Buzz Belmondo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Buzz Belmondo is the stage name of actor, comedian, film maker, film producer and writer Lorenzo Matawaran. It is also a persona created by Matawaran from his days in improvisational and stand-up comedy. Born on February 20, 1947 in a fish market in San Francisco, California of Latka and Simka Matawaran, a Filipino immigrant couple, he grew up in a housing project not far from Fisherman's Wharf. As a child, he had the reputation of being “the cut-up of the guys” from his neighborhood.
In the mid-1960s, Buzz served a tour of duty in Vietnam as an infantry rifleman. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 1967 under circumstances that have never been made public. He held the rank of sergeant.
Although he originally planned on a career in graphic design, the course of his life was altered when he failed the entrance exam at Art Instruction Schools. Crushed by this turn of events, Matawaran went on a summer-long "soul-searching" trip through Europe. Upon returning to the United States, he started performing around the San Francisco area as a puppeteer. After going to see a friend’s performance in an improv troupe, Matawaran was invited to join an improv class. He went on from that class to performing at halftime during local high school basketball games, but it was his decision to try the open-mike night in a Winchells Donuts basement that opened doors for him professionally. Soon Matawaran was performing at comedy clubs throughout San Francisco, eventually heading for Los Angeles and a club called Igby's. While there as the m.c., he was spotted by a casting scout from The Pat Sajak Show. In his days on the short-lived talk show, Matawaran, in the persona of Belmondo, would schmooze with Pat, telling fake gossip about Hollywood stars.
After the Pat Sajak show, Buzz soon caught the interest of television producers, landing a recurring role on the syndicated sitcom, Out of This World, with co-stars Donna Pescow and Maureen Flannigan. Buzz feuded famously with Joe Alaskey on the set of Out of This World to the point where the two would not film scenes together. Any scene in which both of them appear in the same frame from the second season on was filmed using trick photography[citation needed].
He went on to land roles and appearances in Baywatch, Home Improvement, Wish Kid, The Torkelsons, and other shows. He has also appeared in some films including The Big Fall, Underground, The Dakota Kid, and others.
Currently his projects include collaboration with Danny Stump on the parody/spoof of the 1950s paranoia film, They Might be Us.
He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, son, and their cats "Bronco" and "Plinko."
[edit] Trivia
- Third cousin of former Major League Baseball Pitcher Dennis Lamp.
- Table Tennis enthusiast.
- Has a glass eye.
- Avid fresh-water fisherman.
- Is lactose intolerant.
- Has a cameo in Madonna's Papa Don't Preach video.
- Was a four-year letterman in track and field in highschool.
- Best friends with film critic Gene Shalit.
- Infamously involved in a 1988 brawl at Jerry's Famous Deli with Harvey Keitel.
- Named cats after his favorite football team (the Denver Broncos) and his favorite game on television's The Price is Right.
