Horatio Sanz

Horatio Sanz, born Horacio Sanz on June 4, 1969, in Santiago, Chile, is an American comedian and actor best known as a longtime cast member of NBC's Saturday Night Live. The youngest of three sons born to Sylvia and Carlos Sanz, he is the younger brother of actor Carlos Sanz. Sanz grew up in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago and later became an American citizen on July 25, 2018, in Los Angeles, California.

Before achieving national recognition, Sanz built his comedic foundation in Chicago, performing at venues including The Court Theater and The Second City, where he was a member of the Chicago ETC theater. During this period he was also among the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade, the sketch comedy and improv troupe that maintains theaters in New York City and Los Angeles, where Sanz has continued to perform in the long-running show ASSSSCAT 3000.

Sanz joined the Saturday Night Live cast in September 1998, becoming the first Hispanic cast member in the show's history. He remained with the program through 2006, when SNL announced his departure due to budget cuts. During the 31st season, he served as a temporary Weekend Update co-anchor alongside Amy Poehler, filling in for Tina Fey during her maternity leave until Fey returned on October 22, 2005. Among the recurring characters Sanz portrayed on the program were Gobi, the cannabis-loving co-host of Jarret's Room; Ferey Mühtar, host of "The Ferey Mühtar Talk Show"; Manuel Pantalones, bandleader on "Showbiz Grande Explosion"; and Rick, stepfather of Poehler's character Kaitlin. He also performed impressions of figures including Elton John, Billy Joel, Ozzy Osbourne, Rosie O'Donnell, and Gene Shalit, among others. Sanz returned to SNL as a guest on February 3, 2007, appearing as Elton John, and again on November 3 of that year as presidential candidate Bill Richardson. On December 17, 2011, he appeared on the Christmas show as himself in the musical number "I Wish It Was Christmas Today" and as a member of Beethoven's orchestra in the sketch "Beethoven: Meet The Band."

Sanz's Broadway credits include an appearance in 2008 and participation in The 24 Hour Plays in 2004. Following his SNL tenure, he joined the cast of the ABC sitcom In the Motherhood in 2009, playing a character named Horatio, a male nanny. In 2010, he co-starred with former SNL castmate Chris Parnell on Big Lake, a Comedy Central sitcom produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. That same year he began a role as writer and producer on the Comedy Central series Nick Swardson's Pretend Time, a position he held through 2011. In 2015, Sanz launched his own podcast, The Hooray Show, featuring comedy sketches and interviews with fellow comedians. He also appeared as a guest on The Big Alakens, the Big Lake marathon fundraiser episode of The George Lucas Talk Show. Sanz received the Stoner of the Year award at High Times magazine's 2003 Stony Awards.

In August 2021, a lawsuit was filed against Sanz alleging sexual assault of a minor, with the plaintiff claiming the assault occurred in May 2002 in front of SNL staff members and that NBC and Saturday Night Live enabled the behavior. The suit was later expanded to name Jimmy Fallon, Tracy Morgan, and Lorne Michaels as defendants. Sanz, through his attorney, called the allegations categorically false. NBCUniversal filed a motion to dismiss in April 2022. On November 23, 2022, Sanz settled with the accuser and the lawsuit was dismissed.