# Alec Mapa

Alejandro "Alec" Mapa (/ˈmɑːpə/; born July 10, 1965) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He got his first professional break when he was cast to replace B. D. Wong for the role of Song Liling in the Broadway production of M. Butterfly. He gained recognition for roles such as Adam Benet on Half & Half, Suzuki St. Pierre on Ugly Betty and Vern on Desperate Housewives. Mapa recurred as Renzo on Switched at Birth.
Mapa co-hosted the Logo network reality dating game show Transamerican Love Story with Calpernia Addams in 2008. In 2013, he debuted in his own one-man show, Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy, which was made into a concert film and premiered on Showtime in 2015.

## Early life

Mapa was born in San Francisco and attended George Washington High School. While in high school, he played Randolph McAfee in the production of Bye Bye Birdie.
Mapa's senior year productions were Cabaret and Harvey, both in which he had the lead roles. Mapa was also a champion orator in the Humorous and Dramatic Interpretation categories of Speech.

## Career

Mapa got his professional break when he was cast to understudy, and then replace B. D. Wong in the Broadway production of M. Butterfly. Mapa later played the role on the national tour. Mapa would return to Broadway in an adaptation of L'Hôtel du libre échange by Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallières, re-titled, "A Little Hotel on the Side" in 1992. The next year, Mapa was back on Broadway in a Stratford Festival inspired production of Timon of Athens. Off-Broadway, Mapa earned a nomination at the 2001 Lucille Lortel Awards for his performance in the Jessica Hagedorn play Dogeaters, and was featured in every play in the "Whitelands" trilogy, a series of plays about gay Asian men written by Chay Yew; "Porcelain" (1992), "A Language of Their Own" (1995), and "Wonderland" (1999).
On television, he has made guest appearances on a wide variety of programs, including The Jamie Foxx Show, Roseanne, Seinfeld, NYPD Blue, Friends, Murder One and Dharma & Greg. He had a supporting role in the short-lived 2001 comedy Some of My Best Friends. He played Adam Benet in the UPN comedy Half & Half.
He wrote and performed in a one-man play titled "I Remember Mapa", about his experiences growing up gay in San Francisco.
Mapa was a featured performer on the Logo original stand-up comedy series Wisecrack. In 2006 appeared as Vern, Gabrielle's personal shopper, on the TV series Desperate Housewives. He had a recurring role on the 2006–2010 series Ugly Betty, as Suzuki St. Pierre, the flamboyant host of a fictional gossip and news show (who, it is revealed, is actually a straight—and married—journalist named Byron Wu). He performed the voice of Rick's flamboyantly gay uncle Bakla on the 2007-2009 animated series Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World.
Mapa's film credits include parts in Bright Lights, Big City, Playing by Heart, Connie and Carla and Marley & Me, among others. He was featured in the movies Super Sweet 16: The Movie and Tru Loved. He also played as a stylist in the movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan.
In 2008, Mapa hosted Logo's Transamerican Love Story, a reality dating program starring transgender woman Calpernia Addams selecting from among eight potential suitors. In the same year, he also hosted Dancing With Dogs on Animal Planet.
Mapa also performed on the 2009 Atlantis Freedom Caribbean Cruise headlining in the Arcadia Theater.
In 2010, Mapa became one of the co-hosts of Logo's The Gossip Queens, a daily series where he helps present celebrity gossip.
In his act, he jokes that he is sometimes confused with Rex Lee, another flamboyant Asian gay man who plays Lloyd on the HBO dramedy Entourage.
In 2015, Mapa appeared on Candidly Nicole with Nicole Richie.
Mapa has appeared in various iterations of the reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race and its spin-off shows. He first appeared in 2010 as a guest judge on the second season for the first ever Snatch Game challenge. In 2011 he appeared as a guest judge on the second season of the spin-off series RuPaul's Drag U for the Suddenly Single challenge. In 2013 he performed in drag as a warm-up act for the live finale of the show's fifth season. He returned in 2021 as a special guest for the Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent Monologues challenge on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. His next appearance was in 2022 as a guest judge for the "60s Girl Groups" episode on the fourteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. The same year Mapa began hosting, alongside comedian Loni Love, the official RuPaul's Drag Race podcast, Squirrel Friends, in collaboration with iHeartRadio. For a brief period in 2021 he had previously hosted a previous iteration of the podcast, simply entitled The Official RuPaul's Drag Race Podcast, alongside Canada's Drag Race season 1 winner Priyanka. His most recent appearance was in 2023 as a special guest for the Carson Kressley, This is Your Gay Life challenge on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
In 2023, Mapa appeared in the Lifetime original film, Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas, starring Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, Donna Mills, and Nicollette Sheridan.

