Christopher Julius
"Chris
" Rock III
(born February 7, 1965) [1] [2] is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted by Comedy Central as the fifth greatest stand-up comedian of all time. [3]
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CHRIS ROCK TICKETS
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Early life
Rock was born in
Andrews, South Carolina. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to
Crown Heights, Brooklyn,
New York. A few years later, they relocated and settled in the
working-class area of
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
[4] His mother, Rosalie (
née Tingman), was a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped; his father, Julius Rock, was a former truck driver and newspaper deliveryman.
[5] Julius died in 1988 after
ulcer surgery.
[6] His younger brothers
Tony and Kenny
[7] are also in the entertainment business. His older brother, Charles, died in 2006 due to a long struggle with
alcoholism.
[8] [9] [10] Rock has said that he was influenced by the performing style of his paternal grandfather, Allen Rock, a
preacher.
[11]
Career
Early career
Rock began doing stand-up comedy in 1985 in
New York City's
Catch a Rising Star.
He slowly rose up the ranks of the comedy circuit in addition to earning bit roles in the film
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
and the TV series
Miami Vice
. Upon seeing his act at a nightclub,
Eddie Murphy befriended and mentored the aspiring comic. Murphy gave Rock his first film role in
Beverly Hills Cop II
.
Saturday Night Live
Rock became a cast member of the popular
sketch comedy series
Saturday Night Live
in 1990. He and other new cast members
Chris Farley,
Adam Sandler,
Rob Schneider and
David Spade became known as the
Bad Boys of SNL. In 1991, he released his first comedy album
Born Suspect
and won acclaim for his dramatic role as a
crack addict in the film
New Jack City
. His tenure on
SNL
gave Rock national exposure.
Standup success
A frustrated Rock left
Saturday Night Live
in 1993, appearing instead as a "special guest" star on the predominately
African-American sketch show
In Living Color
. The show, however, was canceled months later. Rock then decided to concentrate on a film career. He wrote and starred in the
mockumentary CB4
but the film was not a success. Acting jobs became scarce, and Rock abandoned Hollywood to concentrate on stand-up comedy.
Rock starred in his first
HBO comedy special in 1994 titled
Big Ass Jokes
. But it was his second stand-up special, 1996's
Bring the Pain
, that reinvented Rock as one of the best comedians in the industry.
[12] His routine, which featured commentaries on race in America, stirred up a great deal of controversy.
[13] Rock won two
Emmy Awards for that special. Adding to his popularity was his much-publicized role as a commentator for
Comedy Central's
Politically Incorrect
during the
1996 Presidential elections which earned him another Emmy nomination.
[14] Rock also was the voice for the "Lil Penny" puppet who was the alter ego to basketball star
Penny Hardaway in a series of
Nike shoe commercials from 1994-1998,
[15] and hosted the '97 MTV Video Music Awards.
Rock later had two more
HBO comedy specials:
Bigger & Blacker
in 1999, and
Never Scared
in 2004. Articles relating to both specials called Rock "the funniest man in America" in
Time
[16] and
Entertainment Weekly
,
[17] respectively. HBO also aired his talk show,
The Chris Rock Show
, which gained critical acclaim for Rock's interviews with celebrities and politicians. The show won an Emmy for writing. His television work has won him a total of three
Emmy Awards and 15 nominations.
By the end of the decade, Rock was established as one of the preeminent stand-up comedians and comic minds of his generation.
During this time, Rock also translated his comedy into print form in the book
Rock This!
and released the
Grammy Award-winning comedy albums,
Roll with the New
,
Bigger & Blacker
and
Never Scared
.
Rock's fifth HBO special,
Kill the Messenger
, premiered on
September 27,
2008.
[18]
Film and television
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
,
Nurse Betty
,
The Longest Yard
,
Bad Company
, and a starring role in
Down to Earth
. Rock has also increasingly worked behind the camera, both as a writer and director of
Head of State
and
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, of which he is the
executive producer and
narrator. The show has garnered both critical and ratings success.
[19] The series was nominated for a 2006
Golden Globe for Best TV Series (Musical or Comedy), a 2006
People's Choice Award for Favorite New Television Comedy, and two 2006
Emmy Awards for costuming and cinematography.
