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.
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]
Raised in Sayreville, New Jersey, Albán graduated from Sayreville War Memorial High School in 1996; he was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2019.[4] He attended Rutgers University, majoring in visual arts.
Albán was on Sesame Street from 1993 to 1998 and during that time his being in the U.S. was against the law. 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.
He has had recurring roles in Strangers with Candy, Thicker Than Blood, and The Tavern. He has guest starred on Law & Order, The Jury, Touched by an Angel, the HBO prison-themed series Oz, Deadline, and in Prison Break as Luis "McGrady" Gallego. He played "Birdman" in the film Whip It.
| Production | Date | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bird | 2022 | Chris Drysdale | |
| Mile 22 | 2018 | William Douglas | |
| The Night Of (TV Mini-Series) | 2016 | ||
| H.O.M.E. | 2016 | Manny | |
| Sleeping with Other People | 2015 | Microcenter Employee | |
| Palladium (Short) | 2014 | Stefon Alexander | |
| The Bravest, the Boldest (Short) | 2014 | Chaplain Lieutenant Torres | |
| Girls (TV Series) | 2014 | ||
| The Sonnet Project (TV Series) | 2013 | ||
| Cannonball Beautiful (Short) | 2011 | Bear | |
| Margaret | 2011 | Rodrigo | |
| The Big Deal (Short) | 2011 | Auggie | |
| Hector is Gonna Kill Nate (Short) | 2010 | Hector | |
| Whip It | 2009 | Birdman | |
| Fringe (TV Series) | 2008 | FBI Tech Agent | |
| Glow Ropes: The Rise and Fall of a Bar Mitzvah Emcee | 2008 | Barry | |
| Prison Break (TV Series) | 2007-2008 | McGrady | |
| The Tape Recorder (Short) | 2007 | Man | |
| Life Support (TV Movie) | 2007 | Andre | |
| Dentist Visit (Short) | 2007 | Juan | |
| Live Free or Die | 2006 | Todd Thomas | |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent (TV Series) | 2005 | James Raphael | |
| Strangers with Candy | 2005 | Megawatti | |
| The Jury (TV Series) | 2004 | Douglas Santago | |
| 21 Grams | 2003 | Lucio | |
| Snipes | 2001 | Bugsy | |
| Deadline (TV Series) | 2000 | Manny | |
| Center Stage | 2000 | Eva's Friend | |
| Law & Order (TV Series) | 1996-2000 | Ramon Soriano / Damien | |
| Touched by an Angel (TV Series) | 1999 | Tino Morante | |
| The Tavern | 1999 | Tommy | |
| Oz (TV Series) | 1999 | Luis Ricardo | |
| Hi-Life | 1998 | Ricky | |
| Thicker Than Blood (TV Movie) | 1998 | Lee Cortez | |
| Sesame Street (TV Series) | 1993-1998 | Carlo | |
| Hurricane Streets | 1997 | Benny | |
| Imagine That! (Video short) | 1996 | Carlo | |
| Sesame Street: Cookie Monster's Best Bites (Video) | 1995 |
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.
Regional Theatre Productions:[8]
| Production | Theatre | |
|---|---|---|
| Sweat | OSF, Public Theater, Broadway | |
| A Parallelogram | Center Theatre Group | |
| Lydia | Denver, Yale, Center Theatre Group | |
| Hurricane | Asolo Repertory Theatre | |
| All About Us | Westport | |
| Dreamlandia | Dallas Theatre Center | |
| Night of the Iguana | Guthrie Theater |
| Production | Theatre | |
|---|---|---|
| Tamburlaine Parts I & II | Theatre for a New Audience | |
| Intríngulis | Solo show - writer/performer | |
| A Small Melodramatic Story | Labyrinth Theater Company | |
| References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot | The Public Theater, NYSF | |
| A Summer Day | Rattlestick Playwrights Theater | |
| Alice in Slasherland, Living Dead in Denmark | Vampire Cowboys | |
| Flipzoids | Ma-Yi |
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.[9] He has also received the New Dramatists' Charles Bowden Award,[10] and a 2017 Theatre World Award for an outstanding Broadway debut for Sweat.
Alban starred in Sweat, the Pulitzer Prize Winner for Drama 2017.[11] [12] 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.[13]