Dave Chappelle

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Dave Chappelle

Born: August 24, 1973 (age 33)
Flag of United States Washington, D.C., United States
Medium: Stand-up, television, film
Nationality: Flag of United States American
Years active: 1988-present
Genres: Satire, Sketch comedy, Observational humor, Surreal humor, Improvisational comedy
Subjects: racism, race relations, American politics, African American culture, pop culture, recreational drug use
Influences: Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Bill Cosby, Bugs Bunny[1]
Spouse: Elaine Chappelle (2 children)
Notable works and roles: Chappelle's Show, Half-Baked
Website: DaveChappelle.com

David Khari Webber Chappelle (born August 24, 1973)[2] is an American stand-up comedian, satirist and actor. In 2003, he became best known for his popular sketch comedy television series Chappelle's Show.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Chappelle was born in Washington, D.C. His father, William David Chappelle III, was a professor at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.[2] His mother, Yvonne K. Reed, was a professor at Howard University and the University of Maryland and is also a Unitarian Universalist minister.[3] During young Chappelle's formative years, his comic inspiration came from various comedy idols, particularly Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor.[4]

After his parents separated, Chappelle stayed in Washington with his mother while spending summers with his father in Ohio. In June 1991, he graduated from Washington's Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a renowned performing arts high school, where he majored in theatre arts.[1]

[edit] Career

[edit] Early works

Chappelle began his stand-up comedy career at the age of 14 performing in Washington, D.C.'s comedy circuit. After graduating from high school, Chappelle moved to New York City to pursue his stand-up comedy career. He gathered the courage to perform at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater in front of the infamous "Amateur Night" audience. The performance resulted in him being booed off the stage. Chappelle has described the experience as the moment that gave him the courage to continue his show business aspirations.[1] He quickly made a name for himself in the New York City comedy circuit, even performing in the city's parks. At the age of 19, Chappelle made his film debut as "Ahchoo" in Mel Brooks's Robin Hood: Men in Tights. That same year, he had a small but showy role in the film Undercover Blues. On the strength of his performances in these films, Chappelle was offered the role of Bubba in Forrest Gump, which was in a pre-production stage. Not realizing the impact this future Best Picture Oscar would have, and concerned about what seemed to be a racially-demeaning character, he turned down the part. He has since admitted to regretting the decision.[5] Chappelle played another supporting movie role in 1994's little-seen Getting In.

He attracted the attention of TV network executives with his guest appearance in an episode of ABC's highly rated sitcom Home Improvement. The storyline had Chappelle and real-life friend comedian Jim Breuer ask Tim Taylor for advice on their girlfriends. The characters' single outing in the episode proved so popular that ABC decided to give them their own spin-off sitcom titled Buddies. However, after taping a pilot episode, Jim Breuer was fired and replaced with actor Christopher Gartin. Buddies premiered in March 1996 to disappointing ratings. The show was cancelled after only four episodes out of thirteen that were produced. Nine years later, in May 2005, ten of the episodes were released on a single-disc DVD to capitalize on Chappelle's new-found fame.

He later appeared as the nightclub comedian in The Nutty Professor starring Eddie Murphy, one of his major comedic influences. He also had minor roles in Con Air and Martin Lawrence's Blue Streak. He co-wrote (with Neal Brennan) and starred in Half Baked, a cult film about a group of pot-smoking best friends trying to get their friend out of jail.

Chappelle appeared as himself in an episode of The Larry Sanders Show, in which he and the executives of the show's nameless television network satirized the treatment that scriptwriters and show creators were subject to, as well as the executives' knee-jerk stereotyping when it came to race. In 1998, he played a supporting role as Tom Hanks' character's friend and confidant in You've Got Mail.

