big Break Host Game show
2001 Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase Moon Goon #1 Voice role
2001 One on One Lenny Richburg Episode "Me and My Shadow"
2001 The Weakest Link Himself/contestant Game Show
2005 Love Wrecked Bert Hernandez
2006 Celebrity Duets Himself/contestant Winner
2008–2009 GSN Live Host
2008–2011, 2019–present Catch 21 Host Game show
2011 Things We Do for Love Darren 4 episodes; also director
2012 Big Time Rush Captain McAllister Episode: "Bel Air Rush"
2013 Shake It Up Mr. Zigfeld Episode: "My Fair Librarian it Up"
2013 Spell-Mageddon Host 8 episodes
2013 The Graham Norton Show Himself UK comedy-chat show; cameo appearance in season 13, episode 8
2013 I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Himself/contestant UK reality-competition show
2014 Dancing with the Stars Himself/contestant Season 19 winner
2015–2017 Unwrapped 2.0 Host/narrator Cooking Channel series
2015–present America's Funniest Home Videos Host/narrator ABC series
2016 Whose Line Is It Anyway? Himself Season 12 Episode 1
2016 The $100,000 Pyramid Himself (Celebrity Guest) Season 1 Episode: Alfonso Ribeiro vs. Mario Batali
2018–2019 Strictly Come Dancing Himself (Guest Judge) Filled in for Bruno Tonioli

Directing[]

Television
Year Title Notes Ref.
1995 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Episode: "I, Ooh, Baby, Baby"
1997-1998 In the House 4 Episodes
2006–2007 All of Us 26 episodes
2009–2010 Meet the Browns 8 episodes
2011–2012 Are We There Yet? 19 episodes
2012–2013 Shake It Up 7 episodes
2014 Mighty Med 1 episode
2015 Young & Hungry Episode: "Young & Part Two" (season 2) [29]
2015–2018 K.C. Undercover 2 episodes

Dancing with the Stars performances[]

Ribeiro was partnered with Witney Carson for season 19. On November 25, 2014, Ribeiro and Carson were declared the season's champions.

In November 2017, Ribeiro returned to 25th season in Week eight,[30] to participate in a trio Jive with Frankie Muniz and his professional partner Witney Carson.[31]

Week # Dance / Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Hough Tonioli
1 Jive / "3-6-9" 9 9 9 9 Safe
2 Samba / "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" 8 8 8 8 Safe
3 Quickstep / "Hey Goldmember" 8 81 8 8 Safe
4 Jazz / "It's Not Unusual" 10 102 10 10 Safe
53 Flamenco / "Angelica" 8 94 9 8 No elimination
6 Salsa / "Booty" 10 105 9 10 Safe
7 Rumba / "Ghost"
Team freestyle / "Time Warp" 		9
8 		9
8 		9
8 		9
8 		Safe
8 Cha-cha-cha / "Trust"
Jive Dance-Off / "Rip It Up" 		10
Awarded 		9
3 		9
Extra 		10
Points 		Safe
9 Foxtrot / "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"
Trio Paso Doble / "Turn Down for What" 		9
10 		9
10 		9
10 		10
10 		Safe
10
Semi-finals 		Argentine Tango / "Love Runs Out"
Contemporary / "Love Runs Out" (acoustic version) 		9
10 		9
9 		9
10 		9
10 		Safe
11
Finals 		Jive / "3-6-9"
Freestyle / "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)"
Cha-cha-cha & Argentine Tango Fusion / "Shut Up and Dance" 		10
10
10 		10
10
10 		10
10
10 		10
10
10 		Winner

1 Score given by guest judge Kevin Hart in place of Goodman.

2The American public scored the dance in place of Goodman with the averaged score being counted alongside the three other judges.

3This week only, for "Partner Switch-Up" week, Ribeiro performed with Cheryl Burke instead of Carson.

4Score given by guest judge Jessie J in place of Goodman.

5Score given by guest judge Pitbull in place of Goodman.

