Chris Rock

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Chris Rock
Born: February 7, 1966
Andrews, South Carolina
Occupation: stand-up comedian, actor
Website: http://www.chrisrock.com/

Chris Rock (born February 7, 1966 (sometimes given as 1965[1]) in Andrews, South Carolina) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York. Rock currently resides in Alpine, NJ.

Contents

[edit] Career

In the mid-to-late 1980s, Rock slowly rose up the ranks of the comedy circuit in addition to earning bit roles in films such as New Jack City and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Upon seeing his act at a nightclub, Eddie Murphy recommended Rock for Saturday Night Live.

He was a cast member of the popular sketch comedy series from 1990–1993. His tenure on the show gave Rock national exposure; but he was rarely used on the show, save for his recurring Nat X character. Rock was fired from SNL in the spring of 1993 as part of a regular cast turnover. Chris took the firing to concentrate on a film career and to lend his talent to the then-fading sketch show In Living Color. Unfortunately, acting jobs were few; so Rock abandoned Hollywood to concentrate on stand-up comedy. In 1991, he released his first comedy album, Born Suspect. He starred in his first HBO comedy special in 1993 titled Big Ass Jokes.

His second 1996 stand-up special Bring the Pain reinvented Chris Rock as one of the hottest comedians in the industry. His routine, which featured commentaries on race in America, stirred up a great deal of controversy. Adding to his popularity was his much-publicized role as a commentator for Comedy Central's coverage of the 1996 Presidential elections.

Rock has since had two more HBO comedy specials: Bigger and Blacker in 1999, and Never Scared in 2004. Articles relating to both specials called Rock "the funniest man in America" in Time and Entertainment Weekly, respectively. HBO also aired his talk show, The Chris Rock Show, which gained critical acclaim for Rock's interviews with celebrities and politicians. His specials and talk show established Rock as one of the preeminent stand-up comedians and comic minds of his generation. His television work has won him 3 Emmy Awards and 15 nominations for his performing and writing. In 2004, Rock was named the 5th Greatest Stand-Up Comedian of All-Time by Comedy Central. During this time, Rock also translated his comedy into print form in the book Rock This! and released two bestselling comedy albums, Roll with the New and Bigger and Blacker.

While Rock has acted in movies since 1986 (beginning with a small role in Beverly Hills Cop II), it was not until the success of his stand-up act in the late 1990s that Rock began receiving major parts in films. These include roles in Dogma, Beverly Hills Ninja, Lethal Weapon 4 and Nurse Betty and a starring role in Down to Earth. Rock has also increasingly worked behind the camera, both as a writer in CB4 and director of Head of State and the upcoming I Think I Love My Wife. In the fall of 2005, the UPN television network premiered a comedy series called Everybody Hates Chris, based on Rock's school days, for which he is the executive producer and narrator.

His comedy typically involves race relations in the United States, music, romance, and class relationships. Though not directly based on it, many of his comedic views are rooted in his teen years; his very strict parents, concerned about the neighborhood schools, had him bused to an almost all-white high school in Bensonhurst (an Italian-ethnic neighborhood of Brooklyn that was known at the time for poor race relations). Rock claims to have been arrested four times: once for vehicular assault on a youth who had robbed him, and three times for traffic violations, including driving without a license and "driving too slow".

In early 2005, Rock hosted the 77th Academy Awards ceremony. The decision to have Rock host the awards was seen by some to bring an "edge" to the ceremony and to make it more relevant or appealing to younger audiences. During one segment Rock asked "Who is this guy?" in reference to actor Jude Law seemingly appearing in every movie Rock had seen that year and implied Law was a low-rent Tom Cruise. Nearly two hours later, a defensive Sean Penn took the stage to present and said, "In answer to our host's question, Jude Law is one of our finest young actors." (At the time, Penn and Law were shooting All the King's Men.)

According to the Fleamail of Saturday, October 28, 2006, Rock will be directing the music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Hump de Bump".

[edit] Personal life

Rock has been married to Malaak Compton-Rock since November 23, 1996. She is the founder and executive director of StyleWorks, a non-profit, full-service salon that provides free services for women leaving welfare and entering the workforce. The couple have two daughters together, Lola Simone (born June 28, 2002) and Zahra Savannah (born May 22, 2004). On November 3, 2006, the entertainment news website TMZ.com reported that Rock was filing for divorce after nearly ten years of marriage to Malaak. Two weeks later, TMZ reported that Rock not only had not filed divorce papers, but that it appeared that the couple was able to work out their differences and stay together.

Actor Tony Rock is Chris' younger brother. Their father, Julius Rock, died in 1989.

[edit] Everybody Hates Chris

See Everybody Hates Chris.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Discography

[edit] Trivia

  • Although he is a married man, Chris once referred to marriage as "shooting yourself in the head".
  • Chris Rock once audtioned to be an MTV VJ
  • Chris's first network TV appearance was on the last episode of The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers.
  • Chris Rock states that his favorite band is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and will direct the video for their song Hump de Bump.
  • Tyler James Williams plays the role of Chris in the show Everybody Hates Chris.
  • Chris has stated in the past that Eminem is one of his favorite rappers.
  • Chris stands 5'11 (1.80 m) tall.
  • Chris won the Wannabe Award at the Kids Choice Awards in 2006.
  • Chris was accused of being a "foul mouthed turd" by a popular critic in 1995.
  • Chris is often described as the next Richard Pryor, because of racial slurs and racial humor.
  • Rock is also an avid New York Yankees fan.
  • Chris is uncomfortable with the idea of being seen as a larger than life figure in standup comedy as opposed to some of his heroes like Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy or Richard Pryor; when pressed for an statement during an interview with Playboy, he hesitated and finally responded: "I talked about race differently. I'll go that far."
  • Rock hosted the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.
  • He is sometimes confused with Chris Tucker due to both comics high pitched voice.

[edit] Recurring Characters on SNL

  • Nat X, a militant black host of the recurring sketch, "The Dark Side"
  • Kevin Stubbs, a game show contestant (he was a contestant on "Sabra Price is Right" and "The Bensenhurst Dating Game")
  • Onski, one of the hosts of the Yo! MTV Raps-esque show, "I'm Chillin'" (the cohost, B Fats, was played by Chris Farley)
  • Buster Jenkins, an old black man who appears on Weekend Update
  • Young Pop, a sailor who uses barbecued meat to save the day on "Tales From The Barbecue"

[edit] Celebrity Impersonations on SNL

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Various sources give Rock's birth date as either 1965 or 1966. On his 2004 album Never Scared, recorded between March 24 and 26 of that year, Rock states that he is 39, which points to a 1965 birth date. This may have been an error, as he stated in other shows around the same time that he is "38 and dead".[1]

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:


Preceded by:
Billy Crystal
76th Academy Awards		 "Oscars" host
77th Academy Awards		 Succeeded by:
Jon Stewart
78th Academy Awards
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