[edit] Chappelle's Show

Main article: Chappelle's Show

In 2003, Chappelle debuted his own weekly sketch comedy show on Comedy Central called Chappelle's Show. The show parodied many aspects of American culture including racial stereotypes, politics and pop culture. Along with comedy skits, the show also featured musical performances by mostly hip-hop and soul artists. Chappelle's pointed social and political commentary quickly helped the show garner critical and commercial success as well as controversy.[6] Richard Pryor, one of Chappelle's comedic influences, was a fan of the show and stated that he had "passed the torch" to Chappelle.[7] He received two Emmy nominations for the show.[8]

By the end of the second season, it was one of the highest-rated shows on basic cable, with a greater audience share than South Park on Comedy Central.[citation needed] Additionally, the DVD set, Chappelle's Show Season One Uncensored!, became the best-selling DVD of a television show to date, overtaking the previous best-selling, The Simpsons first season DVD. It had sold over 3 million copies.[9] Due to the show's popularity, Comedy Central's parent company Viacom reportedly offered Chappelle a $55 million contract (giving Chappelle a share of DVD sales) to continue production of Chappelle's Show for two more years while allowing him to do side projects. Chappelle had stated that sketches are not his favorite form of comedy, and that the characteristics of the show's format were somewhat like short films.

Chappelle as Rick James in the popular "Rick James sketch".
Chappelle as Rick James in the popular "Rick James sketch".

[edit] Season 3 turbulence

In a June 2004 stand-up performance in San Francisco, California, Chappelle walked off the stage after berating his audience for constantly shouting "I'm Rick James, bitch!", which became a catchphrase from the popular "Rick James sketch". After a few minutes, Chappelle returned and continued by saying "The show is ruining my life." He stated that he disliked working "20 hours a day" and that the popularity of the show was making it difficult for him to continue his stand-up career which was "the most important thing" to him. He also told the audience:

“ You know why my show is good? Because the network officials say you're not smart enough to get what I'm doing, and every day I fight for you. I tell them how smart you are. Turns out, I was wrong. You people are stupid.[10] ”

In May 2005, Chappelle stunned fans and the entertainment industry when he abruptly left during production of the third season of Chappelle's Show. Chappelle has since stated that he was unhappy with the direction the show had taken, claiming pressure from network executives regarding the show's content. Chappelle left the United States to visit South Africa. His decision triggered reports of drug problems. On May 11, 2005, news sources reported that Chappelle had checked himself into a psychiatric facility in South Africa.[11] On May 14, Chappelle gave an interview to Time Magazine's South African bureau chief. Chappelle denied any drug or mental problems though he did have one session with a psychiatrist. Chappelle stated that his reasons for visiting South Africa were to reflect on his life and career.[12]

[edit] Return

Later in the year, Chappelle had returned home to Ohio[13] and performed impromptu stand-up shows in Los Angeles.[14][15] He then went on a tour which began in Newport, Kentucky which is not far from his Ohio home.[16] He also made a surprise appearance on HBO's Def Poetry where he performed two poems, titled Fuck Ashton Kutcher and How I Got the Lead on "Jeopardy!."[17] He was interviewed for Inside the Actors Studio on December 18, 2005 at Pace University's Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts. The show premiered on February 12, 2006.[18] Chappelle stated that the death of his father in 1998 had an impact in his decision to go to South Africa. By throwing himself into his work, he had not taken a chance to mourn his father's death. He also said the rumors that he was in drug or psychiatric treatment only persuaded him to stay in South Africa.[1]

He was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on her show on February 3, 2006 in his first televised interview since his departure from Chappelle's Show. He stated in the interview that he "wasn't crazy" but the environment was "incredibly stressful".[19] He continued:

“ I would go to work on the show and I felt awful every day, that's not the way it was. ... I felt like some kind of prostitute or something. If I feel so bad, why keep on showing up to this place? I'm going to Africa. The hardest thing to do is to be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching. ”

Chappelle also admitted to Oprah that he felt some of his sketches were "socially irresponsible". [20][21] He singled out the "pixie sketch" in which pixies appear to people and encourage them to reinforce stereotypes of their races. In the sketch, Chappelle is wearing blackface and is dressed as a character in a minstrel show.[22] According to Chappelle, during the filming of the sketch, a white crew member was laughing in a way that made him feel uncomfortable and made him rethink the show.[20][21] Chappelle said "it was the first time I felt that someone was not laughing with me but laughing at me."[20]

