He starred in his most recognizable role as the sweater-loving Carlton Banks on 1990’s comedy “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.“
Alfonso Ribeiro burst on the entertainment scene with the title role in Broadway’s “The Tap Dance Kid,” and earned his first Variety mention on Dec. 22,1983, a rave review, when he was just barely 12 years old. He went on to star in his most recognizable role as the sweater-loving Carlton Banks on 1990’s comedy “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” opposite Will Smith. Since then, Ribeiro has dabbled in a little bit of everything, from reality competitions like “ Dancing With the Stars ” (which he won) to directing TV episodes (including comedies “All of Us” and “Are We There Yet?”) to his current gig as the host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” — the big $100,000 episode of which aired Jan. 6. The multi-hyphenate isn’t going to stop anytime soon, and calls being an entertainer “all I’ve ever loved.”
Having been in the industry since you were 8, what kept you going when you faced adversity? What’s the best advice someone’s given you about the industry?
I wouldn’t ever say that there’s one piece of advice.
