Stephen Guarino

Stephen Guarino was a comedic actor who helped bring a heightened visibility to the LGBT community through his roles in film and television. Born in Orlando, FL, Guarino first got his start in comedy by performing with a local Orlando improv troupe, Sak Comedy Lab, before moving to Los Angeles, where he performed with the Groundlings. From there, Guarino was cast on the LGBT-themed sketch comedy series "The Big Gay Sketch Show" (Logo, 2007-2010). Guarino made his film debut in 2009, appearing in two romantic comedies: "Confessions of a Shopaholic" (2009), and "I Hate Valentine's Day" (2009). The next year, Guarino appeared in the gay-themed comedy "BearCity" (2010), and it's sequel, "BearCity 2: The Proposal" (2012). Guarino was perhaps best known to audiences as Derrick, the boisterous gay friend to the main characters on "Happy Endings" (ABC, 2011-13). The character proved to be so popular that creator David Caspe brought him back for his next series, "Marry Me" (NBC, 2014-15). Guarino next showed up as a regular on Ken Jeong's sitcom "Dr. Ken" (ABC, 2015-17), before landing a supporting role on "I'm Dying Up Here" (Showtime, 2017-), a tragicomic look at the Los Angeles standup comedy scene of the late 1970s.