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Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for
best comedy album The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement in comedy." The award was awarded yearly from 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to presen ...
and four
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
as well as a
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nomination. He was ranked No. 5 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. He also ranked No. 5 on '' Rolling Stone'' 's list of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time. After years working as a stand-up comedian and appearing in minor film roles including '' Beverly Hills Cop II'', Rock gained prominence as a cast member of '' Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1993. While at ''SNL'' he appeared in films '' New Jack City'', '' Boomerang'' and '' CB4'', which he also wrote and produced. He reached mainstream stardom with the critically acclaimed ''
Bring the Pain "Bring the Pain" is a song recorded by the rap artist Method Man. It is the first Single (music), single released from his debut album ''Tical (album), Tical''. Comedian Chris Rock named his 1996 tour and television special "Chris Rock: Bring t ...
'' in 1996, the second of his five
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
comedy specials. His other HBO comedy specials include '' Bigger & Blacker'' (1999), '' Never Scared'' (2004), '' Kill the Messenger'' (2008), and '' Chris Rock: Tamborine'' (2018). He developed, wrote, produced and narrated the sitcom '' Everybody Hates Chris'' (2005-2009), which was based on his early life. From 1997 to 2000 HBO aired his talk show, '' The Chris Rock Show'', which gained critical acclaim for Rock's interviews with celebrities and politicians. Rock was cast in starring film roles in '' Nurse Betty'' (1999), '' Down to Earth'', '' Pootie Tang'' (both 2001), '' Head of State'' (2003), '' The Longest Yard'' (2005), the ''Madagascar'' film series (2005–2012), '' I Think I Love My Wife'' (2007), '' Death at a Funeral'', '' Grown Ups'' (both 2010), its sequel ''
Grown Ups 2 ''Grown Ups 2'' is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf, and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo. It is a sequel to the 2010 film '' Grown Ups''. The film stars Sandler, Ke ...
'' (2013), '' Top Five'' (2014) and ''
Spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:Louie Louie may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Louie'' (American TV series), by comedian Louis C.K. * ''Louie'' (French TV series), animated series about a young rabbit who draws pictures which come to life * "Louie" (song), by Blood Raw * ''L ...
'', '' Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'', ''
Fargo Fargo usually refers to: * Fargo, North Dakota, United States * ''Fargo'' (1996 film), a crime film by the Coen brothers * ''Fargo'' (TV series), an American black comedy–crime drama anthology television series Fargo may also refer to: Othe ...
''. He made his Broadway theater debut in the 2011 Stephen Adly Guirgis play '' The Motherfucker with the Hat'' for which he received Drama League Award for Most Distinguished Performance. He hosted the Academy Awards twice; in
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
and
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, and was involved in an incident on stage at the
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
Awards.


Early life

Christopher Julius Rock was born in
Andrews, South Carolina Andrews is a town in both Georgetown and Williamsburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Its population was 2,861 at the 2010 census, down from 3,068 in 2000. General aviation airfield Robert F. Swinnie Airport is east of its central ...
on February 7, 1965. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. A few years later, they relocated and settled in the working class area of Bedford–Stuyvesant. His mother, Rosalie (''
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Tingman), was a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped; his father, Julius Rock, was a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman. Julius died in 1988 after ulcer surgery. Rock is the eldest of his parents' seven children (six boys and one girl), and he had an older paternal half-brother, Charles Ledell Rock, who died in 2006 after suffering from alcoholism. Rock's younger brothers Tony, Kenny, and Jordan are also in the entertainment business. Rock's family history was profiled on the PBS series '' African American Lives 2'' in 2008. A DNA test showed that he is of Cameroonian descent, specifically from the Udeme ( Ouldémé) people of northern Cameroon. Rock's great-great-grandfather, Julius Caesar Tingman, was enslaved for 21 years before serving in the American Civil War as part of the
United States Colored Troops The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served within the units. They were first recruited during ...
. During the 1940s, Rock's paternal grandfather moved from South Carolina to New York City to become a taxicab driver and preacher. Rock was bused to schools in predominantly white neighborhoods of Brooklyn, where he endured bullying and beatings from white students. As he grew older, the bullying worsened and Rock's parents pulled him out of James Madison High School. He dropped out of high school altogether, but he later earned a General Educational Development (GED). Rock then worked various jobs at fast-food restaurants.