References[]

  1. ^ Kubicek, John (November 24, 2014). "'Dancing with the Stars' Season 19 Finale Recap: And the Winner Is..." BuddyTV. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  2. ^ "Alfonso Ribeiro". IMDb. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "Alfonso Ribeiro". facebook.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  4. ^ https://www.facebook.com/TTPortuguese/posts/d41d8cd9/3877682585641163/
  5. ^ https://www.facebook.com/TTPortuguese/posts/albert-ribeiro-lord-hummingbird-grandfather-of-alfonso-ribeiro-son-of-reginald-r/773170549425731/
  6. ^ https://www.racctrusted.com/c/alfonso-ribeiro/biography/
  7. ^ Williams, Marilyn; Parks, Rebecca (1998). "Alfonso Ribeiro". Encyclopedia.com.
  8. ^ Keller, Richard (September 24, 2006). "Alfonso Ribeiro—a member of the Pepsi Generation". AOL TV.
  9. ^ "Broadway star not dead". Lakeland Ledger. June 5, 1984.
  10. ^ "Alfonso Ribeiro". TBS. Archived from the original on September 21, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  11. ^ Rush, George; Molloy, Joanna Rush (September 5, 2008). "Greenlighting an airborne TV tie-in". Daily News.
  12. ^ "The Graham Norton Show". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  13. ^ Eames, Tom (November 13, 2013). "I'm a Celebrity..." Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  14. ^ "'Dancing with the Stars' Season 19 Finale Recap: And the Winner Is..." buddytv.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  15. ^ "Alfonso Ribeiro Set as New Host of ABC's 'America's Funniest Home Videos'". hollywoodreporter.com. May 19, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  16. ^ R5 - All Night (Official Video). July 8, 2015 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ "The '90s With Alfonso Ribeiro Does Weekends". All Access. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  18. ^ Ink, Radio (July 9, 2019). "Ribeiro Revisits The '90s". Radio Ink. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  19. ^ Acomyo, Mary Margaret (August 10, 2006). "Fresh Prince Star Alfonso Ribeiro Divorcing". People. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  20. ^ "Alfonso Ribeiro ties the knot". CNN. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  21. ^ O'Sullivan, Erin (October 14, 2012). "Fresh Prince Star Alfonso Ribeiro & Angela Unkrich Are Married". Yahoo 7 News. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  22. ^ "Exclusive: It's a Boy! Alfonso Ribeiro, Wife Angela Welcome Baby No. 2!". In Touch Weekly. April 30, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  23. ^ Webber, Stephanie (October 28, 2013). "Alfonso Ribeiro, Wife Angela Unkrich Welcome Son Alfonso Lincoln Jr". US Weekly. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  24. ^ "Alfonso Ribeiro and wife Angela welcome baby girl — see the pic". TODAY.com. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  25. ^ "Alfonso Ribeiro Sues Epic Games For Stealing His Moves". Trill! Magazine. December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  26. ^ "'Carlton Dance' suit against 'Fortnite' may have two left feet, experts say". NBC News. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  27. ^ "U.S. Copyright Office says Alfonso Ribeiro can't register his famed "Carlton" dance". cbsnews.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  28. ^ "Alfonso Ribeiro Drops Lawsuit Against 'Fortnite' Makers Over 'Carlton Dance'". yahoo.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  29. ^ "Alfonso Ribeiro on Twitter". Twitter. March 13, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  30. ^ Montgomery, Daniel (November 2, 2017). "'Dancing with the Stars' trio dances will invite back Kelly Monaco, Alfonso Ribeiro, Laurie Hernandez, Corbin Bleu". goldderby.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  31. ^ Brozyna, Emily (November 2, 2017). "'Dancing with the Stars' trio dances will invite back Kelly Monaco, Alfonso Ribeiro, Laurie Hernandez, Corbin Bleu". J-14.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Meryl Davis & Maksim Chmerkovskiy 		Dancing with the Stars (US) winners
Season 19 (Fall 2014 with Witney Carson) 		Succeeded by
Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Retrieved from ""