Stephen Rannazzisi
| Stephen Rannazzisi | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 4, 1978 Smithtown, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | State University of New York Oneonta |
| Occupation | Actor, stand-up comedian |
| Years active | 2001–present |
Stephen Rannazzisi (born July 4, 1978) is an American actor, and stand-up comedian. He acted in the FXX comedy series The League as fantasy football league player Kevin MacArthur.
Rannazzisi, born in Smithtown, New York on July 4, 1978, briefly attended the Catholic St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, New York on Long Island, leaving after a year in what he called a mutual decision. He went on to graduate from Smithtown High School in 1996. Rannazzisi graduated from State University of New York at Oneonta, where he majored in communications. He is of Italian and Irish descent.
For 14 years, Rannazzisi said he worked in the south tower of the World Trade Center at Merrill Lynch, on the 54th floor during the September 11 attacks, and described his experience escaping death. He said the events inspired him to move to Los Angeles and pursue stand-up comedy. In September 2015, after being contacted by a reporter from The New York Times for an article debunking his claim, Rannazzisi admitted his story was a lie, saying:
I was in Manhattan but working in a building in midtown and I was not at the Trade Center on that day. I don’t know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry. For many years, more than anything, I have wished that, with silence, I could somehow erase a story told by an immature young man. It only made me more ashamed. How could I tell my children to be honest when I hadn't come clean about this? It was profoundly disrespectful to those who perished and those who lost loved ones. The stupidity and guilt I have felt for many years has not abated. It was an early taste of having a public persona, and I made a terrible mistake.
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