Career


Early work

Rock began working as a stand-up comic during 1984 in New York City's Catch a Rising Star. Upon seeing his act at a nightclub,
Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...
befriended and mentored the aspiring comic. Murphy gave Rock his first film role and big break in '' Beverly Hills Cop II''. Rock 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''.


''Saturday Night Live'' and stand-up success

Rock was a cast member of the
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...
series '' Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1993. He and other new cast members Chris Farley,
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...
, 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 role as a crack addict in the film '' New Jack City''. His tenure on ''SNL'' gave Rock national exposure. (Rock has hosted ''SNL'' three times; in 1996, 2014 and 2020.) With plans to leave ''Saturday Night Live'' after the 1992–93 season, Rock was effectively "fired" from the show. Beginning that fall, he appeared in six episodes of the predominantly African American sketch show '' In Living Color'' as a special guest star. The show was canceled a month after he arrived. Rock then wrote and starred in the low-budget comedy '' CB4'', which made $18 million against its budget of $6 million. He signed on as client of
3 Arts Entertainment 3 Arts Entertainment is an American talent management and television/film production company founded by Erwin Stoff, Michael Rotenberg and Howard Klein in 1991. The company has gone on to produce TV shows such as ''King of the Hill'', ''The Off ...
. Rock headlined his first
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
comedy special in 1994, titled ''Big Ass Jokes'', as part of '' HBO Comedy Half-Hour''. His second special, 1996's ''
Bring the Pain "Bring the Pain" is a song recorded by the rap artist Method Man. It is the first Single (music), single released from his debut album ''Tical (album), Tical''. Comedian Chris Rock named his 1996 tour and television special "Chris Rock: Bring t ...
'', made Rock one of the most acclaimed and commercially successful comedians in the industry. Rock won two
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for the special and gained large critical acclaim. A controversial part of the special was "
Niggas vs. Black People "Niggas vs. Black People" is one of Chris Rock's most famous stand-up comedy routines. This routine—which appeared both on his 1996 HBO special ''Bring the Pain'' and as track 12 on his 1997 album ''Roll with the New''—is widely considered ...
". For his much-publicized role as a commentator for Comedy Central's '' Politically Incorrect'' during the 1996 Presidential elections, he earned another Emmy nomination. 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 to 1998, and hosted the '97 MTV Video Music Awards. Rock later had two more
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
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'' and '' Entertainment Weekly''. 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 Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
s 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, and won him another Emmy for outstanding writing for a variety or music program. On October 30, 2016, Netflix announced that they would be releasing two new stand-up comedy specials from Rock, with Rock being paid $40 million per special. The first special, '' Chris Rock: Tamborine'', was released on Netflix on February 14, 2018. It was filmed at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...
and was directed by comedian
Bo Burnham Robert Pickering "Bo" Burnham (born 1990) is an American comedian, musician, songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His comedy work often combines musical, sketch, and stand-up elements with filmmaking. Following his success as one of the earliest ...
. The specials marked the comedian's first concert specials released in 10 years. The special earned a
Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement in comedy." The award was awarded yearly from 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to presen ...
nomination.


Film star


1990s

It was not until the success of his stand-up act in the late 1990s that Rock began receiving leading man status in films. He began the decade with supporting roles in such films as '' New Jack City'' (1991) as crack addict Pookie, in the
Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...
comedy '' Boomerang'' (1992), the Steve Martin comedy ''
Sgt. Bilko ''Sgt. Bilko'' is a 1996 American Military fiction, military comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn and written by Andy Breckman. It is an adaptation of the 1950s television series ''The Phil Silvers Show'', often informally called ''Sgt. Bilko'' ...
'' (1996) as well as '' Beverly Hills Ninja'' (1997), and '' Lethal Weapon 4'' (1998). He also appeared in the Kevin Smith fantasy comedy film '' Dogma'' (1999). The film received positive reviews and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The film starred an ensemble cast with actors such as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Alan Rickman, Salma Hayek, and George Carlin. He then starred in the dark comedy '' Nurse Betty'' (2000) starring Renée Zellweger, Greg Kinnear and
Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...
which also debuted at the Cannes Film Festival on May 11, 2000. The film was a critical success.


