Paul Marcarelli

Paul Marcarelli
Marcarelli in 2015
Born (1970-05-24) May 24, 1970 (age 54)
North Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma materFairfield University, B.A.
Occupation(s)Film, voice actor, screenwriter
Height5 ft 9.5 in (1.77 m)

Paul Marcarelli (born May 24, 1970) is an American actor, who is currently a spokesman for T-Mobile. He is best known for being the ubiquitous "Test Man" character in commercials ("Can you hear me now?") for Verizon Wireless from 2002 to 2011. He appeared in all of his Verizon commercials wearing a gray Verizon jacket and his own horn-rimmed glasses.[1][2]

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] having been 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 an outstanding solo show.

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

Marcarelli wrote and produced the feature film Clutter, starring Carol Kane and Natasha Lyonne. The film won Best Film at the Harlem International Film Festival and was nominated for the New American Cinema Award in 2013.[9]

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.[10]

In April 2011 Marcarelli was informed by email that Verizon was moving in a new direction with its advertising campaign. He remained under contract but would no longer play "Test Man".[5] Marcarelli was glad that he was able to move on from it.[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.

Since 2016 Marcarelli has been working as a Sprint (later merged with T-Mobile) spokesman and often refers to his switch from Verizon to Sprint in the commercials in which he appears.[12]

Personal life

He is married to his husband Ryan Brown, who appeared with Paul in a Sprint ad.[13]

References

  1. ^ Howard, Theresa (February 22, 2004). ""Can You Hear Me Now?" a Hit". USA Today. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  2. ^ "Verizon's 'Can you hear me now' guy now at Sprint". USA Today.
  3. ^ Fenster, Jordan (October 13, 2011). "Guilford's Verizon guy makes a film about being gay in Connecticut". New Haven Register. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  4. ^ "Life After Fairfield: Paul Marcarelli '92". fairfield.edu. Fairfield University. February 23, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Morgan, Spencer (April 13, 2011). "Hear Me Now?". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  6. ^ Zinoman, Jason (August 16, 2005). "Fringe Festival Reviews; 'Bridezilla Strikes Back!'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  7. ^ a b Harris, Elizabeth A. (April 18, 2010). "He Tested the Market". The New York Times. p. RE2. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  8. ^ Fine, Marshall (October 21, 2011). "Interview: Creators talk about gay drama, The Green". HuffPost. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  9. ^ "Clutter". clutterthemovie.com. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  10. ^ "Scout Awards 2002". Entertainment Weekly. January 3, 2003. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  11. ^ Cina, Mark (April 14, 2011). "Verizon Phases Out 'Can You Hear Me Now?' Guy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  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 [@paulmarcarelli] (November 28, 2016). "Just a couple of dudes buyin' a Christmas tree. Sprint commercial with my husband @RBCateringNY" (Tweet) – via Twitter.