A high-energy performer with a strong comedic bent, Mario Cantone entered showbusiness as host of the Gotham children's show Steampipe Alley. In that venue, Cantone turned more than a few heads by injecting adult-oriented comedic material into dialogue that evaded the younger set; in the process, he reeled in a substantial audience that transcended age barriers. Taking the success of this assignment as a cue, Cantone then delved headfirst into traditional stand-up comedy, in such top-tiered venues as Atlantic City, Broadway and Carnegie Hall, and also ushered in a remarkably successful stage career on and off-Broadway, in such varied productions as The Taming of the Shrew, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Tempest and The Crumple Zone. In terms of on-camera work, Cantone is perhaps best known as Anthony, the flamboyant wedding planner of Charlotte (Kristin Davis), on the blockbuster HBO series Sex and the City (1998-2004) - a role he reprised in the 2008 big-screen version. His resume, however, also includes an appearance in Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza's stand-up documentary The Aristocrats (2005) (delivering one of the more colorful and surrealistic monologues in that production), Charles Picerni's road comedy Three Days to Vegas (2007) and a voice in the family-oriented animated comedy Surf's Up (2007).
by Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
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