2000s

In the later 2000s, Rock started to work increasingly behind the camera. He wrote the film '' Down to Earth'' (2001) along with friend and comedian Louis C.K. The film was based on the Warren Beatty film, ''
Heaven Can Wait Heaven Can Wait may refer to: * ''Heaven Can Wait'' (1943 film), a comedy based on the stage play ''Birthday'' by Leslie Bush-Fekete * ''Heaven Can Wait'' (1978 film), an American football comedy starring Warren Beatty; a remake of the 1941 film ...
'' (1978). That same year Rock also produced and starred in the C.K. directed film '' Pootie Tang'' (2001). Rock also would work as a writer and director of the political comedy '' Head of State'' (2003) and marital comedy '' I Think I Love My Wife'' (2007). He also played the lead in both films. He also went on to star in films like '' The Longest Yard'' (2005) opposite
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...
, and the action comedy film '' Bad Company'' (2002) opposite Anthony Hopkins. Starting in 2005, Rock has also voiced the eccentric zebra Marty in DreamWorks' animated film franchise '' Madagascar''. He started in two of the film's sequels, '' Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa'' (2008), and '' Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted'' (2013). In 2007 Rock voiced Mooseblood the Mosquito in the
Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
animated film, ''
The Bee Movie ''Bee Movie'' is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film co-produced by DreamWorks Animation SKG and Columbus 81 Productions, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner (in the fo ...
''. In 2009, Rock released his first documentary, 2009's ''
Good Hair ''Good Hair'' is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Jeff Stilson and produced by Chris Rock Productions and HBO Films, starring and narrated by comedian Chris Rock. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2009, ''Go ...
''. The film focuses on the issue of how African-American women have perceived their
hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
and historically styled it. The film explores the current styling industry for black women, images of what is considered acceptable and desirable for African American women's hair in the United States, and their relation to African American culture. The film premiered at the 2009
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
where it earned critical acclaim and received a Special Jury Prize. The National Board of Review named it one of the five best documentaries of the year. Rock was also nominated for the Gotham Award for Best Documentary and for the Best Documentary Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. Rock has since stated working on a documentary about debt called ''Credit Is the Devil''.


2010s

Some of his 2010s film appearances include the black comedy '' Death at a Funeral'' (2010) a remake of the British comedy of the same name. The film starred Peter Dinklage, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Kevin Hart,
Zoe Saldana Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for "life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Zoe'' (film) * ZOE Broadcast ...
, and
Luke Wilson Luke Cunningham Wilson (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor known for his roles in films such as '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), ''My Dog Skip'' (2000), ''Legally Blonde'' (2001), ''The Royal Tenenbaums'' (2001), ''Id ...
. The film received mixed reviews, although
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
, critic of '' The Chicago Sun-Times'', praised the film writing: "I laughed all the way through, in fact. This is the best comedy since ''The Hangover'', and although it's almost a scene-by-scene remake of a 2007 British movie with the same title, it's funnier than the original." Rock also starred in the summer comedy '' Grown Ups'' (2010) alongside
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...
, Kevin James, David Spade and
Maya Rudolph Maya Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''), and later played supporting roles in the films '' 50 First Dates'' ...
. In 2012, he starred in the ensemble romantic comedy film '' What to Expect When You're Expecting'' alongside Cameron Diaz,
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
,
Anna Kendrick Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a Satellite Award, five Teen Choice Awards, three MTV Movie Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award a ...
, and Elizabeth Banks. Despite earning negative reviews, the film was a financial success. Rock earned a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor – Comedy nomination for his performance. That same year he starred in the romantic comedy ''
2 Days in New York ''2 Days in New York'' is a 2012 romantic comedy film co-written and directed by Julie Delpy. It is a sequel to Delpy's 2007 film ''2 Days in Paris''. Synopsis Parisian Marion is living in New York with her son, in order to be closer to Jack, th ...
'' (2012) opposite
Julie Delpy Julie Delpy (; born 21 December 1969) is a French-American actress, film director, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. She studied filmmaking at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, includi ...
. The film served as the sequel to Delpy's previous film, ''
2 Days in Paris ''2 Days in Paris'' is a 2007 romantic comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Julie Delpy, who also edited the film, composed the soundtrack and played the leading female role. The film also stars Adam Goldberg and Daniel Brühl. I ...
'' (2007). The film premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
where it received positive reviews, with critics praising the chemistry between the two with Todd McCarthy of '' The Hollywood Reporter'' writing: "The best of the humor is verbal and attitudinal, all delivered at a rapid clip in overlapping languages that Preston Sturges or Howard Hawks would have admired." In 2014, Rock scripted, directed and starred in the film '' Top Five'', which critics have drawn comparison to Woody Allen's '' Stardust Memories'' (1980). The film is a social commentary on fame and society. The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Scott Foundas, critic for '' Variety'' praised the film writing: "Rock has finally found a big-screen vehicle for himself that comes close to capturing the electric wit, shrewd social observations and deeply autobiographical vein of his standup comedy." In '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, Peter Travers wrote in his review: "Rock delivers the laughs, big ones, laced with razor-sharp observations on everything from pop culture to racial politics... His confident, prowling wit as a stand-up has finally found its way to the screen, enhanced by a bracing vulnerability. ''Top Five'' is Rock's best movie by a mile." In 2015, Rock appeared as himself in Sofia Coppola's Christmas musical special, '' A Very Murray Christmas'' starring Bill Murray. In the film, Rock sings " Do You Hear What I Hear?" with Murray. The film debuted on Netflix and received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie. He also appeared as himself in another Netflix film, '' Sandy Wexler'' (2017) starring
Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...
. In 2018, he starred in the Netflix comedy '' The Week Of'' directed by Robert Smigel starring Sandler. The film follows two fathers during the week of the wedding of their children. The following year, he briefly appeared in the comedy film '' Dolemite Is My Name'' (2019) starring
Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...
. In the film, Murphy portrayed
Rudy Ray Moore Rudolph Frank Moore (March 17, 1927October 19, 2008), known as Rudy Ray Moore, was an American comedian, singer, actor, and film producer.blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...
starting with '' Dolemite'' (1975). The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2021, he starred in a reboot of the '' Saw franchise'', ''
Spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:horror film genre.


