Guillermo Guiz

Guillermo Guiz, whose real name is Guy Verstraeten, is a Belgian humorist and columnist born on 23 November 1981 in Etterbeek. He was revealed in Belgium by his columns in On n'est pas rentre and Le Cafe serre on La Premiere, then in France in La Bande originale by Nagui on France Inter. Born in Etterbeek, he lived alone with his father, Andre Verstraeten, in the Brussels commune of Anderlecht; his mother, with whom he already had little contact, died when he was only seventeen. During his adolescence he developed a passion for football and even aimed to become a professional footballer, playing in the junior teams of clubs such as RWDM, Union saint-gilloise, Standard de Liege and Sporting d'Anderlecht, but multiple injuries forced him to abandon this project around the age of eighteen.

After spending a year in Spain, he undertook studies in political science at the universite libre de Bruxelles, followed by journalist training at the Institut de journalisme in Brussels, which allowed him to do freelance work for several newspapers (Le Soir, Trends-Tendances, Foot Magazine, Le Monde diplomatique...). Between 2010 and 2013, he spent some difficult years as a manager and artistic director for nightclubs in Brussels (the VIP Room) and Knokke (the Gotha Club); both clubs quickly went bankrupt. For his stage name, he used his first Facebook pseudonym, Guillermo Guiz. In July 2013, he performed at the Kings of Comedy Club in Brussels for a talent competition named Next Prince of Comedy, where he was spotted by Olivier Monssens, who hired him as a columnist on On n'est pas rentre on La Premiere. In 2015 he became a regular columnist for Le Cafe serre on Matin Premiere.

In September 2016, he joined the team of La Bande originale on France Inter, presented by Nagui, with a column named La Drole d'humeur de Guillermo Guiz. In 2015, his first one-man-show, Guillermo Guiz a un bon fond, met with success and a good critical reception, first performed at the Kings of Comedy Club then at the theatre de la Toison d'or in Brussels and the theatre du Point-Virgule in France until June 2018. In October 2017, he became the main character of the series Roi de la Vanne, broadcast on Canal+, of which he also co-wrote the scripts. He draws his inspiration mainly from Belgian humorists of his childhood, comedy programs of Canal+, and famous American stand-up comedians such as Louis C.K., Jerry Seinfeld and Dave Chappelle. He is in a relationship with the actress and director Berangere McNeese.