Aries Spears

Aries Spears, a New York native born in Chicago on April 3, 1975, began performing stand-up comedy at age 14 in front of paying audiences at local clubs. He went on to appear on Russell Simmons's Def Comedy Jam on HBO and Showtime at the Apollo before moving to Los Angeles in 1992.

He is best known as a cast member on Fox's Mad TV, where he appeared from the third through the tenth season. His recurring characters included Belma Buttons, Bill Cosby, Jesse Jackson, Mike Tyson, Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jackson, Sisqo, Evander Holyfield, El Diablo Negro, and others. He also performed impersonations of James Brown, Al Pacino, and Eddie Murphy, and his sketch "Talkin' American" became one of the show's most popular segments.

On the film side, Spears landed his first role at 17 in Home of Angels alongside Abe Vigoda and Sherman Helmsley. He went on to appear in Out-of-Sync, portrayed Red Foxx in Warner Bros.' Why Do Fools Fall In Love, starred with John Leguizamo in TriStar's The Pest, and played Cuba Gooding Jr.'s brother in Columbia's Jerry Maguire.

His television credits also include a recurring role on NBC's A Different World, the short-lived CBS series South of Sunset with former Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey, Crosstown Traffic, Brisco County Jr., Fox's The Best Damn Sports Show Period, and talk show appearances on Loveline, Vibe, the Keenen Ivory Wayans show, Soul Train, and Late Friday. He also voiced an animated character on C-Bear and Jamal.