This week, actor, voice actor, stand-up comedian, producer and screenwriter John Leguizamo will be the first guest to the Distinguished Speaker Series for the fall semester.
The event will be live streamed starting at 7:15 p.m. Thursday on UTRGV’s website.
According to Leguizamo’s IMDb biography, he is a Colombian-born actor best known for his fast-talking, feisty looks and Latino personality in films.
He began his career by working the comedy club circuit in New York City and landed roles such as voicing Sid in the animated movie “Ice Age”, co-starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Collateral Damage”, and directed and starred in the boxing film “Undefeated.”
Program Coordinator for Student Activities Elianey Moya said the Distinguished Speaker Series is a signature program that aims to provide the university and its surrounding communities with world-class leaders and lecturers.
“So, we are kicking off our 17th season of the Distinguished Speaker Series … but due to our current situation with [COVID-19], we are hosting this Distinguished Speaker Series event virtually, and it is only open to the UTRGV students, staff and faculty,” Moya said.
She said Leguizamo was scheduled as the last guest speaker for Spring 2020 but was moved for this semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So, usually in the past, when we have in-person distinguished speakers, they are able to communicate experiences that they’ve gone through,” Moya saidl “This one’s going to be slightly different. We are going to have a moderator asking questions to John Leguizamo.”
The moderator will be Communication Professor Greg Selber.
Selber said he used to do a lot of hosting in the past but is happy to get back in the game.
“They’re not here to listen to me,” Selber said. “My job is to make sure that things run smoothly and that this speaker feels welcomed and that people are kind of briefed and that things, you know, move on a timetable and that, so it’s just a little bit more interesting.”
Graduate Student Glenda Loza is planning to attend the event and is excited to be able to hear from Leguizamo.
“So, I just think it’s like really cool to be able to hear from someone you’ve kind of, like, seen on movies and, like, kind of like heard of characters and other movies and stuff,” Loza said.
Moya says she is excited to have Leguizamo as a speaker and hopes to see the campus community show up to the event.
To RSVP to the event, visit the Student Activities’ website.
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