Paul Marcarelli

Paul Marcarelli
Born (1970-05-24) May 24, 1970
North Haven, Connecticut
Alma mater Fairfield University '92
Occupation Film, voice actor, screenwriter

Paul Marcarelli is an American actor best known as the ubiquitous "Test Man" character in commercials ("Can you hear me now?") for Verizon Wireless. He appeared in all of his Verizon commercials wearing a gray Verizon jacket and his own horn-rimmed glasses until 2011.[1] He now appears as a spokesman for the Sprint[2] network.

Early life and education

Marcarelli is a native of North Haven, Connecticut and graduated from North Haven High School. Marcarelli then received his bachelor's degree in English from Fairfield University in 1992[3] where he was a member of Theatre Fairfield, the resident production company.[4]

Acting career

A founding member of New York's Mobius Group Productions in 1998, Marcarelli produced and performed in works by Eric Bogosian, Warren Leight, and Richard Nelson.[5] Mobius's production of The Adding Machine, in which he played the lead role, garnered the award for excellence in overall production from the New York International Fringe Festival in 2001; and his 2005 production, Bridezilla Strikes Back! starring Cynthia Silver, which The New York Times called "irresistible,"[6] won the Fringe's overall excellence award for outstanding solo show.

Marcarelli is also a founding member of the Table Ten Films production company.[7] He also co-wrote the storyline for the 2011 independent film The Green, for which he also wrote the screenplay.[8]

Advertising career

In 2002, Marcarelli started appearing as the "Test Man" character in Verizon Wireless commercials,[7] for which Entertainment Weekly named him one of the most intriguing people of 2002.[9] In October 2009, he appeared on The Price Is Right during the showcase sponsored by Verizon Wireless.[10] In February 2011, he revived his role as the Verizon test man in a commercial advertising the release of the iPhone 4 for Verizon.

Marcarelli's contract with Verizon ended as of April 14, 2011, by mutual agreement. Marcarelli had gotten tired of fans asking him his catch phrase attached to gay slurs, while Verizon was ready for a new advertising campaign.[11]

Prior to Verizon, Marcarelli had already appeared in numerous commercials for companies including Old Navy, Merrill Lynch, Dasani, T-Mobile and Heineken. He also performed in industrial and promotional films, and as a voiceover artist for Comedy Central, United Airlines and Aetna Insurance, among others.

As of 2016 Marcarelli is now working as a Sprint spokesman and often mentions his switch from Verizon to Sprint in the commercials in which he appears.[12]

Personal life

Marcarelli now lives in his home town with his two cats, Piper and Dusty.[5] His husband's name is Ryan, who also appeared with Paul in a Sprint ad.[13]

Marcarelli has a twin brother, Matthew, a highly decorated firefighter who is the current Assistant Chief of Operations at the New Haven Fire Department and New Haven 20 member which won a landmark case before the Supreme Court.

References

  1. ↑ Howard, Theresa (22 February 2004). ""Can You Hear Me Now?" a Hit". USA Today. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
  2. ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/baig/2016/06/05/verizons-can-you-hear-me-now-guy-now-sprint/85458446/
  3. ↑ Fenster, Jordan (13 October 2011). "Guilford's Verizon guy makes film about being gay in Connecticut". New Haven Register. Retrieved 2014-10-22.
  4. ↑ "Life After Fairfield: Paul Marcarelli '92". fairfield.edu. Fairfield University. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Morgan, Spencer (13 April 2011). "Hear Me Now?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  6. ↑ Zinoman, Jason (16 August 2005). "Fringe Festival Reviews; 'Bridezilla Strikes Back!'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  7. 1 2 Harris, Elizabeth A. (18 April 2010). "He Tested the Market". The New York Times. p. RE2. Retrieved 2014-10-22.
  8. ↑ Fine, Marshall (21 October 2011). "Interview: Creators talk about gay drama, The Green". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2014-10-22.
  9. ↑ "Scout Awards 2002". Entertainment Weekly. 3 January 2003. Retrieved 2014-10-22.
  10. ↑ October 12, 2009 Show Recap (Golden-Road.net) YouTube video of an audience member from that show; his hard hat from the Showcase is shown.
  11. ↑ Cina, Mark (14 April 2011). "Verizon Phases Out 'Can You Hear Me Now?' Guy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-10-22.
  12. ↑ Baig, Edward C. (June 6, 2016). "Verizon's 'Can you hear me now' guy now at Sprint". USA Today. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  13. ↑ Paul, Marcarelli. Twitter https://twitter.com/paulmarcarelli/status/803220433600479233. Retrieved 29 November 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

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