Brian Jordan Alvarez

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Brian Jordan Alvarez
Born (1987-07-10) July 10, 1987 (age 36)
New York City, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Southern California
OccupationActor
Years active2009–present
Known for

Brian Jordan Alvarez (born July 10, 1987) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his original songs, recurring roles as Estéfan in Will and Grace (2018–2020) and Wesley in Jane the Virgin (2015–2016), as well as for his own self-produced films and series, most notably his 2016 web series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo.[1]

Early life[edit]

Alvarez was born in Manhattan, New York City to Paul Jordan and Angela Jordan Alvarez, an electrical engineer and Spanish instructor, respectively.[2][3] He has a sister, Catalina.[3] He spent his childhood in Winchester, Tennessee,[4] where he began acting and making movies.[2] In middle school, he was teased and bullied for his sexuality.[1] He went on to attend Saint Andrew's Sewanee School and then the high school program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[5][2] Heavily involved in his school's theater program, he continued to study acting at the USC School of Dramatic Arts where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting.[1]

Alvarez is of Colombian descent matrilineally, and has roots from the American South from the other side of his family. He speaks Spanish fluently.[4][3]

Career[edit]

Alvarez acted throughout college.[citation needed]

He collaborated with College Humor on an episode titled "Gay Men Will Marry Your Girlfriends". He has performed roles in several television shows including: Will & Grace, Hot in Cleveland, Life in Pieces, Jane the Virgin, Go-Go Boy Interrupted, and 2 Broke Girls.[1] In October 2014, he was cast in a supporting role in the MTV scripted comedy pilot Self Promotion.[6] The show, directed by Zach Braff, was ultimately not picked up by the network.[7]

In 2016, Alvarez wrote, produced, directed and starred in the five-part web comedy series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo. The series played at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival as part of its New Online Work.[8] The series was nominated for the Gotham Award for Breakthrough Series – Shortform and was named Indiewire's number-one web series for the year.[9][8]

Alvarez played the recurring role of Estéfan Gloria, Jack McFarland's fiancé and later husband, in all three seasons of the 2010s revival of NBC's Will & Grace.[10] In August 2020, it was announced Alvarez was cast in the Netflix quarantine anthology series Social Distance. He appeared in the episode "Zero Feet Away" opposite Max Jenkins.[11]

Alvarez has gained prominence for his viral videos on Instagram and TikTok, in which he often portrays a rotating cast of absurdist characters using thick accents and distorting facial filters.[12] In September 2023, he posted a video featuring his character TJ Mack performing an improvised song titled "Sitting", which quickly became an online sensation, accumulating millions of views and being remixed and covered by fans in various genres.[13][14][15] Versions of "Sitting" have appeared on the radio in both the United States and Australia, and Vanity Fair has described it as possibly 2023's "song of the summer."[15][16] Alvarez has also made appearances on Australian television due to his ability to do a convincing Australian accent.[17]

In November 2023, it was announced that FX had ordered Alvarez's 2022 "English Teacher" comedy pilot to series. Alvarez created the series and will star as the protagonist, an English teacher working at a high school in Austin, Texas.[18]

Filmography[edit]

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2015 Hot in Cleveland Ian Episode: "Cleveland Calendar Girls"
2015 Life in Pieces Jorge Episode: "Interruptus Date Breast Movin'"
2015 RocketJump: The Show Sherlock Episode: "Fan Friction"
2015 Self Promotion Wyatt TV pilot
2015–2016 Jane the Virgin Wesley Masters 4 episodes (season 2)
2016 Gay Skit Happens Various characters 2 episodes; Logo TV sketch comedy show
2016 2 Broke Girls Tad Episode: "And the 80's Movie"
2016 The Great Indoors Brian Episode: "No Bad Ideas"
2017–2019 Get Shorty Jayson / Robert 9 episodes (seasons 1 & 3)
2018 Grace and Frankie Willy Episode: "The Rats"
2018–2020 Will & Grace Estéfan Gloria 13 episodes (seasons 9–11)
2019 Special Shay Episode: "Chapter Three: Free Scones"
2019 Grand Hotel Topher Episode: "Long Night's Journey Into Day"
2019 Black Jesus Phil Osterfawk Episode: "The Real Jesus of Compton"
2020 Corporate Bonan Marrow Episode: "The Wind of God"
2020 Social Distance Marco Episode: "Zero Feet Away"
2024 English Teacher Also creator

|}

Films[edit]

