Horatio Sanz was born June 4, 1974 in Santiago, Chile. He discovered his love for comedy at an early age while he was growing up in Chicago, and in 1993 he and several friends started a new comedy troupe, which grew into the Upright Citizens Brigade. At the same time, he began working at other improv stations around town, including the famous Second City show.
After a brief appearance in the 1994 holiday film Miracle on 34th Street, Horatio and the rest of UCB were given their own show on Comedy Central. He stayed with the group for a brief stint of episodes, until he got his big break, being named as a featured player on "Saturday Night Live."
That year, he and another newcomer, Jimmy Fallon, infused the show with a young and splashy energy that had been lacking in years of late. On September 26, 1998 Horatio was named as a full-time member of the SNL cast, the first Latino to do so.
Since then, Horatio has provided impersonations of Ozzy Osbourne, Saddam Hussein, Rosie O'Donnell, Gene Shalit, and Elton John. He's also created a number of memorable original characters, including the disheveled A/V teacher Mr. Banglian for the recurring "Wake Up, Wakefield" sketch; Frankie in the Boston Teens sketch; and the pothead Gobi.
Critics of Sanz point to his constant breaking out of character to giggle - he and Fallon spent a lot more time trying to make each other laugh, instead of their audience - but with Fallon's departure, hopefully Horatio will get more focus and flesh out some more humor for the new generation of SNL fans.
In addition to his SNL gig, Sanz has appeared in the movies Tomcats, The New Guy, and Boat Trip, and appears regularly on the Disney animated series "Fillmore!" as the frazzled safety patrol leader Vallejo.