## Personal life

Mapa is gay and lends his support to various projects supporting the gay, lesbian, and Asian American communities. In 2008, Mapa legally married Jamison "Jamie" Hebert, after dating since 2002. On the TV series The Gossip Queens, Mapa stated in the opening episode that he and his husband had adopted a 5-year-old boy in 2010. Mapa is of Filipino descent.

## Credits
### Writer

* Half & Half (2006): "The Big Nervous Breakup Episode"

### Filmography

Film roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | Bright Lights, Big City | Yasu Wade | |
| 1988 | A New Life | Sybil | |
| 1996 | The Substance of Fire | New Receptionist | |
| 1998 | Playing by Heart | Lana | |
| 2003 | Who's Your Daddy? | Nat-San Wang | |
| 2004 | Connie and Carla | Lee / N'Cream | |
| 2005 | Hard Pill | Protester | |
| 2005 | Pollen | Howard | 12 minutes |
| 2006 | Dirty Laundry | Daniel | |
| 2008 | Marley & Me | Jorge | |
| 2008 | Tru Loved | Mr. Bushnell | |
| 2008 | You Don't Mess with the Zohan | Claude | |
| 2008 | Laughing Matters... The Men | Himself | stand-up comedy; ASIN B0010P5UOU |
| 2011 | Going Down in LA-LA Land | Himself | |
| 2011 | Half-Share | Ito | Short Film (29 minutes) |
| 2011 | Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure | Gill Samms | |
| 2011 | Winner Takes All | Simon | Short Film (15 minutes); included in the compilation film Black Briefs (2012) |
| 2012 | Family Restaurant | Daddy | Short Film (10 minutes) |
| 2014 | Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy | Himself | concert film of one-man show |
| 2014 | Such Good People | Jigme Wanchuck | |
| 2017 | A Very Sordid Wedding | Marty Wells | |
| 2017 | The Year of Spectacular Men | Overzealous Casting Director | |
| 2019 | Grand-Daddy Day Care | Ned Tooley | |
| 2020 | Chick Fight | Chuck | |
| 2021 | Queen Bees | Lito Santos | |
| 2023 | Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas | Jeffrey | |
Television roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | ABC Afterschool Special | Peng | Episode: "Supermom's Daughter" |
| 1990 | The Cosby Show | Wretched Fan | Episode: "Off to See the Wretched" |
| 1992 | Flying Blind | Lucas | Episode: "The Secret of My Great Dress" |
| 1992 | Melrose Place | Jeweler #2 | Episode: "The Whole Truth" |
| 1993 | Key West | | Episode: "The Second Day in Heaven" |
| 1993 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Nguyen | Episode: "Paris, May 1919" |
| 1994 | Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart | Hal Trask | |
| 1994 | Roseanne | Kyle | Episode: "Skeleton in the Closet" |
| 1995 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Perry | Episode: "Halloween" |
| 1995 | Law & Order | Brian Yoshimara | Episode: "Rebels" |
| 1995 | M.A.N.T.I.S. | Troy | Episode: "The Sea Wasp" |
| 1995 | Seinfeld | Paul | Episode: "The Pool Guy" |
| 1996 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Ike Yee | Episode: "A Star Is Almost Born" |
| 1996 | NYPD Blue | Angela | Episode: "Unembraceable You" |
| 1997 | Murder One | Damien Vasquez | Episodes: "Chapter Seventeen, Year Two" and "Chapter Eighteen, Year Two" |
| 1997 | Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer | Damien Vasquez | TV miniseries |
| 1997 | Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher | Sammy Choi | Episode: "Party at Nick's Place" |
| 1997 | NYPD Blue | Angela | Episode: "I Love Lucy" |