''Everybody Hates Chris'' (2005–2009)

In the fall of 2005, the UPN television network premiered a comedy series called '' Everybody Hates Chris'', loosely based on Rock's school days, of which he is the executive producer and narrator. The show has garnered both critical and ratings success. The series was nominated for a 2006
Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
for Best TV Series (Musical or Comedy), a 2006 People's Choice Award for Favorite New Television Comedy, and two 2006
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for costuming and cinematography. He produced the series ''
Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell ''Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell'' is an American stand up comedy television series that premiered on FX on August 9, 2012, starring comedian W. Kamau Bell. On stage, Bell did mostly observational comedy on recent news stories and current eve ...
'', which premiered in August 2012. While serving as producer, he had a production company, Chris Rock Enterprises (or CR Enterprises) for short.


Academy Awards


2005 ceremony

In February 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 David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Césa ...
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 o make the film"). Subsequently, an angry 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 roasted that evening, however—he turned the joke on himself at one point, saying, "If you want Denzel ashingtonand 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. 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.


2016 ceremony

On October 21, 2015, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Rock would host the 88th Academy Awards the following February. When the subsequent acting nominations turned out to include no racial minorities, Rock was called upon to join a boycott of the ceremony. Rock declined, stating at the ceremony that it would have accomplished little since the show would have proceeded anyway, with him simply replaced. Instead, Rock spoke of his concerns about the lack of diversity in AMPAS at various times during the show, closing by saying " Black Lives Matter". Rock's performance was largely praised by critics. '' Los Angeles Times'' critic Mary McNamara wrote: "Rock's Oscars had some of the most powerful moments seen in the telecast's history. His decision to honestly answer the question 'Is Hollywood racist?' was brave and effective," '' The New York Times'' television critic James Poniewozik, praised Rock's performance for being "evenhanded without being wishy-washy" and that he represented "an example of something the industry is still trying to learn: that you can achieve both inclusion and entertainment by giving the right person just the right opportunity."


2022 ceremony

Rock presented the award for
Best Documentary Feature Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation, ...
at the 94th Academy Awards in March 2022. During the ceremony, Rock joked about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, which he compared to Demi Moore's shaved head in '' G.I. Jane'', saying: "Jada, I love ya. ''G.I. Jane 2,'' can't wait to see it!". Pinkett Smith had shaved her head due to alopecia areata. Her husband, Will Smith, responded to Rock's joke by walking onstage and slapping Rock, who remarked: "Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me". Smith then returned to his seat and yelled twice at Rock, "Keep my wife's name out your fucking mouth!" Later in the night, Smith was named
Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...
for ''
King Richard King Richard normally refers to the three English monarchs. English monarchs *Richard I of England or Richard the Lionheart (1157–1199) *Richard II of England (1367–1400) *Richard III of England (1452–1485) Although no monarch has assumed th ...
'', and while accepting the award, he apologized to the Academy and the other nominees, but not to Rock, in his acceptance speech. Rock declined to file a report with the Los Angeles Police Department regarding the incident. The next day, amid public backlash, Smith issued a formal apology to Rock, adding that "a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally." He also stated that "I was out of line" and that his behavior was "unacceptable and inexcusable." During a stand-up performance in Boston, Rock stated that Smith had not reached out to him personally and they had not spoken since the ceremony. Claims that Rock had apologized circulated on social media but were debunked. There has been no verified public apology from Rock to Smith or Pinkett Smith.