During these interviews, Chappelle did not rule out returning to Chappelle's Show to "finish what we started", but promised that he would not return without changes to the production, such as a better working environment. He also stated he would like to donate half of the DVD sales to charity.[23] Chappelle expressed disdain at the possibility of his material from the unfinished third season being aired, saying that to do so would be "a bully move", and that he would not return to the show if Comedy Central were to air the unfinished material.[21] On July 9, 2006, Comedy Central aired the first episode of Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes. An uncensored DVD release of the episodes was made available on July 25.

Chappelle has stated that he has no intention of leaving Yellow Springs, Ohio, his current residence. "Turns out you don't need $50 million to live around these parts, just a nice smile and a kind way about you. You guys are the best neighbors ever", he stated at a blues and jazz festival in the town in mid-September 2006, "That's why I came back and that's why I'm staying."[24]

[edit] Rick James Biopic

In June 2004, based on the popularity of the "Rick James sketch", it was announced that Chappelle was in talks to portray Rick James in a biopic from Paramount Pictures.[25] But James disagreed with the proposed tone of the film and put a halt to the talks.[26]

[edit] Block Party

Chappelle was the subject of the Michel Gondry-directed documentary Dave Chappelle's Block Party which chronicles a Chappelle-hosted event in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn on September 18, 2004. The highlight of the event was the reunion of popular '90s rap group The Fugees. Chappelle toured several cities in February and March 2006 to promote the film under the moniker "Block Party All-Stars featuring Dave Chappelle". Universal Pictures' genre division Rogue Pictures released the film in the United States on March 3, 2006.

[edit] Other works

Chappelle has appeared in commercials for Right Guard, Coke, and Pepsi.

Chappelle appeared on Reflection Eternal's album Train of Thought performing the voices of Nelson Mandela and Rick James. He also appeared on Prince Paul's album Politics of the Business and on mixtapes by Talib Kweli and 50 Cent.

[edit] Personal life

In 1998, Chappelle converted to Islam. He told Time Magazine in a May 2005 interview, "I don't normally talk about my religion publicly because I don't want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing. And I believe it is beautiful if you learn it the right way."[12]

Chappelle has commented on being a computer and video game enthusiast, some of his favorites being NBA Street, Street Fighter and Grand Theft Auto. He also is a World of Warcraft fan.[27] On Chappelle's Show, he has paid homage a few different times to various video games. One was to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, in which he plays the main character, who steals a car to go to work. Another was to the game Street Hoops, in which he challenges and beats a child with cancer. In a sketch about a posthumous Tupac Shakur song , a lyric mentions "run up in yo' spot like CJ from San Andreas".

He lives with his wife Elaine (who is of Filipino descent)[15] and two sons (one is named Sulayman)[28] on a 65-acre (26-hectare) farm just outside Yellow Springs, Ohio.[16] When he is not touring or engaged in filming for television or the big screen, Chappelle can be seen in the shops and markets of the small college town known as a countercultural center.

Chappelle likes to skateboard as a hobby and says he tries to find skateparks in the cities he performs in. He made an appearance skateboarding in the Signature Video Magazine Volume 1. The video features a short clip of Dave skating at Project 58 in Raleigh, North Carolina. He made another appearance skating on the first episode of Chappelle's Show during the closing credits.

Chappelle is also a skilled jazz pianist as seen in his film Block Party and the television series Iconoclasts.