[20]
Academy Awards
In early 2005, Rock hosted the
77th Academy Awards ceremony. The decision to have Rock host the awards was seen by some as a chance to bring an "edge" to the ceremony, and to make it more relevant or appealing to younger audiences. Jokingly, Rock opened by saying
"Welcome to the 77th and LAST Academy Awards!"
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 (he made a joke about filmmakers rushing production when unable to get the actors they want: "If you want
Tom Cruise and all you can get is
Jude Law, wait [to make the film]!"). Subsequently, 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
.) Law was not the only actor that Rock poked fun at that evening, however -- he turned the joke on himself at one point, saying, "If you want
Denzel [Washington] and all you can get is me, wait!" Older Oscar officials were reportedly displeased with Rock's performance, which did not elevate ratings for the ceremony.
[21] Rock was also criticized for referring to the Oscars as "idiotic", and asserting that
heterosexual men do not watch them, in an interview prior to Oscar night.
[22] [23]
Music videos
Rock's first music video was for his song "Your Mother's Got a Big Head" from his album
Born Suspect
. Rock also made videos for his songs "Champagne" from
Roll With the New
and "
No Sex (In the Champagne Room)" from
Bigger & Blacker
. Chris Rock also directed and appeared in the music video for the
Red Hot Chili Peppers song "
Hump de Bump".
Rock appeared in the
Big Daddy Kane music video "Smooth Operator" as a guy getting his hair cut.
He also appeared in
Johnny Cash's "
God's Gonna Cut You Down", one of the many celebrities seen
lip-synching the song.
Comedic style
Rock's subject matter typically involves family,
politics, romance, music,
class relationships, and
race relations in the
United States. Though not strictly autobiographical, much of his comic standpoint seem rooted in his teenage experience; his strict parents, concerned about the inadequacies of the local school system, arranged to have the adolescent Rock
bused to a nearly all-white high school in
Bensonhurst (an
Italian-ethnic neighborhood of Brooklyn known at the time for poor race relations). In his memoir "Rock This," the comedian recalls, "My parents assumed I'd get a better education in a better neighborhood. What I actually got was a worse education in a worse neighborhood. And a whole bunch of ass-whippings."
[24]
The comedian has also expressed discomfort with the notion that success in standup comedy—or, indeed, in any aspect of the entertainment industry—should oblige him to serve as a role model. In this position, he finds himself directly at odds with one of his comic idols,
Bill Cosby. Cosby has reprimanded Rock both explicitly—for his famous/notorious
Niggas vs. Black People track
[25]—and implicitly, for heavy use of the word "nigger."
[26] Rock has not wavered from a position explored in his 1996
Roll With The New
show, and reiterated in his 1997 memoir: "Why does the public expect entertainers to behave better than everybody else? It's ridiculous...Of course, this is just for black entertainers. You don't see anyone telling
Jerry Seinfeld he's a good role model. Because everyone expects whites to behave themselves...Nowadays, you've got to be an entertainer and a leader. It's too much."
[27]
At the London
Live Earth concert on July 7, 2007, which was broadcast live on the
BBC, before introducing the
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rock called the crowd "
motherfuckers" and "shit" after a brief sigh when he said he was joking. Due to the broadcast being at 5:45pm Rock was immediately cut off, and the BBC made several apologies for his use of the word "motherfucker".
[28]
Personal life
Rock has been married to Malaak Compton-Rock since
November 23 1996.
[29] 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.
They have 2 daughters together, Lola Simone (born
June 28,
2002) and Zahra Savannah (born
May 22,
2004).
[30]
In November 2006, the entertainment news website
TMZ.com reported that Rock was filing for divorce after nearly ten years of marriage to Malaak.
[31] Two weeks later, however, TMZ reported that Rock had not filed divorce papers, and that it appeared that the couple had been able to work out their differences and stay together.
[32] In response to the reports, the Rocks released a statement to the press denouncing them as "untrue rumors and lies".
Often the subject of
tabloids, when asked about
paparazzi and the other negative aspects of
fame, Rock says he accepts the bad with the good: "You can't be happy that fire cooks your food and be mad it burns your fingertips."
[33]
In 2007,
freelance journalist and former
actress Kali Bowyer filed a
paternity suit against Chris Rock, claiming he was the father of her son, and in need of hospitalization.
