Joey Fatone
Encyclopedia
Joseph Anthony "Joey" Fatone, Jr. (last name pronounced fuh-tone; born January 28, 1977) is an American
singer, dancer, actor
and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boyband
, 'N Sync
, in which he sang baritone
. In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars
. He was also the host of the American
and Australia
n versions of The Singing Bee
and aired on National Broadcasting Company in the United States of America. Currently Fatone is the announcer on Family Feud
.
, was born in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn
, New York
, the son of Phyllis and Joseph Anthony Fatone, Sr., the latter of whom is an actor and musician. He has two older siblings, Janine and Steven. At age 13, Fatone and his family moved to Orlando
, Florida
. There, Fatone attended and graduated from Dr. Phillips High School
. Reportedly, at his graduation, Fatone sang a rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner", celebrated as a precursor to his future success.
Before becoming famous, Fatone appeared as a contestant on the classic Nickelodeon
game show Nick Arcade. However, Fatone and his partner on that episode did not proceed to the bonus round because of buzzing in and answering a question about Abraham Lincoln
incorrectly.
After high school, Fatone worked as a performer at Universal Studios
in Orlando, where he played "Wolfie" in Beetlejuice's GraveYard Revue
. In 2001, Fatone co-starred with *NSYNC bandmate Lance Bass
in the Miramax film On the Line
, He guest starred with N Sync on a 2001 episode of The Simpsons
episode New Kids on the Blecch
and also did voice work with Bass on the same episodes of Disney's Kim Possible
and Adult Swim
's Robot Chicken
. He also performed in the 2002
dramatic comedy motion picture My Big Fat Greek Wedding
as Toula's cousin Angelo and also appears in My Big Fat Greek Life
The TV Sitcom., and acted in the critically acclaimed movie The Cooler
. He has had minor roles in the experimental film
, Red Riding Hood, and in Homie Spumoni, alongside Jamie-Lynn Sigler
. Fatone has also been on Broadway performing leads in Rent
and in a revival of Little Shop Of Horrors
.
Fatone hosted NBC
's The Singing Bee as well as the Australian version of the show
on Nine Network
. On August 21, 2007, it was announced that Fatone, along with Lisa Rinna
, will be replacing Joan Rivers
and Melissa Rivers
as hosts of TV Guide
's red carpet pre-shows for the 2007-2008 season. His hosting duties with TV Guide
continued for the 2008-2009 season.
Fatone was also in an episode of Hannah Montana
as a restaurant owner who used to be a baseball player and forces Hannah to sing in order to get a replacement signed ball for her brother. He is also the "ringmaster" for the new NBC celebrity reality series Celebrity Circus
(which is based on the Australian version).
On November 30, 2007, he participated in the taping of the 2007 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade
inside the Magic Kingdom
at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
On May 22, 2010, Fatone starred as a baseball player in an episode of Imagination Movers
on the Disney Channel.
From July 6–18, 2010, Fatone played Franz Liebkind, the comedic German soldier, in the musical "The Producers" at the Pittsburgh Benedum Center.
He has appeared as a voice actor in several episodes of Robot Chicken
, starring as himself in a kung fu skit called "Enter The Fat One" and then in the show's Star Wars episode.
television network announced that Fatone would participate in season 4 of the American version of Dancing with the Stars
, which debuted March 19, 2007. He ended up placing second, losing the mirror ball to Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough. He competed with professional partner Kym Johnson
.
and co-hosted the live pre-show alongside Jeremy Borash
. This was not the first time Fatone has been linked to TNA as he has been spotted at Universal Orlando where TNA tapes their weekly television program.
in Long Island, New York and was attended by all of Fatone's bandmates. Fatone and his wife have two daughters together, Brianna Joely, born on March 21, 2001, and Kloey Alexandra, born on January 11, 2010. Fatone's best friend, Lance Bass
is Brianna's godfather
.
According to a recent appearance on MTV Cribs
, Fatone owns one of the actual KITT
cars used on the series Knight Rider, although it may be a replica, created by George Barris
.
The Wiggles-It's Always Christmas With You (2011)
Biographical
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, dancer, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boyband
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
, 'N Sync
'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
, in which he sang baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
. In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (US TV series)
Dancing with the Stars is a reality show airing on ABC in the United States, and CTV in Canada in 2011. The show is the American version of the British BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing...
. He was also the host of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n versions of The Singing Bee
The Singing Bee
The Singing Bee may refer to the game show franchise:* The Singing Bee , the original US version* The Singing Bee , the Australian version* The Singing Bee , Philippines version...
and aired on National Broadcasting Company in the United States of America. Currently Fatone is the announcer on Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
.