Year Title Role Functioned as Notes
director screenWriter Producer
2008 Ted White-Knockelby Pursues the American Dream n/a
checkY
 Short film
2009 In The Dark Alex Emerson Short film
2009 Herpes Boy DragonSlayer1985
2010 Consent Seth
2011 Come Visit n/a
checkY
checkY
checkY
 Short film
2014 The Setup Elliot
2014 Wave Tim
checkY
 Short film
2016 The Operator Allen (Voice) Short film
2016 Paco Paco Short film
2016 The Happys Patrick
2016 Going Together Griffin Short film
2017 Everything is Free Ivan
checkY
checkY
checkY
 Also composer and editor; distributed in 2019
2017 How to Be a Slut in America Brian
checkY
checkY
checkY
 Also editor; released in three parts
2018 Grandmother's Gold Danny
checkY
checkY
checkY
 Also composer and editor
2018 Are You Still Singing? Office Manager Short film
2018 Stuck Raymond
2019 Web Series: The Movie Dave Stdert
checkY
checkY
checkY
 Also editor
2019 Simply Having Remly LaMore
checkY
 Short film
2020 Boys Who Like Books Bjorn
checkY
 Pre-production
2021 A Spy Movie Jack Johnson
checkY
 Short film. Producer and actor.
2022 M3GAN Cole
2023 80 for Brady Derek

Web series and shorts[edit]

Selected credits

Year Title Role Producer Notes
2012 Gay Men Will Marry Your Girlfriends Garden Guy CollegeHumor Originals Short
2012 Charlie's Gayngels Charlie Brian Jordan Alvarez Short
2012 You Are What I Want Nelson Adams Short
2014 It's Just a Question Frank Short
2014 For Auld Lang Syne Matt Short
2014–2016 Go-Go Boy Interrupted Eliot Jimmy Fowlie 8 episodes
2015 Ryan Gosling Responds to Haters Zac Efron Brian Jordan Alvarez Short
2016 Unreleased Robert Durst Third Interview Andrew Jarecki Short
2016 The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo Caleb 5 episodes; also director, writer, producer, and editor
2016 Neonate Fest Shane Lucas Funny or Die Episode: "Vape Battle of the Century"
2016 JoJoHead CW Seed Episode: "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time"
2016 Made in China Emil Ken Kirby Web series pilot
2017 Catching a Break Ray Episode: "All Day Adventure"
2017 Stupid Idiots Brian Stephanie Koenig Miniseries; 6 episodes[19]
2019 Lovelytheband: "Maybe, I'm Afraid" Brian Music video
2019 Matt and Dan Bartholemew Matt & Dan Episode: "Deal Breaker" web series
2019 Stellar People Antares Unreleased web series
2022 Superorganism: "Teenager" Dancer Verdigris Management Music Video

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Horowitz, Steven J (June 29, 2016). "Catching Up With the Creator of the Best Queer Web Series Out There". Paper. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Brian Jordan Alvarez". Retrieved October 3, 2020 – via Vimeo. Brian was born in NYC, then moved at age five to the sticks of Tennessee where he grew up. He then left Tennessee to go to high school at North Carolina School of the Arts, followed by college at University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, where he got his BFA. He's been making movies and acting since he was a kid.
  3. ^ a b c Zall, Alexis (2019). Brian Jordan Alvarez + His Parents Paul and Angela (podcast).
  4. ^ a b Corner, Ruby (May 1, 2017). "Brian Jordan Alvarez: Advocate". A&U. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  5. ^ "From YouTube to 'Jane the Virgin,' Brian Jordan Alvarez Is Conquering Hollywood on His Own Terms". Remezcla. February 23, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  6. ^ "MTV Pilot 'Self Promotion' Casts 3; Jeremy Shamos Joins 'Nurse Jackie'". Deadline. October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 20, 2015). "MTV Passes On 'Self Promotion' Pilot". Deadline. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Alex, Jonathan (October 5, 2018). "Going for Gold: The Work and Career of Brian Jordan Alvarez". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  9. ^ Hipes, Patrick (October 20, 2016). "Gotham Awards Nominations: 'Manchester By The Sea', 'Moonlight' Lead Way". Deadline. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Pedersen, Erik (March 26, 2020). "'Will & Grace' Series Finale Date Set; NBC Also Will Air Retrospective Special". Deadline. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (August 26, 2020). "'Social Distance': Danielle Brooks, Mike Colter Among Cast For Netflix Quarantine Anthology Series From Jenji Kohan & Hilary Weisman Graham". Deadline. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  12. ^ Klee, Miles (September 29, 2023). "Mad Genius Behind the Viral Song 'Sitting' Actually Prefers to Stand". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  13. ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (September 27, 2023). "The Weirdos Living Inside Our Phones". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Mendez II, Moises (September 29, 2023). "How Viral Fame Is Sitting With Brian Jordan Alvarez". Time. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Murphy, Chris (September 29, 2023). "Brian Jordan Alvarez Wants to Keep "Sitting"—And Partying—On the Internet". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  16. ^ Restrepo, Manuela López (September 28, 2023). "T.J. Mack wants you to know it's OK to sit". NPR. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  17. ^ Williams, Carly (November 12, 2020). "Will & Grace Actor Brian Jordan Alvarez Perfects Australian Accent In Viral Election Video". Huffington Post Australia. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  18. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 16, 2023). "Brian Jordan Alvarez Comedy 'English Teacher' Picked Up To Series At FX". Deadline. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  19. ^ Hipes, Patrick; Andreeva, Nellie (July 18, 2017). "'Stupid Idiots' Web Series Getting TV Adaptation By Paramount TV & Anonymous Content". Deadline. Retrieved October 3, 2020.

External links[edit]

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