Gabriel Iglesias is a hugely popular American stand up comedian. Also known as “Fluffy”, he is a great actor, voice artist, executive producer, and a writer. He is one of the richest comedians in the world. His life is nothing short of a fairy tale.
Coming from a middle-class family, he had his share of struggles initially, but once he found his calling, he became so focused on building a career out of it. Step by step, he rose to fame. In his career spanning two decades, he has become one of the most successful comedians proving that his decision to quit his day job and pursue his dream was indeed the right one.
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Early Life
His full name is Gabriel Jesus Iglesias. He was born on the 15th of July 1976 as the sixth child for Esther Mendez and Jesus Iglesias. Though he was born in San Diego, he spent a major part of his childhood in Long Beach.
He had his schooling at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School. Raised by his mother single-handedly, he had his share of struggles during his childhood. However, he learned to laugh at his troubles and thereby got interested in making others laugh.
He has always had an affinity towards anything humorous. It was quite natural that he gave up his full-time job in the year 1997 and pursued a career in comedy much to the chagrin of his mother and other family members.
Personal
He lives in Whittier, California with his girlfriend Claudia Valdez. They have a son Frankie who is 21 years old. Gabriel usually prefers to keep his family matters private.
He once suffered from obesity and severe diabetes. These challenges inspired him to focus more on his health. As a result of such a focused approach, he was able to lose a considerable amount of weight. He is still trying his best to maintain a healthy lifestyle despite the challenges due to his constant traveling.
Age, Height, and Weight
Gabriel is 44 years old as of now. His height is 1.78 meters and he weighs around 76 kgs.
Gabriel Iglesias Career
Interestingly, his career started with a job at a cellphone company. Quite naturally, he wasn’t happy about being in a regular job. He believed firmly that comedy was his thing and he should pursue a career in that. But his mother discouraged him. She always wanted her son to have a safe and secure job. Ignoring her protest, he decided to quit his job and took to comedy as his full-time profession.
Starting with intermittent gigs for small-time clubs, his big break came in the form of Nickelodeon television show “All That”, in which he appeared along with Amanda Bynes and Nick Cannon.
His career as a voice actor took off in the year 2007, during which he lent different voices for members of a whole Mexican family in the Fox TV comedy animation show “Family Guy”. His work for the Disney series “The Emperor’s New School” in the same year is something that he considers as his best vocal work. The series ran from 2006 to 2008.
In addition to these, he hosted the show “Live at Gotham” in the year 2007. He was also part of “Last Comic Standing” as a contestant but didn’t win it because he was disqualified for breaking the rules of the show. “Just For Laughs” was another show in which he participated.
“Cristela” is a TV show released in 2014 in which he played a recurring role. “Fluffy Breaks Even” was another successful TV reality show featuring Gabriel. Shows like “Narcos”, “Premium Blend” and “WWE SmackDown” had his cameo appearances.
The year 2011 witnessed his foray into writing and producing, during which he launched his show “Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution”.
He has also performed in various notable movies as a voice actor. Some of his major movie works are “Planes”, “The Nut Job”, “The Book of Life”, “El Americano”, “Smurfs: The Lost Village”, “Coco”, “The Star”, “Show Dogs” and “Ugly Dolls”.
Though he started small, he was able to achieve tremendous success in his career as a comedian, actor, producer, and writer.
Gabriel Iglesias Net Worth
He reportedly earned a whopping $21 million in the year 2017 from his various engagements. He is often listed as one of the highest-paid comedians in the world. He was featured at the ninth position in the Forbes list of top-earning comedians of the year 2013 with an approximate net worth of $11 million.
His California home is worth about $1.5 million. He has a collection of Volkswagen buses that are worth about $3 million. On the other side, he is also an active philanthropist winning the “Beacon of H.O.P.E” award from Operation H.O.P.E, a non-profit organization.
A major part of his earnings come from his shows that usually are performed in front of sold-out crowds. His Netflix contracts and other business ventures all contribute to his total net worth.
His total net worth is estimated to be more than $45 million.
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias has surely come a long way believing in his talent and choosing to follow his passion.