Early life and career
Fatone, an Italian AmericanItalian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
, was born in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the son of Phyllis and Joseph Anthony Fatone, Sr., the latter of whom is an actor and musician. He has two older siblings, Janine and Steven. At age 13, Fatone and his family moved to Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. There, Fatone attended and graduated from Dr. Phillips High School
Dr. Phillips High School
Dr. Phillips High School is a high school located in Orlando, Florida, United States.The area of Dr. Phillips, Florida is named after Dr. Philip Phillips, a physician who later became a Central Florida citrus magnate. He was responsible for several key innovations in the processing and packaging of...
. Reportedly, at his graduation, Fatone sang a rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner", celebrated as a precursor to his future success.
Before becoming famous, Fatone appeared as a contestant on the classic Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
game show Nick Arcade. However, Fatone and his partner on that episode did not proceed to the bonus round because of buzzing in and answering a question about Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
incorrectly.
After high school, Fatone worked as a performer at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in Orlando, where he played "Wolfie" in Beetlejuice's GraveYard Revue
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton, produced by The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros...
. In 2001, Fatone co-starred with *NSYNC bandmate Lance Bass
Lance Bass
James Lance Bass , best known as Lance Bass, is an American pop singer, dancer, actor, film and television producer, and author. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band 'N Sync. 'N Sync's success led Bass to work in film and television...
in the Miramax film On the Line
On the Line (film)
On the Line is a 2001 American romantic comedy film starring Lance Bass and Emmanuelle Chriqui. The film was directed by Eric Bross and was written by Eric Aronson and Paul Stanton, based upon their short film of the same name.-Plot:...
, He guest starred with N Sync on a 2001 episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode New Kids on the Blecch
New Kids on the Blecch
"New Kids on the Blecch" is the fourteenth episode from the twelfth season of The Simpsons. In the episode, a music producer selects Bart, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph to be members of the next hit boyband, who record subliminal songs about joining the Navy....
and also did voice work with Bass on the same episodes of Disney's Kim Possible
Kim Possible
Kim Possible is an American animated television series about a teenage crime fighter who has the task of dealing with worldwide, family, and school issues every day. The show is action-oriented, but also has a light-hearted atmosphere and often lampoons the conventions and clichés of the...
and Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
's Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
. He also performed in the 2002
2002 in film
The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
dramatic comedy motion picture My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 Canadian and American romantic comedy film written by and starring Nia Vardalos and directed by Joel Zwick. The film is centered on Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos , a middle class Greek American woman who falls in love with a non-Greek upper middle class "White...
as Toula's cousin Angelo and also appears in My Big Fat Greek Life
My Big Fat Greek Life
My Big Fat Greek Life is a situation comedy series that ran on CBS in 2003. The series is a continuation on the 2002 movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding and was produced by HBO Television and Tom Hanks' Playtone Productions for Sony Pictures Television....
The TV Sitcom., and acted in the critically acclaimed movie The Cooler
The Cooler
The Cooler is a 2003 romantic drama film directed by Wayne Kramer. The original screenplay was written by Kramer and Frank Hannah. In gambling parlance, a "cooler" is an unlucky individual whose presence at the tables results in a streak of bad luck for the other players.- Plot :Unlucky Bernie...
. He has had minor roles in the experimental film
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
, Red Riding Hood, and in Homie Spumoni, alongside Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO television series The Sopranos.-Early life:...
. Fatone has also been on Broadway performing leads in Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
and in a revival of Little Shop Of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors (musical)
Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
.
Fatone hosted NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The Singing Bee as well as the Australian version of the show
The Singing Bee (Australian game show)
The Singing Bee is an Australian game show which is based on the original American version of the same name. By combining karaoke singing with a spelling bee-style competition, contestants have to sing lyrics to songs without making a mistake or risk being eliminated immediately.The show premiered...
on Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. On August 21, 2007, it was announced that Fatone, along with Lisa Rinna
Lisa Rinna
Lisa Deanna Rinna is an American television host and actress. She is known for her roles as Billie Reed on Days of our Lives, Taylor McBride on Melrose Place, and most recently as the host of SoapNet's Soap Talk.-Acting:...
, will be replacing Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
and Melissa Rivers
Melissa Rivers
Melissa Joan Rivers is an American television host, producer and the daughter of Joan Rivers.-Early life:Rivers was born Melissa Warburg Rosenberg in Manhattan on January 20, 1968; the only child of Joan Rivers and Edgar Rosenberg...
as hosts of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
's red carpet pre-shows for the 2007-2008 season. His hosting duties with TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
continued for the 2008-2009 season.