[34] DNA testing proved that Rock was not the child's father.
[35]
Rock currently resides in
Alpine, New Jersey.
[36]
Rock is an avid supporter of the
New York Mets baseball team. During the 2007 season he was seen nearly every game on the video screen leading the crowd in a chant of "Let's Go Mets."
In 2008, Rock's family history was profiled on the
PBS series
African American Lives 2
. A
DNA test showed that he is descended from the Udeme people of northern
Cameroon and that he is 20%
Caucasian.
[37]
Work
Filmography
Year
| Title
| Role
| Notes
|
1987
| Beverly Hills Cop II
| Playboy Mansion Valet
|
|
1988
| Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen
| Himself
| Direct-to-video Concert film
|
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
| Rib Joint Customer
|
|
1989
| Who Is Chris Rock?
| Himself
| Documentary Short
|
1991
| New Jack City
| Pookie
|
|
1992
| Boomerang
| Bony T
|
|
1993
| CB4
| Albert Brown/M.C. Gusto
| Also wrote story, screenplay and was co-producer
|
1995
| The Immortals
| Deke Anthony
|
|
''Panther
| Yuck Mouth
|
|
1994
| The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
| Morece (comedian), Jasmin (comedians sister)
|
|
1996
| Sgt. Bilko
| 1st Lt. Oster
|
|
1997
| Beverly Hills Ninja
| Joey Washington
|
|
1998
| Dr. Dolittle
| Rodney
| Voice
|
Lethal Weapon 4
| Detective Lee Butters
|
|
1999
| Torrance Rises
| Himself
| Documentary short
|
Dogma
| Rufus
|
|
2000
| Nurse Betty
| Wesley
|
|
2001
| Down to Earth
| Lance Barton
| Also co-writer and executive producer
|
AI: Artificial Intelligence
| Mecha Comedian
| Voice/cameo
|
Pootie Tang
| JB/Radio DJ/Pootie's Father
| Also producer
|
Osmosis Jones
| Osmosis Jones
| Voice
|
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
| Chaka Luther King
| Cameo
|
2002
| Bad Company
| Jake Hayes/Kevin Pope/Michael Turner
|
|
Comedian
| Himself
| Documentary
|
2003
| Pauly Shore Is Dead
| Himself
| Cameo
|
Head of State
| Mays Gilliam
| Also director, producer and co-writer
|
2004
| The N-Word
| Himself
| Documentary
|
Paparazzi
| Pizza Delivery Guy
| Cameo
|
2005
| The Aristocrats
| Himself
| Documentary
|
Madagascar
| Marty
| voice
|
The Longest Yard
| Farrell Caretaker
|
|
2007
| I Think I Love My Wife
| Richard Marcus Cooper
| Also director and co-writer
|
Bee Movie
| Mooseblood the Mosquito
| Voice
|
2008
| You Don't Mess with the Zohan
| Taxi Driver
| Cameo
|
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
| Marty and other zebras.
| Voice
|
2009
| Good Hair
| Himself
| Documentary
|
2010
| ''Grown Ups
| Kurt McKenzie
|
|
2012
| ''Madagascar 3
| Marty
| Voice
|
Discography
- Born Suspect
- *Released: 1991
- *Chart Positions: Did Not Chart
- *Last RIAA certification: Gold
- *Singles: "Your Mother's Got A Big Head"
- Roll with the New
- *Released: April 8, 1997
- *Chart Positions: #93 US, #41 R&B/Hip-Hop
- *Last RIAA certification: Platinum
- *Singles: "Champagne"
- Bigger & Blacker
- *Released: July 13, 1999
- *Chart Positions: #44 US, #26 R&B/Hip-Hop
- *Last RIAA certification: Platinum
- *Singles: "No Sex", Crazy White Kids"
- Never Scared
- *Released: August 31, 2004
- *Chart Positions: —
- *Last RIAA certification: Platinum
- *Singles: —
Television
- 1987 Miami Vice
(episode "Missing Hours")
- 1990-1993 Saturday Night Live
(cast member)
- 1993-1994 In Living Color
(recurring)
- 1995 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
(episode "Get a Job")
- 1996-1998 The Moxy Show
(voice) (uncredited)
- 1996 Martin
(episode "The Love Jones Connection")
- 1996 Homicide: Life on the Street
(episode "Requiem for Adena")
- 1996 Politically Incorrect
(correspondent)
- 1997 MTV Video Music Awards
(host)
- 1997-2000 The Chris Rock Show
(cast member, writer)
- 1998 King of the Hill
(episode "Traffic Jam")
- 1999 MTV Video Music Awards
(host)
- 2003 MTV Video Music Awards
(host)
- 2004 77th Academy Awards
(host)
- 2005-2009 Everybody Hates Chris
(narrator, creator)
HBO specials
- Uptown Comedy Express
(1987)
- Big Ass Jokes
(1994)
- Bring the Pain
(1996)
- Bigger & Blacker
(1999)
- Never Scared
(2004)
- Kill the Messenger
(2008)
Books
- Rock This!
