# Carlos Alazraqui
**Carlos Alazraqui** (full name Carlos Jaime Alazraqui) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and voice actor known for voicing Rocko on Nickelodeon's *Rocko's Modern Life*, the Taco Bell Chihuahua in the "Yo quiero Taco Bell" commercials, and Deputy James Garcia on [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central)'s *Reno 911!*. Born in 1962 in [Yonkers, New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/yonkers-new-york), and raised in California by Argentine parents, he has built a career spanning stand-up comedy, on-camera television roles, and hundreds of voice credits in animation, commercials, and video games.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0016141/fullcredits)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962, Yonkers, New York; raised in Concord, California; Argentine-American[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-17-ls-50538-story.html) |
| Breakthrough voice role | Rocko, the title wallaby of *Rocko's Modern Life* (Nickelodeon, 1993-96), his first voice-acting job[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/) • [4](https://joemurraystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Creating-Animated-Cartoons-with-Character.pdf) |
| Taco Bell Chihuahua | Speaking voice of the dog from 1997 to 2000; the campaign debuted in November 1997 with "Yo quiero Taco Bell"[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-29-me-27655-story.html) • [6](https://remezcla.com/features/film/interview-carlos-alazraqui-rockos-modern-life-static-cling/) |
| Live-action signature role | Deputy James Garcia on *Reno 911!* (Comedy Central, 2003-09) and the film *Reno 911!: Miami*[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/) • [7](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Carlos_Alazraqui) |
| Other major voice roles | Lazlo in *Camp Lazlo!* (Cartoon Network, 2005-08), Mr. Crocker in *The Fairly OddParents*, Winslow and Lube in *CatDog*, Spyro the Dragon (1998 game)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0016141/fullcredits) |
| Award | Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production, for *The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show*[8](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/) |
| Comedy background | Stand-up since his college years in Sacramento; won the 1993 San Francisco Comedy Competition, beating Marc Maron and Patton Oswalt in the final[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/) • [9](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedian-carlos-alazraqui.html) |
## Early life and stand-up comedy
Alazraqui grew up in [Concord, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/concord-california), after being born in Yonkers, New York; his family is Argentine, and he has described his household as split between a fiery mother and a British-educated, mellow father.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-17-ls-50538-story.html) • [5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-29-me-27655-story.html) He began performing stand-up during his college years in Sacramento and went full time a year after graduating from Cal State Sacramento in 1986 with a degree in recreation administration.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/) • [5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-29-me-27655-story.html)
**San Francisco years.** He moved to San Francisco and then Los Angeles to advance his performing career. He has described his act as character-based and high-energy rather than purely observational, and he performed in the city's demanding club scene, including the Holy City Zoo, a small room where [Robin Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/robin-williams) had been a headline act.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/) • [10](https://asitecalledfred.com/2006/07/10/quick-stop-interview-carlos-alazraqui/) In 1993 he won the San Francisco International Stand-Up Comedy Competition, and he has since had a Showtime special and a Comedy Central Half Hour special.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-17-ls-50538-story.html) • [8](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/)
## Voice-acting career
Alazraqui's voice career began with *Rocko's Modern Life*. His manager at the time connected him with a project by Joe Murray, then a cartoonist for the *San Jose Mercury News*; Alazraqui made an audition tape and won the role of Rocko, and the pilot featured him alone voicing both Rocko and the dog Spunky.[11](https://www.nickalive.net/2020/07/carlos-alazraqui-working-on-new.html) • [4](https://joemurraystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Creating-Animated-Cartoons-with-Character.pdf) Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, a storyboard writer on the show, described Alazraqui's normal speaking voice as bearing "no accent at all" while praising his command of accents, which he also uses in his stand-up routines.[7](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Carlos_Alazraqui)