Fatone was also in an episode of Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
as a restaurant owner who used to be a baseball player and forces Hannah to sing in order to get a replacement signed ball for her brother. He is also the "ringmaster" for the new NBC celebrity reality series Celebrity Circus
Celebrity Circus (U.S. TV series)
Celebrity Circus is an American version of the Celebrity Circus reality television show based on the Australian television series of the same name originally aired in 2005...
(which is based on the Australian version).
On November 30, 2007, he participated in the taping of the 2007 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade
Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade
The Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade is an American television special that airs on Christmas Day on the ABC, taped primarily inside the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, approximately one month prior to Christmas Day...
inside the Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort located near Orlando, Florida. The first park built at the resort, Magic Kingdom opened Oct. 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, the park's layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, California...
at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
On May 22, 2010, Fatone starred as a baseball player in an episode of Imagination Movers
Imagination Movers
Imagination Movers is a child-centered rock band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2003. The lineup includes Rich Collins, Scott Durbin, Dave Poche, and Scott "Smitty" Smith. Members of the group were longtime friends and neighbors....
on the Disney Channel.
From July 6–18, 2010, Fatone played Franz Liebkind, the comedic German soldier, in the musical "The Producers" at the Pittsburgh Benedum Center.
He has appeared as a voice actor in several episodes of Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
, starring as himself in a kung fu skit called "Enter The Fat One" and then in the show's Star Wars episode.
Dancing with the Stars
On February 1, 2007, the ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television network announced that Fatone would participate in season 4 of the American version of Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (US TV series)
Dancing with the Stars is a reality show airing on ABC in the United States, and CTV in Canada in 2011. The show is the American version of the British BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing...
, which debuted March 19, 2007. He ended up placing second, losing the mirror ball to Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough. He competed with professional partner Kym Johnson
Kym Johnson
Kym Johnson is an Australian former professional ballroom dancer, model, and television celebrity. She lives in Sydney NSW, Australia but is currently based in America for Dancing with the Stars.-Dance biography:...
.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
On October 18, 2009, Fatone showed up at TNA Wrestling's biggest annual pay-per-view event TNA Bound for GloryTNA Bound For Glory
Bound for Glory is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced every October by the American Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. The event was created in 2005 to be their premier event of the year, similar to the company's main rival World Wrestling Entertainment and its...
and co-hosted the live pre-show alongside Jeremy Borash
Jeremy Borash
Jeremy Borash , is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator, announcer, ring announcer, booker, interviewer, producer and website designer...
. This was not the first time Fatone has been linked to TNA as he has been spotted at Universal Orlando where TNA tapes their weekly television program.
Personal life
On September 9, 2004, Fatone married his on-and-off girlfriend of 10 years, Kelly Baldwin. The ceremony took place in Oheka CastleOheka Castle
Oheka Castle, also known as the Otto Kahn Estate, is located on the Gold Coast of Long Island, in Huntington, New York. It was the country home of financier and philanthropist Otto Kahn. Built by Kahn between 1914 and 1919, it was and remains the second largest private home in the United States,...
in Long Island, New York and was attended by all of Fatone's bandmates. Fatone and his wife have two daughters together, Brianna Joely, born on March 21, 2001, and Kloey Alexandra, born on January 11, 2010. Fatone's best friend, Lance Bass
Lance Bass
James Lance Bass , best known as Lance Bass, is an American pop singer, dancer, actor, film and television producer, and author. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band 'N Sync. 'N Sync's success led Bass to work in film and television...
is Brianna's godfather
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
.
According to a recent appearance on MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs and CMT Cribs, depending on which channel it airs, is a franchise reality television program that originated on the MTV Networks' MTV. It later aired on its CMT channel that features tours of the houses and mansions of celebrities. The first show aired September 2000...
, Fatone owns one of the actual KITT
KITT
KITT is the short name of two fictional characters from the adventure TV series Knight Rider. While having the same acronym, the KITTs are two different entities: one known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand, which appeared in the original TV series Knight Rider, and the other as the Knight...
cars used on the series Knight Rider, although it may be a replica, created by George Barris
George Barris (auto customizer)
George Barris is a designer of custom cars.-Early history:George and his brother Sam were born in Chicago in the 1920s. After the deaths of their parents, they moved to Roseville, California as children to live with relatives. Both were good students, interested in drama, music, and design...
.
Stage Work
- Rent - Mark Cohen (2002)
- Little Shop of Horrors - Seymour Krelborn (2004)
- The Producers - Franz Liebkind (2010)
The Wiggles-It's Always Christmas With You (2011)
External links
OfficialBiographical