Biography
A plus-sized actor of Afro-Cuban descent whose killer smile and infectious laugh can liven up any comedy, Faizon Love got his start in such well-received African-American comedies as
Fear of a Black Hat and
Friday before getting wide recognition in such high-profile comedies as
Money Talks,
The Replacements, and
Elf. It was during high school in New Jersey that the aspiring comic first became interested in performing for a crowd; his English teacher recognized Love's skill for comedy and allowing the student to perform for his classmates on days when lessons went especially well. Following graduation, Love moved to New York and made a bid for the big time in the East Coast entertainment capitol; it didn't take long for the performer to land an off-Broadway role in the Harlem National Black Theater production of Bitter Heart Midtown (a modernized retelling of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations). The subsequent death of beloved comic
Robin Harris during the production of the animated comedy
BeBe's Kids provided the emerging performer with his first big break in film, and though it was strictly a vocal affair, Love performed admirably under pressure. He could next be seen alongside
Robert Townsend, Rusty Cundieff,
Ice Cube, and
Shawn Wayans in a series of low-budget but well-received comedy features.
Love later parlayed his connection with Townsend into an extended television role on the small-screen sitcom
The Parent 'Hood, and he continued to climb the credits until his role as a gridiron giant in
The Replacements punted him into the mainstream. It was following his appearance in the
Keanu Reeves sports comedy that Love's career truly took off, with a 2001 performance opposite Sean "Puffy" Combs in
Jon Favreau's
Made marking the beginning of a working relationship between the director and the actor that would continue when Love appeared opposite
Will Ferrell in
Elf (2003). Love's role as a surfing football player in
Blue Crush in 2002 allowed the actor to overcomed his duel fears of sharks and water to brave the waves. And after attempting to remain in control of a prison as the warden in
The Fighting Temptations, it was time to hit the road in
Torque, a two-wheeled thrill ride starring Love's former
Friday co-star
Ice Cube. Video-game players with an ear for detail would recognize Love's substantial role in the hit 2004 release Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, with additional roles opposite
Lindsay Lohan in
Just My Luck and in the long-awaited OutKast musical
Idlewild effectively serving to mark the arrival of a comedic actor whose versatility continued to impress. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide