Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, and television host. In a career spanning over four decades, he first gained notability for his role as Carlton Banks on the NBC television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996), as well as his performances on Silver Spoons (1984–1987) and In the House (1996–1999). Ribeiro started his career as a child actor and gained recognition for his titular performance in the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid.
Also recorded as Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro
Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Ribeiro · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Full name
- Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro Sr.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Occupation
- actor, singer, dancer, television director and musician.
- Education
- California State University, Los Angeles, New York Film Academy and Brighton Hall School.
- Known for
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
- Honours
- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
- Languages
- English.
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Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, and television host. In a career spanning over four decades, he first gained notability for his role as Carlton Banks on the NBC television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996), as well as his performances on Silver Spoons (1984–1987) and In the House (1996–1999). Ribeiro started his career as a child actor and gained recognition for his titular performance in the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid.
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Alfonso Ribeiro (born 1971) is an American actor, dancer and musician, among other activities. The actor was born in Riverdale.
Alfonso Ribeiro studied at Brighton Hall School, California State University, Los Angeles and New York Film Academy. The actor lived in Los Angeles.
Works include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q447691 · wikipedia · Alfonso Ribeiro
In this article
Early life
Early life
He later competed in the thirteenth season of the British survival show I'm a Celebrity..Get Me Out of Here!. Ribeiro currently hosts ABC's video clip series America's Funniest Home Videos and co-hosts its reality competition series Dancing with the Stars with Julianne Hough. He won the latter program's nineteenth season alongside professional dancer Witney Carson, with whom he presented the GSN game show Catch 21.
Alfonso Ribeiro studied at California State University, Los Angeles, New York Film Academy and Brighton Hall School. The recorded working language is English. Residence is recorded at Los Angeles. Works named in the authority record are The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Distinctions recorded are NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Ribeiro was born in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City and raised in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx to parents of Trinidadian descent. His paternal grandfather was Albert Ribeiro, a professional calypsonian dancer known as Lord Hummingbird. His aunt had been a dancer on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in the 1960s and 1970s.
Early work
Early work
Ribeiro began his career at age 8. He first gained recognition in 1983 when he played a leading role in the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid. He received positive reviews for his performance and was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award. Ribeiro appeared as a dancer in a Pepsi commercial that featured Michael Jackson and the Jacksons in 1984; a rumor spread that Ribeiro died from snapping his neck while dancing in the commercial. The same year, Ribeiro was cast as Ricky Schroder's best friend on the TV series Silver Spoons, after which he and his family moved to Los Angeles. In 1985, Ribeiro authored a dance instruction book, Alfonso's Breakin' & Poppin' Book, and appeared in a commercial advertising it. He also released four 12-inch singles on Prism Records, including the 1984 track "Dance Baby". After Silver Spoons ended, Ribeiro took a hiatus from acting to finish high school and attend California State University, Los Angeles.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Ribeiro's most prominent role was as Carlton Banks, the cousin of Will Smith's lead character, on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from September 1990 to May 1996. Carlton was known for frequently dancing to Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual", a dance routine that gained fame as "The Carlton". Ribeiro based "The Carlton" on Eddie Murphy's "white man dance" and Courteney Cox's dance from Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" music video.
Later work
Later work
Ribeiro starred on the sitcom In the House with LL Cool J from 1997 to 1999. He graduated from the New York Film Academy in 1999 and would go on to direct episodes of One on One, All of Us, Meet the Browns, Are We There Yet?, Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover. Ribeiro appeared as a contestant on a special child TV stars episode of Weakest Link in 2001. He made it into the final round but lost to Keshia Knight-Pulliam. In 2002, Ribeiro returned to the stage in an Encores! revival of the musical Golden Boy, starring as Joe Wellington. Ribeiro competed as one of the celebrity singers on the reality television show Celebrity Duets in September 2006, winning over the runner-up Lucy Lawless. From 2008 to 2016, Ribeiro hosted the game show Catch 21 on GSN. On May 24, 2013, Ribeiro made a cameo appearance on The Graham Norton Show to perform "The Carlton Dance", with show guests Will and Jaden Smith. On July 24, he began hosting his second game show, Spell-Mageddon, on ABC Family. On November 17, Ribeiro became a contestant in the thirteenth series of the British reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here. He was eliminated from the show on December 5, finishing in seventh place. On September 4, 2014, Ribeiro was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 19 of Dancing with the Stars. He partnered with professional dancer Witney Carson and became the fourth celebrity dancer in the show's history to receive a 9 from each judge in week one. On November 25, 2014, Ribeiro and Carson won the competition. After his victory, he hosted the nationwide live tour for the show. On May 19, 2015, Ribeiro was named Tom Bergeron's successor to host America's Funniest Home Videos. In July, Ribeiro made a cameo appearance in the music video for "All Night" by pop-rock band R5. In September, he returned to Dancing with the Stars as a guest judge in week three of season 21, and he substituted for Bergeron as host the following week, after Bergeron's father became ill. In October 2018, he was announced as the host of the British game show Money Tree. That month, it was also announced that Ribeiro would sit in for Bruno Tonioli as guest judge on Strictly Come Dancing for week 5, joining regular judges Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell, and Shirley Ballas. This would also occur in week 5 of the 2019 series. Catch 21 was revived in 2019, and Ribeiro returned as the host, with his former Dancing with the Stars partner Witney Carson joining as co-host. His role earned him a 2020 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Game Show Host, but he lost to Alex Trebek. He earned another nomination the following year, but again lost to Trebek. In 2020, Ribeiro starred in a series of commercials for State Farm Insurance as a Chris Paul impersonator. In 2021, he voiced a character in Muppets Haunted Mansion. In 2022, Ribeiro joined season 31 of Dancing with the Stars as co-host of the show, alongside host Tyra Banks. After Banks departed the show following season 31, Ribeiro became the main host of the show, with Julianne Hough joining as co-host, assuming Ribeiro's previous role.
The '90s with Alfonso Ribeiro
The '90s with Alfonso Ribeiro
On July 6, 2019, the syndicated radio show The '90s with Alfonso Ribeiro launched on multiple radio stations across the country via Sun Broadcast Group, co-hosted by radio veteran Daena "DK" Kramer. The three-hour weekly show celebrates 1990s music and culture while Ribeiro and Kramer share their stories, pop culture facts and memories from the 1990s.
Family
Family
Ribeiro was married to Robin Stapler from January 2002 until August 2006. They have a daughter, born in October 2002. Ribeiro married Angela Unkrich on October 13, 2012, following a three-month engagement. The two live in Los Angeles and have three children, born in 2013, 2015, and 2019.
Motorsports
Motorsports
Ribeiro competed in several editions of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race car race in Long Beach, earning an overall win in 2015 and celebrity class wins in 1994, 1995 and 2016. He also worked as radio spotter for CART racecar driver Bryan Herta, and performed the national anthem at CART and IndyCar Series races.
Lawsuit against Epic Games
Lawsuit against Epic Games
In December 2018, Ribeiro, along with Instagram star Russell Horning, aka Backpack Kid, and rapper Terrence Ferguson, aka 2 Milly, brought a lawsuit against Epic Games for their decision to feature respective choreographies in the popular game Fortnite. In Ribeiro's case, his "Carlton dance", which he made popular in the 1990s as a cast member of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, is one of the many dances that Fortnite players can purchase for their avatars. Epic Games declined to comment on the lawsuits. The U.S. Copyright Office denied him a copyright for his dance on January 13, 2019. On March 7, 2019, Ribeiro dropped the lawsuit.
Dancing with the Stars performances
Dancing with the Stars performances
Ribeiro was partnered with Witney Carson for season 19. On November 25, 2014, Ribeiro and Carson were declared the season's champions. In November 2017, Ribeiro returned to 25th season in Week eight, to participate in a trio Jive with Frankie Muniz and his professional partner Witney Carson. 1 Score given by guest judge Kevin Hart in place of Goodman. 2The American public scored the dance in place of Goodman with the averaged score being counted alongside the three other judges. 3This week only, for "Partner Switch-Up" week, Ribeiro performed with Cheryl Burke instead of Carson. 4Score given by guest judge Jessie J in place of Goodman. 5Score given by guest judge Pitbull in place of Goodman.

Alfonso Ribeiro, $10 Producer
THE 1 SECOND FILM · Alfonso Ribeiro and his wife
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Los Angeles.
Residences
Riverdale.
Birth place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Dose, Sarah. Alfonso Ribeiro reveals origin of 'Carlton Dance'. Des Moines Register. October 13, 2014.
- 2.Trini To D' Bone: Celebrities With Roots In Trinidad And Tobago. BET. August 30, 2017.
- 3.Kimble, Julian. The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business. The Ringer. December 2, 2020.
- 4.Alfonso Ribeiro - A Capitol Fourth. PBS.
- 5.Williams, Marilyn. Alfonso Ribeiro. Encyclopedia.com. 1998.
- 6.Keller, Richard. Alfonso Ribeiro—a member of the Pepsi Generation. AOL TV. September 24, 2006.
- 7.Broadway star not dead. Lakeland Ledger. June 5, 1984.
- 8.Alfonso Ribeiro. TBS.
- 9.Ostroff, Joshua. DWTS' Alfonso Ribeiro Has Been A Dancing Star Since 1983 (VIDEO). HuffPost. October 9, 2014.
- 10.Alfonso Ribeiro: 10 Facts About the Star of CATCH 21. getTV.
- 11.Rush, George. Greenlighting an airborne TV tie-in. The Daily News. September 5, 2008.
- 12.In the House - Full Cast & Crew. TV Guide.
- 13.Wilkes, Neil. NBC orders more celebrity 'Weakest Link'. Digital Spy. October 31, 2001.
- 14.Brantley, Ben. A Dated Musical Whose Music Is Never Out of Date. New York Times. 23 March 2002.
- 15.Sullivan, Kate. Celebrity Duets: We have a winner!. Entertainment Weekly. September 29, 2006.
- 16.The Graham Norton Show. BBC. May 24, 2013.
- 17.Keveney, Bill. Exclusive: Alfonso Ribeiro to host 'Spell-Mageddon'. USA Today. June 11, 2013.
- 18.Eames, Tom. I'm a Celebrity. Digital Spy. November 13, 2013.
- 19.Percival, Ash. 'I'm A Celebrity': Alfonso Ribeiro And Rebecca Adlington Voted Out Of The Jungle In Double Elimination. HuffPost. June 12, 2013.
- 20.Lasser, John. ABC announces new 'Dancing with the Stars' cast including Alfonso Ribeiro. Uproxx. September 4, 2014.
- 21.Kubicek, John. 'Dancing with the Stars' Season 19 Finale Recap: And the Winner Is. BuddyTV. November 25, 2014.
- 22.Alfonso Ribeiro Set as New Host of ABC's 'America's Funniest Home Videos'. Hollywood Reporter. May 19, 2015.
- 23.R5. R5 - All Night (Official Video). July 8, 2015.
- 24.Rosen, Christopher. DWTS: Alfonso Ribeiro will fill in for Tom Bergeron. Entertainment Weekly. October 5, 2015.
- 25.White, Peter. 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Alfonso Ribeiro To Host British Gameshow 'Money Tree'. Deadline. October 10, 2018.
- 26.Green, Alex. Strictly Come Dancing: What you need to know ahead of this weekend. Irish Independent. October 19, 2018.
- 27.Bevan, Nathan. Who is Alfonso Ribeiro? The judge replacing Bruno Tonioli on Strictly Come Dancing this week. Wales Online. October 18, 2019.
- 28.Nolasco, Stephanie. Former 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' star Alfonso Ribeiro explains why he won't be doing sitcoms anytime soon. Fox News. October 19, 2019.
- 29.2020 Daytime Nominees (Performer - Non-Drama). Daytime Emmy Awards.
- 30.2021 Daytime Nominees (Performer – Non-Drama). Daytime Emmy Awards.
- 31.Ortiz, Andi. All the Celebrity Cameos in Disney+ Special 'Muppets Haunted Mansion'. TheWrap. October 8, 2021.
- 32.Blackwelder, Carson. Alfonso Ribeiro joins Tyra Banks as co-host for Dancing With the Stars season 31. Good Morning America. July 14, 2022.
- 33.Rice, Lynette. Dancing With The Stars Adds Alfonso Ribeiro As Co-Host; Tyra Banks To Return To Ballroom. Deadline Hollywood. July 14, 2022.
- 34.Rice, Lynette. Tyra Banks Is Leaving Dancing With The Stars. Deadline Hollywood. March 17, 2023.
- 35.Rice, Lynette. Dancing With The Stars Replaces Tyra Banks With Julianne Hough. Deadline Hollywood. March 20, 2023.
- 36.The '90s With Alfonso Ribeiro Does Weekends. All Access.
- 37.Ribeiro Revisits The '90s. Radio Ink. July 9, 2019.
- 38.Margaret, Mary. Fresh Prince Star Alfonso Ribeiro Divorcing. People. August 10, 2006.
- 39.Carvajal, Edduin. Alfonso Ribeiro's Eldest Daughter Sienna Flaunts Hourglass Figure & Waist-Long Braids in Blue Two-Piece. news.amomama.com. August 9, 2021.
- 40.Alfonso Ribeiro ties the knot. CNN.
- 41.O'Sullivan, Erin. Fresh Prince Star Alfonso Ribeiro & Angela Unkrich Are Married. Access Hollywood. October 14, 2012.
- 42.Exclusive: It's a Boy! Alfonso Ribeiro, Wife Angela Welcome Baby No. 2!. In Touch Weekly. April 30, 2015.
- 43.Webber, Stephanie. Alfonso Ribeiro, Wife Angela Unkrich Welcome Son Alfonso Lincoln Jr. US Weekly. October 28, 2013.
- 44.Vivnetto, Gina. Alfonso Ribeiro and wife Angela welcome baby girl — see the pic. Today. May 14, 2019.
- 45.Alfonso Ribeiro wins the Pro/Celebrity race at Grand Prix of Long Beach. Los Angeles Times. April 16, 2016.
- 46.Stars come out in light of day at Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. IndyCar. April 17, 2016.
- 47.Jayne, Brena. Alfonso Ribeiro Sues Epic Games For Stealing His Moves. Trill Magazine. December 26, 2018.
- 48.Gregorian, Dareh. 'Carlton Dance' suit against 'Fortnite' may have two left feet, experts say. NBC News. December 19, 2018.
- 49.O'Kane, Caitlin. U.S. Copyright Office says Alfonso Ribeiro can't register his famed "Carlton" dance. CBS News. February 15, 2019.
- 50.Alfonso Ribeiro Drops Lawsuit Against 'Fortnite' Makers Over 'Carlton Dance'. The Blast. March 7, 2019.
- 51.Twitter. Alfonso Ribeiro on Twitter. March 13, 2015.
- 52.Montgomery, Daniel. 'Dancing with the Stars' trio dances will invite back Kelly Monaco, Alfonso Ribeiro, Laurie Hernandez, Corbin Bleu. goldderby.com. November 2, 2017.
- 53.Brozyna, Emily. 'Dancing with the Stars' trio dances will invite back Kelly Monaco, Alfonso Ribeiro, Laurie Hernandez, Corbin Bleu. J-14.com. November 2, 2017.
- 54.Rich, Frank. STAGE: A BOY AND HIS DREAMS IN 'TAP DANCE KID'. New York Times. 22 December 1983.
- 55.The Broadway League. Alfonso Ribeiro – Broadway Cast & Staff. Internet Broadway Database.
- 56.Discogs. Alfonso Ribeiro.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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