(Hyperion Books, 1997) - ISBN 0786862890
Tours
- Bring the Pain
(1996)
- Bigger & Blacker
(1999)
- Black Ambition
(2003-2004)
- No Apologies
(2007-2008)
See also
- Niggas vs. Black People, one of Rock's most famous and controversial bits.
Notes
- Chris Rock: Biography
- Note: Reliable sources differ on his year of birth. In his book, ''Rock This!'', Rock gives his birth date as February 7, 1966. But Rock stated he was 42 years old on his February 28, 2007 appearance on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''.
- Stand Up Comedy & Comedians
- Chris Rock
- Rolling Rock: Chris Rock Hits His Hollywood Stride
- Chris Rock Biography
- Kenny Rock at the Internet Movie Database
- Chris Rock Feels He 'Failed' Deceased Brother
- Chris Rock's Brother Died - In a New York Homeless Shelter!!!
- Comedian Tony Rock Visits
- Chris Rock
- AllMovie.com review
- Chris Rock: The funniest man in America?
- Chris Rock: Bring the Pain (1996) (TV) - Awards
- Chris Rock: hot comic is on the roll of his life
- America's Best Artist's and Entertainers
- Chris Rock On Fire
- Chris Rock to do his fifth HBO special in September - TCA Report
- Icon Chris Rock
- Awards page for ''Everybody Hates Chris'' at imdb.com
- "Chris Rock effect fails to boost Oscars"; ''The Guardian Unlimited''; March 2, 2005
- Lundegaard, Erik; "Hey, Chris Rock: Shut the [bleep up: A film critic takes the Oscar host to task for his film criticism"; MSNBC; February 3, 2005]
- "Chris Rock, Oscars host, slams Oscars"; ''Sydney Morning Herald''/Reuters; February 16, 2005
- Rock, Chris. "Rock This," Hyperion, 1997, p. 46. "I got bused from Bed-Stuy to a white school in a poor white neighborhood: Gerretson Beach, Brooklyn... What I actually got was a worse education in a worse neighborhood..."
- Sweeney, Kathy. The Guardian (UK). "Wind Them Up and Watch Them Go," 1 June, 2001: "Bill Cosby may have publicly reprimanded him for satirizing black Americans, but Rock is having the last laugh." http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,499318,00.html
- Morano, Marc. CNSNews. "Bill Cosby to Blacks," 2 July, 2004. ""When you put on a record, and that record is yelling 'nigger this' and 'nigger that' and cursing all over the thing and you got your little six-year-old and seven-year-old sitting in the back seat of the car—those children hear that... That's all minstrel show stuff. I am tired of it."
- Rock, Chris. ''Rock This''; Hyperion, 1997, p. 16.
- "Chris Rock defends Live Earth swearing: Comic is critical of climate change show despite being host"; nme.com; July 7, 2007.
- Chris Rock, Wife Say Their Marriage Is Solid
- Chris Rock Biography
- Chris Rock Files for Divorce
- Everybody Hates Divorce -- Rock Split on Hold
- Everybody Loves Chris
- Paternity Papers Agsinst Comedian/Actor Chris Rock Filed In Bulloch Court
- "DNA test clears Chris Rock in paternity case, lawyer says," Associated Press on CNN.com, 7 Aug 2007.
- Alpine, N.J., Home of Hip-Hop Royalty
- The Past Is Another Country