Guillermo Rodriguez (comedian)

Guillermo Rodriguez[2] (born January 27, 1971), more commonly known as Guillermo, is a Mexican-American[3] talk show personality who rose to fame while working as a parking lot security guard at the Hollywood Boulevard studios for American late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[4] He continues in character and title as Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s security guard, but actually performs nightly as Jimmy Kimmel's sidekick.

For other people with the same name, see Guillermo Rodriguez (disambiguation).
Guillermo Rodriguez
Rodriguez in January 2013
Born (1971-01-27) January 27, 1971
Zacatecas City, Mexico[1]
NationalityMexican-American
OccupationTV personality, comedian
Years active2003-present
Known forJimmy Kimmel Live!

Early life

Rodriguez was born in Zacatecas, Mexico.[1]

Career

Rodriguez began working as a parking-lot security guard for Jimmy Kimmel Live! studio in 2003.[5] At this time he also had a second full-time job (hotel room server) as well as working weekends at a third.[6] He later moved from being a parking-lot security guard to appearing on-screen. Due to his shyness at the time Rodriguez initially turned down the offer to appear on the show in 2003 but was talked into it by one of the producers.[6][7] His early appearances were with "Uncle Frank" Potenza in a series of bits called "Security Night Live".[8][9] (Potenza had originally handled security for the show before his role was expanded to appear on screen.)[9] Rodriguez soon moved to acting in skits on the show with his first role being Michael Jackson's Spanish cook.[8] Rodriguez's comedic role on the show is usually playing the Everyman.[8] Guillermo took over main red-carpet interviewing duties in 2011 after Potenza died of natural causes.[4]

Rodriguez's signature segment is "Guillermo's Hollywood Roundup", in which, dressed in a cowboy outfit and pretending to twirl a special effect operated lasso, he makes a mockery of entertainment news shows featured widely on television. From outside the theater and standing next to his West Coast Customs-made "Guillermobile", he answers Kimmel's questions about the latest tabloid stories by taking a rack of magazines that the "Guillermobile" has been fitted with, and attempts to interpret the stories in an amusing and mis-translated way.[10]

Another recurring joke is announcing that Rodriguez has a role in a current or recent major motion picture release and showing a clip of an at-first familiar trailer for the movie with Rodriguez edited in, his appearance often made-up to resemble a character in the movie. One sketch has Rodriguez impersonating Matt Damon's character of Jason Bourne in The Bourne Ultimatum by responding when asked to be named, "I am Yay-son... Bourne Identity." A physical fight between Rodriguez and Damon's actual character ensues. Rodriguez also starred alongside Kimmel in Boo!, a spoof of Saw.[11]

Rodriguez often sets out to interview famous celebrities. Some of his subjects do not know who he is, which the show uses for humorous interplay. Rodriguez regularly appears at the NBA Finals to interview players. At the 2015 Finals, he called out to LeBron James as James was practicing. James ignored Rodriguez, who had a meter counting how many times the name "LeBron" would be called before James acknowledged his presence.

Rodriguez appeared as a special guest on the last episode of Univision telenovela Eva Luna on April 11, 2011. In 2017, he had a brief uncredited cameo in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as a policeman, which he revealed in a video on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in April 2017.[12] In April 2017, Jimmy Kimmel named his son "Billy" after Guillermo.

Rodriguez was made an honorary citizen of Dildo through the Newfoundland tradition of "screeching in", on August 15, 2019 during Jimmy Kimmel Live![13]

Personal life

Rodriguez is married and the couple have a son named Benji who was born on December 11, 2011.[7]

In 2005 he received his Green Card.[7]

Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2009 Rock Slyde Gary
2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Cop #2 uncredited cameo[12]
2019 The Little Mermaid Live! Blowfish
2020 Bill & Ted Face the Music Himself Cameo appearance during the credits

References
  1. Tévez, Óscar (March 7, 2018). "De vigilante de un 'parking' por 6,5 euros la hora a estrella de televisión: la historia del hombre de dorado de los Oscar" – via elpais.com.
  2. "Guillermo Rodriguez | Jimmy Kimmel Live!". ABC. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  3. "'Jimmy Kimmel' Star Guillermo Responds to Donald Trump's Anti-Mexico Comments With Hilarious Bilingual Bit". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  4. "Passings: Frank Potenza, John Howard Davies, Jack Layton". Los Angeles Times. 2011-08-24. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  5. Dory Jackson (August 18, 2020). "Ellen DeGeneres and tWitch, Chelsea Handler and Chuy Bravo Plus More Famous TV Hosts and Their Sidekicks". US Magazine.
  6. Jon Finkel (September 4, 2018). "Guillermo the Great: Jimmy Kimmel's Sidekick Discusses His Improbable Rise From Parking Lot Security Guard To Late Night TV Star".
  7. "Is Guillermo Rodriguez Married? Who Is His Wife, Family?". Celebtap.
  8. Bruce Miller (March 30, 2013). "Guillermo gives 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' the common touch". Sioux City Journal.
  9. Lynn Elberthe (August 23, 2011). "Uncle Frank of 'Kimmel Show' fame dies at 77". Associated Press.
  10. Guillermo's bio at ABC.com
  11. "More Campers Are Left 2 Die - Dread Central". 29 May 2012.
  12. Jimmy Kimmel Live (13 April 2017). "Guillermo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" – via YouTube.
  13. "Jimmy Kimmel - Mayor of Dildo!". Youtube. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
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