Paul Marcarelli | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Marcarelli in 2015 | |
| Born | (1970-05-24)May 24, 1970 (age 55) North Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Fairfield University, B.A. |
| Occupations | Film, voice actor, screenwriter |
| Height | 5 ft 9.5 in (1.77 m) |
Paul Marcarelli (born May 24, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for being the ubiquitous "Test Man" character incommercials ("Can you hear me now?") forVerizon Wireless from 2002 to 2011. He appeared in all of his Verizon commercials wearing a gray Verizon jacket and his ownhorn-rimmed glasses.[1][2]
Marcarelli is a native ofNorth Haven, Connecticut, and graduated fromNorth Haven High School. Marcarelli then received his bachelor's degree in English fromFairfield University in 1992,[3] having been a member of Theatre Fairfield, the resident production company.[4]
A founding member of New York's Mobius Group Productions in 1998, Marcarelli produced and performed in works byEric Bogosian,Warren Leight, andRichard Nelson.[5] Mobius's production ofThe Adding Machine, in which he played the lead role, garnered the award for excellence in overall production from theNew York International Fringe Festival in 2001; and his 2005 production,Bridezilla Strikes Back! starring Cynthia Silver, whichThe New York Times called "irresistible,"[6] won the Fringe's overall excellence award for an outstanding solo show.
Marcarelli is also a founding member of the Table Ten Films production company.[7] He co-wrote the storyline for the 2011 independent filmThe Green, for which he also wrote the screenplay.[8]
Marcarelli wrote and produced the feature filmClutter, starringCarol Kane andNatasha Lyonne. The film won Best Film at theHarlem International Film Festival and was nominated for theNew American Cinema Award in 2013.[9]
In 2002 Marcarelli started appearing as the "Test Man" character in Verizon Wireless commercials,[7] for whichEntertainment Weekly named him one of the most intriguing people of 2002.[10]
In April 2011 Marcarelli was informed by email that Verizon was moving in a new direction with its advertising campaign. He remained under contract but would no longer play "Test Man".[5] Marcarelli was glad that he was able to move on from it.[11]
Prior to Verizon, Marcarelli had already appeared in numerous commercials for companies includingOld Navy,Merrill Lynch,Dasani,T-Mobile, andHeineken. He also performed inindustrial and promotional films, and as a voiceover artist forComedy Central,United Airlines, andAetna Insurance, among others.
Since 2016 Marcarelli has been working as aSprint (later merged withT-Mobile) spokesman and often refers to his switch from Verizon to Sprint in the commercials in which he appears.[12]
In 2025 Marcarelli returned as a Verizon spokesman in an advertisement that also featured astronautBuzz Aldrin.[13]
Paul is gay and is married to his husband Ryan Brown who owns a catering business. They both reside in Litchfield, Connecticut where they own a farm and two pugs.[14] They also appeared in a Sprint ad together.[15]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