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''. He directed and appeared in the music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "
Hump de Bump "Hump de Bump" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from their 2006 double album, ''Stadium Arcadium''. The song is the fifth and final single released from ''Stadium Arcadium'' and the last single the band would release with John Frusciante un ...
", and has simply appeared in several videos, including the
Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hi ...
music video "
Smooth Operator "Smooth Operator" is a song by English band Sade from their debut studio album, '' Diamond Life'' (1984). It was released as the album's third single in the United Kingdom as a 7-inch single with "Spirit" as its B-side, and as a 12-inch maxi ...
" as a guy getting his hair cut, one of the many celebrities seen lip-synching in
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
's "
God's Gonna Cut You Down "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (also known as "God Almighty's Gonna Cut You Down", "God's Gonna Cut 'Em Down", "Run On" and "Sermon") is a traditional American folk song. It was first recorded by the Golden Gate Quartet in 1946 and first issued in 19 ...
", a cameo in
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
's " Bitch I'm Madonna", and as a Wild West sheriff chasing down an 1889 cowboy version of Lil Nas X in " Old Town Road".


Stage plays

In 2011, Rock appeared on Broadway in Stephen Adly Guirgis' play '' The Motherfucker with the Hat''Healy, Patrick
"Chris Rock Takes On Broadway in 'Hat'"
, ''The New York Times'' blog, October 22, 2010.
with
Bobby Cannavale Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in ''Third Watch'', ''Vinyl'', and ''Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in ''Will & Grace'', which wo ...
and Annabella Sciorra. Rock was nominated for a Drama League Award. In an interview with '' Vibe'' magazine, Rock stated that he chose to do Broadway because he wanted more people to see him "really act. Sometimes when you do comedy, that can be a little formulaic, and it's hard for really good directors to see that you can act."Osorio, Kim
"V Exclusive! Chris Rock's 'School Of Rock' Interview"
, "Vibe" January 24, 2012.


Comedic style and views

Rock's subject matter typically involves family, politics, romance, music, celebrities, and race relations in the United States. Though not strictly autobiographical, much of his comic standpoint seems 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. In his memoir ''Rock This'', he 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." 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 course, this is just for black entertainers. You don't see anyone telling
Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
he's a good role model. Because everyone expects whites to behave you've got to be an entertainer and a leader. It's too much." 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." 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 said "shit", and after a brief pause said he was joking. Due to the broadcast being at 5:45p.m., Rock was immediately cut off, and the BBC made several apologies for his use of the word "motherfucker". Chris Rock has been an avid fan of the New York Mets baseball team since childhood. He complained that his team "had no money" during a 2011 interview with
David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...
. During a 2008 rant on his '' Kill the Messenger'' tour, Rock labeled George W. Bush as "the worst president ever". In May 2021, Rock voiced opposition to
cancel culture Cancel culture, or rarely also known as call-out culture, is a phrase contemporary to the late 2010s and early 2020s used to refer to a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles—whether it be online, on ...
. He said that it has led to "boring" and "unfunny" material from comedians. He also commented that there is an existing built-in mechanism for audiences informing comedians that their content does not work, like the audience not laughing at their jokes. Rock went on to say "Everybody's scared to make a move. That's not a place to be. You know, we should have the right to fail because failure is a part of art." Rock has said that he was influenced by the performing style of his paternal grandfather, Allen Rock, a preacher. Rock's comedy influences are Bill Cosby,
Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. ...
, Dick Gregory, Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Pigmeat Markham, Woody Allen,
Bill Maher William Maher (; born January 20, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' (2003–present) and the similar la ...
,
Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...
, Sam Kinison, George Carlin, Mort Sahl, and
Rodney Dangerfield Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Rodney Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, his catchphrase "I don't get no resp ...
.part 2
Comedians who have cited Rock as an influence include
Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...
,
Christian Finnegan Fletcher Christian Finnegan (born April 1, 1973), better known as Christian Finnegan, is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in New York City. Early life Finnegan was born in Albany, New York. He grew up in Acton, Massachusett ...
, George Lopez, Kevin Hart, and Trevor Noah.