[edit] Television works

[edit] Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1993 Undercover Blues Ozzie
1993 Robin Hood: Men in Tights Ahchoo
1994 Getting In Ron
1996 Joe's Apartment Cockroach voice only
1996 The Nutty Professor Reggie Warrington
1997 Damn Whitey Dave short film
1997 Bowl of Pork Black Forrest Gump short film
1997 Con Air Joe 'Pinball' Parker
1997 The Real Blonde Zee
1998 Woo Lenny
1998 You've Got Mail Kevin Jackson
1998 Half Baked Thurgood Jenkins/Sir-Smoke-a-Lot also co-writer
1999 Blue Streak Tulley
2000 Screwed Rusty P. Hayes
2002 Undercover Brother Conspiracy Brother
2005 Dave Chappelle's Block Party Himself
2007 Ballers unknown announced

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d "Dave Chappelle". Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 2006-02-12. No. 10, season 12.
  2. ^ a b Ancestry of Dave Chappelle. William Addams Reitwiesner Genealogical Service.
  3. ^ Yvonne Seon Biography. The History Makers.com. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
  4. ^ Taylor-Fabe, Andy (April 17, 2002). Dave Chappelle Returns to A2. The Michigan Daily. Retrieved on March 16, 2007.
  5. ^ Forrest Gump Trivia. Notstarring.com. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
  6. ^ Feeney, Matt (March 4, 2004). Why is Dave Chappelle's Malice So Winning?. Slate.com. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
  7. ^ Chappelle: 'An Act Of Freedom'. 60 Minutes II, CBS News (December 29, 2004). Retrieved on March 16, 2007.
  8. ^ Awards for Dave Chappelle. IMDb.
  9. ^ Ault, Susanne (June 3, 2005). Latest Chappelle DVD is Selling Like Crazy. Video Business. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  10. ^ Carnes, Jim (June 18, 2004). Dave Chappelle lets rude crowd have it, sticks up for Cosby's comment.. Sacramento Bee. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  11. ^ Wolk, Josh (May 10, 2005). Chappelle's No-Show. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  12. ^ a b Robinson, Simon (May 15, 2005). On the Beach With Dave Chappelle. Time Magazine. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  13. ^ Susman, Gary (May 26, 2005). The Buckeye Stops Here. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  14. ^ Susman, Gary (June 3, 2005). True Hollywood Story. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  15. ^ a b Itzkoff, Dave (November 27, 2005). Dave Chappelle Is Alive and Well (and Playing Las Vegas). The New York Times. Retrieved on March 21, 2007.
  16. ^ a b Kaufman, Gil (September 12, 2005). Dave Chappelle Is Back Onstage. MTV News. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  17. ^ Def Poetry: Season 5: Episode 1: Summary. HBO.
  18. ^ Inside The Actors Studio: Dave Chappelle's Bio. Bravo.
  19. ^ Chappelle's Story: Incredibly Stressful. The Oprah Winfrey Show.
  20. ^ a b c Chappelle's Story: Dave's Moral Dilemma. The Oprah Winfrey Show.
  21. ^ a b c Transcript: Interview With Dave Chappelle, July 7, 2006. Anderson Cooper 360, CNN.
  22. ^ Gordon, Devin (May 16, 2005). Fears of a Clown. Newsweek. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  23. ^ Chappelle's Story: Future of 'Chappelle's Show'. The Oprah Winfrey Show.
  24. ^ The Associated Press (September 11, 2006). Chappelle plans to stay in Ohio town. USA Today. Retrieved on March 21, 2007.
  25. ^ Rashbaum, Alyssa (June 10, 2004). Dave Chappelle Is Rick James, Bitch!. MTV News. Retrieved on March 21, 2007.
  26. ^ Fleming, Michael (December 13, 2006). Turner to script singer James' biopic. Variety. Retrieved on March 21, 2007.
  27. ^ Thorsen, Tor (June 29, 2005). Dave Chappelle loves World of Warcraft. GameSpot. Retrieved on March 21, 2007.
  28. ^ Klein, Joshua (March 7, 2001). The sixth man. The Onion. Retrieved on March 21, 2007.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Persondata
NAME Chappelle, Dave
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chappelle, David Khari Weber
SHORT DESCRIPTION comedian
DATE OF BIRTH August 24, 1973
PLACE OF BIRTH Washington, D.C., United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../d/a/v/Dave_Chappelle_2cbc.html"