Born in New York to parents who emigrated from Trinidad and Tobago, Alfonso Ribeiro is well known for his comedic portrayal of Will Smith’s uptight cousin, Carlton Banks, in the long-running hit TV series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Alfonso made his acting debut many years before at age eight on the PBS series “Oye Ollie.” A singer, gymnast and professional tap dancer, he later received critical acclaim for his starring performance in the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit “The Tap Dance Kid,” and went on to record several dance/pop singles for Island Records. He gained worldwide exposure alongside Michael Jackson during the performer’s celebrated Pepsi commercial in the early ‘80s. In 1984, Alfonso landed the role of Rick Schroder’s sidekick and best friend on “Silver Spoons.” In the years since, he has co-starred in several hit scripted series, including “In the House,” among others, and he has served as Director for shows “One on One” and “All of Us,” a show created by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Ribeiro has also appeared in reality shows such as “Dancing with the Stars,” “The Singing Bee” and competed and won “Celebrity Duets,” which partnered him with Grammy® award-winning vocalists.
While he retains his Bronx heritage, Alfonso currently resides in Los Angeles, California. In his leisure time, he enjoys a number of activities and can regularly be seen golfing on the celebrity players tour. An avid racing professional, Ribeiro drove part-time in the ‘90s, winning the Toyota Grand Prix Pro/Celebrity Race in 1994 and 1995 and finishing 3rd at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Star Mazda Series. In addition, Alfonso has production projects in development, and continues directing and acting.
Alfonso Ribeiro makes his game show host debut on CATCH 21™, which comes to GSN with fast-action entertainment that blends pop trivia with the tension-filled excitement of the classic card game, 21. Ribeiro will be quizzing contestants three at a time, as they compete to win larger-than-life playing cards and try to build the closest hand to 21. With every card they are dealt, contestants gain the power to make their opponents’ hand worse by passing their card. The popular online casual game CATCH 21 is available on GSN.com.