**The Taco Bell Chihuahua.** In the late 1990s Alazraqui auditioned for the voice of the Taco Bell Chihuahua against roughly 150 other actors. The director asked for something other than the high-pitched readings most candidates gave, so he lowered the pitch of his own voice; on the callback he was told to play the dog as "really cool and tough but in hushed tones." The 30-second commercial debuted in November 1997 and made the line "Yo quiero Taco Bell" a national catchphrase. He recorded a couple of dozen commercials for the campaign and voiced the dog from 1997 to 2000, a stint that brought him national recognition, appearances on *Hollywood Squares* and interview shows, and, in his own account, opened the floodgates for animation work.[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-29-me-27655-story.html) • [6](https://remezcla.com/features/film/interview-carlos-alazraqui-rockos-modern-life-static-cling/) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-17-ls-50538-story.html) Some Latino activists found the campaign offensive; Alazraqui has said the complaints died down and that most people, Latino or otherwise, enjoyed the commercial.[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-29-me-27655-story.html)
**Animation and games.** His animated credits grew to include Winslow and Lube on *CatDog* ([Nickelodeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nickelodeon), 1998-2005), Mr. Crocker on *The Fairly OddParents*, Rikochet on *¡Mucha Lucha!*, Lazlo and other characters on *Camp Lazlo!* ([Cartoon Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-network), 2005-08), Grandpapi on *El Tigre*, and Felipe and Abuelito on Disney's *Handy Manny*. In video games he voiced [Spyro the Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/spyro-the-dragon) in the original 1998 *Spyro* game, and in film he played El Chupacabra in Disney's *Planes* (2013), Nestor in *Happy Feet* and *Happy Feet 2*, Bane in *Justice League: Doom*, and the Brazilian Helicopter Pilot and Dad's Fear in Pixar's *Inside Out*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0016141/fullcredits) • [8](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/) He typically appeared in at least a dozen cartoons in any given year, a demand his agents and colleagues attribute to his range with accents.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/) He also doubles as the sound-alike voice of Billy Crystal's Mike Wazowski for Pixar commercials and merchandise.[8](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/) In 2019 he returned to Rocko for the Netflix movie *Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling*.[8](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/)
## On-camera work
In 2003 Alazraqui won his first regular on-screen part as Deputy James Garcia, one of the bumbling cops of the mockumentary *Reno 911!*, which ran on Comedy Central from 2003 to 2009; he reprised the role in the spinoff film *Reno 911!: Miami* and played a Reno cop in a *CSI* episode as a nod to the character.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/) • [7](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Carlos_Alazraqui) Later television appearances include Officer Alvarez on CBS's *Kevin Can Wait*, Dr. Moncada on [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw)'s *Jane the Virgin*, Sammy Tucker on Fox's *Bones*, and Detective Nash on TruTV's *Adam Ruins Everything*.[8](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/)
## Writing and producing
Alazraqui has written and produced as well as performed. His writing credits include *The Rip Squad*, a half-hour live-action series sold to Comedy Central, the short film *The Last White Dishwasher*, which he also starred in, *Head Games*, and *Spiritology*.[8](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/) • [7](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Carlos_Alazraqui) He developed a half-hour series based on one of his own characters, *Good Morning Iowa*, with [Michael Douglas](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-douglas)'s Further Films and HBO, and has served as executive producer on projects including *Let It Beard* and *Uncommon Ground* with [Ryan Seacrest](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-seacrest)/Endemol Shine.[8](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/) He also produced the first live *Rocko's Modern Life* event at Los Angeles's Downtown Independent Theatre with series creator Joe Murray, which sold out in a week.[8](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/)
## Recognition
Alazraqui won the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production for *[The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-mr-peabody-and-sherman-show)*.[8](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/) The Taco Bell campaign he voiced has been documented as one of the most well-known advertising campaigns of all time.[8](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/)
## References
1. [Carlos Alazraqui, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/carlos-alazraqui/)
2. [Carlos Alazraqui full credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0016141/fullcredits)
3. [His Bark Gives the Chihuahua Bite, Los Angeles Times (1998)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-17-ls-50538-story.html)
4. [Creating Animated Cartoons with Character, Joe Murray Studio](https://joemurraystudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Creating-Animated-Cartoons-with-Character.pdf)
5. [Living High on the Dog, Los Angeles Times (1999)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-29-me-27655-story.html)
6. [Interview: Carlos Alazraqui, Remezcla](https://remezcla.com/features/film/interview-carlos-alazraqui-rockos-modern-life-static-cling/)
7. [Carlos Alazraqui, Manga Wiki (Fandom)](https://manga.fandom.com/wiki/Carlos_Alazraqui)
8. [About Carlos, CarlosAlazraqui.com](https://www.carlosalazraqui.com/about/)
9. [Carlos Alazraqui, Disciples of Comedy](https://disciplesofcomedy.com/comedian-carlos-alazraqui.html)
10. [Interview: Carlos Alazraqui, FRED Entertainment (2006)](https://asitecalledfred.com/2006/07/10/quick-stop-interview-carlos-alazraqui/)
11. [Carlos Alazraqui Working on New Nickelodeon Project, NickALive (2020)](https://www.nickalive.net/2020/07/carlos-alazraqui-working-on-new.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Voice performers › American voice performers › Animation and cartoon voice actors › Contemporary animation voice actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license