American film maker and actor
Brian Jordan Alvarez (born July 10, 1987) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his original songs, recurring roles as Estéfan in Will and Grace (2018–2020) and Wesley in Jane the Virgin (2015–2016), as well as for his own self-produced films and series, most notably his 2016 web series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo.[1]
Early life
Alvarez was born in Manhattan, New York City to Paul Jordan and Angela Jordan Alvarez, an electrical engineer and Spanish instructor, respectively.[2][3] He has a sister, Catalina.[3] He spent his childhood in Winchester, Tennessee,[4] where he began acting and making movies.[2] In middle school, he was teased and bullied for his sexuality.[1] He went on to attend Saint Andrew's Sewanee School and then the high school program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[5][2] Heavily involved in his school's theater program, he continued to study acting at the USC School of Dramatic Arts where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting.[1]
Alvarez is of Colombian descent matrilineally, and has roots from the American South from the other side of his family. He speaks Spanish fluently.[4][3]
Career
Alvarez acted throughout college.[citation needed]
He collaborated with College Humor on an episode titled "Gay Men Will Marry Your Girlfriends". He has performed roles in several television shows including: Will & Grace, Hot in Cleveland, Life in Pieces, Jane the Virgin, Go-Go Boy Interrupted, and 2 Broke Girls.[1] In October 2014, he was cast in a supporting role in the MTV scripted comedy pilot Self Promotion.[6] The show, directed by Zach Braff, was ultimately not picked up by the network.[7]
In 2016, Alvarez wrote, produced, directed and starred in the five-part web comedy series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo. The series played at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival as part of its New Online Work.[8] The series was nominated for the Gotham Award for Breakthrough Series – Shortform and was named Indiewire’s number-one web series for the year.[9][8]
Alvarez played the recurring role of Estéfan Gloria, Jack McFarland's fiancé and later husband, in all three seasons of the 2010s revival of NBC's Will & Grace.[10] In August 2020, it was announced Alvarez was cast in the Netflix quarantine anthology series Social Distance. He appeared in the episode "Zero Feet Away" opposite Max Jenkins.[11]
Alvarez has gained prominence for his viral videos on Instagram and TikTok, in which he often portrays a rotating cast of absurdist characters using thick accents and distorting facial filters.[12] In September 2023, he posted a video featuring his character TJ Mack performing an improvised song titled "Sitting", which quickly became an online sensation, accumulating millions of views and being remixed and covered by fans in various genres.[13][14][15] Versions of "Sitting" have appeared on the radio in both the United States and Australia, and Vanity Fair has described it as possibly 2023's "song of the summer."[15][16] Alvarez has also made appearances on Australian television due to his ability to do a convincing Australian accent.[17]