Personal life

Rock married Malaak Compton-Rock on November 23, 1996. Compton-Rock is the founder and executive director of StyleWorks, a non-profit, full-service hair salon that provides free services for women leaving welfare and entering the workforce. The couple lived in
Alpine, New Jersey Alpine is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is the easternmost community in New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 1,849,
Rich, Frank (November 30, 2014)
"In Conversation: Chris Rock"
. ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
''.
with their two daughters. In December 2014, Rock filed for divorce from Compton-Rock. Rock admitted to infidelity in the marriage, as well as struggling with a pornography addiction. The divorce was finalized on August 22, 2016. Rock has campaigned against the racial profiling of African-Americans, and often speaks of the everyday racism he experiences “despite being famous”. In a 2013 episode of '' Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'' with
Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
, Rock and Seinfeld are pulled over by the police for speeding while Seinfeld was driving. In the episode Rock admits to Seinfeld that "If you weren't here, I'd be scared. Yeah, I'm famous – still black." In 2015, Rock was pulled over three times in the first three months of the year. Each time Rock posted a selfie of the incident, without further comment as to the reason for the stops or whether he was issued a citation. On August 20, 2019, Rock, along with several other celebrities, invested in a funding round for Lowell Herb Co, a California cannabis brand. He is known to be "a dedicated cannabis consumer". On September 18, 2020, Rock said that he was diagnosed with a
non-verbal learning disorder Nonverbal learning disability (NVLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by core deficits in visual-spatial processing in the presence of intact verbal ability. Additional diagnostic criteria include Average to Superior verbal intell ...
, a neurological condition that makes it difficult for him to understand non-verbal social cues. On September 19, 2021, Rock announced on Twitter that he had been tested positive for COVID-19. He strongly advocated getting vaccinated to his followers. On July 7, 2022 it was reported that Rock had started dating actress, screenwriter and director Lake Bell.


Filmography


Discography

; Comedy albums * '' Born Suspect'' (
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
, 1991) * '' Roll with the New'' (
DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label operated until 200 ...
, 1997) * '' Bigger & Blacker'' (
DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label operated until 200 ...
, 1999) * '' Never Scared'' (
DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label operated until 200 ...
/ Geffen Records, 2004) * '' Tamborine'' ( Netflix Studios, LLC., 2018) ; Standup specials * '' Chris Rock: Big Ass Jokes'' (released on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
, 1994) * '' Chris Rock: Bring the Pain'' (released on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
, 1996) * '' Chris Rock: Bigger & Blacker'' (released on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
, 1999) * '' Chris Rock: Never Scared'' (released on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
, 2004) * '' Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger'' (released on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
, 2008) * '' Chris Rock: Tamborine'' (released on Netflix 2018)


Awards and nominations


Book

* ''Rock This!'' (
Hyperion Books Hyperion Books can refer to: * Hachette Books, book publishing division formerly known as Hyperion Books * Disney-Hyperion, an imprint that was retained by Disney Publishing Worldwide when its division, Hyperion Books, was sold to Hachette USA publi ...
, 1997) –


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rock, Chris 1965 births Living people 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors African-American film directors African-American film producers African-American male actors African-American male comedians African-American male writers African-American screenwriters African-American stand-up comedians African-American television producers African-American television talk show hosts American film producers American male comedians American male comedy actors American male film actors American male screenwriters American male television actors American male voice actors American music video directors American people of Cameroonian descent American sketch comedians American stand-up comedians American television talk show hosts Atlantic Records artists Comedians from New Jersey Comedians from New York City Comedians from South Carolina DreamWorks Records artists Film directors from New Jersey Film directors from New York City Film directors from South Carolina Film producers from New Jersey Film producers from New York (state) Geffen Records artists Grammy Award winners James Madison High School (Brooklyn) alumni Male actors from New Jersey Male actors from New York City Male actors from South Carolina People from Alpine, New Jersey People from Andrews, South Carolina People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn People from Crown Heights, Brooklyn Primetime Emmy Award winners Screenwriters from New Jersey Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from South Carolina Television producers from New Jersey Television producers from New York City Writers from Brooklyn Writers from New Jersey Writers from South Carolina