Carlo Albán (born October 3, 1979) is an Ecuadorian actor, best known as "Carlo" from Sesame Street (1993–98). He played the role of Luis "McGrady" Gallego on Prison Break (2007–08). He has since gone on to perform in a variety of mediums, including plays and television shows.
Early life
Albán arrived in the U.S. at the age of 7 with his family on a travel visa.[1] However, his family intended to stay in the United States despite the potential consequences, living on an expired visa with the risk of deportation always prevalent.[2] When he was 12 he got his first role in Oliver! as the title character. He then went on to other roles in New York until he was cast on Sesame Street.[3]
Albán was on Sesame Street from 1993 to 1998 and during that time his being in the U.S. was against the law.[2] In response to the reasoning for him being on Sesame Street while lacking proper documentation, he said, "what better place to hide than in the spotlight where no one would suspect you?"[5] During these teenage years Albán had several formative experiences that he later talked about in his play Intringulus, including an instance involving the situation of his immigration.
Albán has made appearances on the stage, including multiple Off-Broadway shows and on Broadway in Sweat.[6][7] He originated the role of Oscar in the world premiere production of Sweat at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015.
Sweat
Alban starred in Sweat, the Pulitzer Prize Winner for Drama 2017.[8][9]Sweat ran on Broadway through June 2017 and tackles the issues that a group of friends and coworkers must deal with as their jobs are threatened.[8][10]
For television, Alban has been nominated for two Young Artist Awards for his work in Touched by an Angel and Thicker Than Blood. He also received a nomination for an ALMA award for his work in Thicker Than Blood, and Thicker Than Blood received an ALMA award for Outstanding Made-For-Television Movie or Mini-Series.[12] He has also received the New Dramatists' Charles Bowden Award,[13] and a 2017 Theatre World Award for an outstanding Broadway debut for Sweat.
References
^Horwitz, Simi (March 2017). "From 'Sesame Street' to solo star: Carlo Alban". Back Stage West. 9.
^Saltz, Rachel (October 19, 2011). "Carlo of 'Sesame Street,' on Being an Illegal Immigrant in Real Life". The New York Times.
^Sockol, Matthew. "Sayreville Hall of Fame ceremony is April 27", CentralJersey.com, March 19, 2019. Accessed April 8, 2021. "Alban is from the Class of 1996 and has had a career in the arts for over 25 years. As a teenager, he portrayed the character Carlo on Sesame Street and has appeared on several other television series, including as a member of the cast of Prison Break."