| 1997 | Spy Game | Andy Shawn | Episodes: "With Friends Like These..." and "Well, Nothing to Fear But Death Itself" |
| 1998 | Friends | The Housekeeper | Episode: "The One with All the Thanksgivings" |
| 1998 | Holding the Baby | Nelson | Episode: "No Man Is a Fantasy Island" |
| 1999 | Dharma & Greg | Trina | Episode: "Welcome to the Hotel Calamari" |
| 2001 | Some of My Best Friends | Vern Limoso | 8 episodes |
| 2002 | Baby Bob | Brian | Episode: "House of the Rising Son" |
| 2002–2005 | Half & Half | Adam Benet | 58 episodes |
| 2003 | Alias | NSC Techie | Episode: "The Nemesis" |
| 2004 | E! 101 Most Awesome Moments in Entertainment | Himself | Special |
| 2004 | I'm with Her | Henry Liu | Episode: "Not in My Dress You Won't" |
| 2004 | Significant Others | Parent #1 | Episode: "A School, Not Cool & a Fool" |
| 2005–2007 | Desperate Housewives | Vern | 5 episodes |
| 2005 | Wisecrack | Himself | stand-up comedy |
| 2006 | Help Me Help You | Andrew | Episode: "Inger Management" |
| 2007 | Heartland | Teddy DeSilva | Episode: "A Beautiful Day" |
| 2007–2010 | Ugly Betty | Suzuki St. Pierre | 30 episodes |
| 2007 | The Visible Vote '08: A Presidential Forum | Himself | |
| 2008 | Celebracadabra | Pilot Contestant | |
| 2008 | Dancing with Dogs | Himself (Host) | |
| 2008 | Transamerican Love Story | Himself (Host) | 8 episodes |
| 2009 | Alec Mapa: No Fats, Femmes or Asians | Himself | stand-up comedy special |
| 2009 | Annul Victory | Himself | Documentary |
| 2009 | Numbers | Clerk | Episode: "Old Soldiers" |
| 2009 | Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World | Uncle Bakla (voice) | Episodes: "House of Race Cards" and "Marry X-Mas" |
| 2010 | 2010 NewNowNext Awards | Himself | |
| 2010–2011 | The Gossip Queens | Himself (Host) | 68 episodes |
| 2010 | Jonas | Chef Shiraki | Episode: "A Wasabi Story" |
| 2010 | Pride: The Gay & Lesbian Comedy Slam | Himself | stand-up comedy special |
| 2010, 2022 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | The View | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Rules of Engagement | Restaurant Manager | Episode: "The Power Couple" |
| 2011 | RuPaul's Drag U | Himself (Guest Judge) | "Suddenly Single" |
| 2012 | Scandalicious | Himself (Presenter) | 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Switched at Birth | Renzo | 8 episodes |
| 2014 | Hey Qween! | Himself (guest) | 1 episode |
| 2015 | Major Crimes | Nurse | Episode: "The Jumping Off Point" |
| 2015 | Candidly Nicole | Himself | Episode: "Gay" |
| 2016 | Mom | Milo | Episode: "Quaaludes and Crackerjack" |
| 2016-2020 | Henry Danger | Jack Frittleman | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | 2 Broke Girls | Lawrence | Episode: "And the Lost Baggage" |
| 2018 | Raven's Home | Mapa | Episode: "The Falcon and the Raven, Part 1" |
| 2019 | Doom Patrol | Steve Larson / Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Team Kaylie | Gerald | Episode: "Lights, Camera, Retraction" |
| 2020 | Danger Force | Jack Frittleman | Episode: "The Danger Force Awakens" |
| 2021, 2023 | RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars | Himself (Special guest) | Season 6, Episode: "The Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent Monologues" Season 8, Episode: "Carson Kressley, This Is Your Gay Life" |
| 2022–2023 | The Villains of Valley View | Mr. Tennyson | Recurring role |