Dante Basco
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dante Basco | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 29, 1975 Pittsburg, California, USA |
| Occupation | Film, television, voice actor |
| Years active | 1988 - present |
Danté Basco (born August 29, 1975) is a Filipino-American actor.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Basco, a Filipino American,[1] was born in Pittsburg, California. He is the brother of Darion Basco, Derek Basco, Dion Basco and Ariana Basco. In his early years, he was part of the Streat Freaks breakdancing crew. When he got into acting, he started taking on minor roles in television. He later appeared in a substantial role in Steven Spielberg's 1991 film Hook with Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman, as Rufio, the charismatic red-stripe-haired leader of the Lost Boys. The punk band Rufio is named after this character.
He had guest roles on television shows The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and had a recurring role on Moesha. He portrayed characters of different Asian ethnicities, but never Filipino. He did however, star in the independent film The Debut, in which he portrayed a Filipino-American alongside his three brothers and sister. He and all of his brothers starred in Naked Brown Men, a sitcom stylized show. More recently, he has provided the voices for Prince Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Jake Long in American Dragon: Jake Long. He starred as Ramos in the 2006 film Take the Lead alongside Antonio Banderas, where he break-danced as well as performed ballroom dance. This wasn't the only film in which he was required to dance. In many films he hip-hop dances, just as he did in a Verizon Wireless commercial as well as rapping and breaking in a Sprite commercial. He also produced and co-starred in a music video parody of the song "Rehab" that is called "Wiihab". He is occasionally "whacked" in the video. He played a gay teenager in the 1999 film But I'm A Cheerleader. He also plays several voices in the video game Saints Row
Basco enjoys playing pickup basketball games in and around West Los Angeles, particularly Horace Mann Elementary School in Beverly Hills, where he plays with middle school kids. Basco enjoys the Los Angeles nightlife by frequenting disco clubs, gay bars, and lounges in Hollywood and West Hollywood. Other patrons frequently chant "Rufio...Rufio...Rufio", encouraging the actor to dance in the middle of the dance floor.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Sozin's Comet | Prince Zuko |
| Blood River | Chuck | |
| Blood and Bone | Pinball | |
| 2006 | Take the Lead | Ramos |
| 2003 | Love Don't Cost a Thing | Spoken Word Artist |
| Biker Boyz | Philly | |
| Naked Brown Men | Dante | |
| 2001 | Extreme Days | Corey Ng |
| 2000 | The Debut | Ben Mercado |
| 1999 | But I'm a Cheerleader | Dolph |
| 1997 | Riot | Jeffrey Lee |
| 1997 | Fakin' Da Funk | Julian Lee |
| 1995 | A Goofy Movie | Additional voices |
| 1991 | Hook | Rufio, King of the Lost Boys |
| The Perfect Weapon | Jimmy Ho | |
| 1988 | Moonwalker |
[edit] Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Suite Life of Zack and Cody | Madrid London | Episode "The Suite Life Goes Hollywood" |
| 2007 | El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera | Shing-Hai Chan/Wild Mono | (voice) (villain character) |
| 2006 | Entourage | Fukijama | Episode "What About Bob?" |
| 2005-2008 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Prince Zuko | (voice) (major character) |
| 2005- 2007 | American Dragon: Jake Long | Jake Long | (voice) (main character) |
| 2005 | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Jake Long | (voice) (one episode) |
| 2003 | Kim Possible | Fukushima | (voice) |
| 2002 | The Proud Family | Quoc Wong | (voice) |
| Providence | Justin Kim | ||
| 2001 | The Chronicle | Noodles | |
| 2000 | The Steve Harvey Show | Lee | |
| 1999 | Undressed | Jake | |
| Viper | Rishi Lama | ||
| 1998 | Promised Land | Tito | |
| Moesha | Marco | ||
| Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | Ghost of Rudi Hernandez | ||
| 1996 | Touched by an Angel | Robbie | |
| Nash Bridges | Jimmy Chang | ||
| 1995 | 500 Nations | himself | (voice) |
| The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Kevin | ||
| Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Sammy |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Dante Basco at the Internet Movie Database
- Dante Basco at Allmovie
- Dante Basco at TV.com
- Dante Basco at the Voice Chasers Database
