Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films ''
High Fidelity'' (2000), ''
Shallow Hal'' (2001), ''
Orange County'' (2002), ''
School of Rock'' (2003), ''
Envy'' (2004), ''
The Holiday
''The Holiday'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. Coproduced by Bruce A. Block, it was filmed in both California and England and stars Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz as Iris and Amanda, two lovelorn wo ...
'' (2006), ''
Gulliver's Travels
''Gulliver's Travels'', or ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'' is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan ...
'' (2010), ''
Bernie'' (2011), ''
The House with a Clock in Its Walls'' (2018), and the ''
Jumanji'' franchise; in addition, as of August 2022, his music video for "
Tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conq ...
"—as one half of the
Grammy Award
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 pre ...
–winning comedy rock duo
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "tenac ...
—has accumulated more than 112 million views on YouTube alone. Additionally, he is also well known for his voice-acting roles as the giant panda named
Po from
DreamWorks Animation's ''
Kung Fu Panda'' films. Black gained
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 ...
nominations for his work in ''School of Rock'' and ''Bernie'', and was given a star on
Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2018.
He is the lead vocalist of the Tenacious D, and formed the duo in 1994 with long-time friend
Kyle Gass
Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960) is an American musician, comedian and actor best known for co-founding—and being a member of— Tenacious D, a Grammy-winning comedy band. He also co-founded the bands Trainwreck and the Kyle Gass Band, ...
. They have released four studio albums together—their self-titled debut ''
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "tenac ...
'', ''
The Pick of Destiny'', ''
Rize of the Fenix'', and ''
Post-Apocalypto''—in addition to starring in the television series ''
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "tenac ...
'' (1997–2000) and film ''
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny'' (2006). Since 2018, Black has maintained a
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
channel called Jablinski Games.
Early life
Thomas Jacob Black
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
was born in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, on August 28, 1969, the son of satellite engineers Thomas William Black and
Judith Love Cohen
Judith Love Cohen (August 16, 1933 – July 25, 2016) was an American aerospace engineer. Cohen worked as an electrical engineer on the Minuteman missile, the science ground station for the Hubble Space Telescope, the Tracking and Data Relay Sat ...
. He was raised in
Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is located in the South Bay region of ...
. His mother worked on the
Minuteman nuclear missile guidance system, the Apollo
lunar module
The Apollo Lunar Module (LM ), originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lunar lander spacecraft that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the United States' Apollo program. It was the first crewed ...
guidance system, the science ground station for the
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ver ...
, and was also a writer.
He has three older half-siblings through his mother: scientist
Neil Siegel, Howard Siegel, and Rachel Siegel.
His mother was born
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, and his father
converted to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism ( he, גיור, ''giyur'') is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. ...
. Black was raised Jewish, attending
Hebrew school
Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning their Torah, Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar Mitzvah, Bar or ...
and having a
bar mitzvah.
His ancestry also includes
English,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
,
Irish, Northern Irish,
Polish,
Russian, and
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
.
Black's parents divorced when he was 10, and his father then stopped practicing Judaism. Black moved to
Culver City
Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...
with his father and frequently visited his mother's home. As a child, he appeared in a commercial for the
Activision
Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...
game ''
Pitfall!'' in 1982. For high school, Black's parents enrolled him at the
Poseidon School
Poseidon School was a private, coeducational secondary day school located in Los Angeles, California. It was certified by the California Department of Education but closed 2011.
Philosophy and Mission
The school specialized in "...meeting the ne ...
, a private secondary school designed for students struggling in the traditional school system. He also attended the
Crossroads School, where he excelled in drama. He later attended
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...
(UCLA), but dropped out during his sophomore year to pursue a career in entertainment. Fellow UCLA student
Tim Robbins later cast Black in ''
Bob Roberts''. In 1995 and 1996, he gained recurring roles in the
HBO sketch comedy series ''
Mr. Show''.
Career
Acting career
Early roles
In 1982, Black's first acting job was in a television commercial at age 13 for the video game ''
Pitfall!.'' In 1987, Black joined the Actors' Gang, a theater troupe founded by UCLA students including
Tim Robbins, and appeared in a variety of stage productions. Black's adult career began with small roles on prime time television, including ''
Life Goes On'', ''
Northern Exposure
''Northern Exposure'' is an American Northern comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents of a fictional small town in Alaska that ran on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It received 57 ...
'', ''
Mr. Show'', ''
Picket Fences'', ''
The Golden Palace,'' and ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
''. Black appeared in the unaired TV pilot ''
Heat Vision and Jack'', directed by
Ben Stiller, in which he played an ex-astronaut pursued by actor
Ron Silver
Ronald Arthur Silver (July 2, 1946 – March 15, 2009) was an American actor/activist, director, producer, and radio host. As an actor, he portrayed Henry Kissinger, Alan Dershowitz and Angelo Dundee. He was awarded a Tony in 1988 for Best Act ...
. He was accompanied by his friend who had merged with a motorcycle, voiced by
Owen Wilson
Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has had a long association with filmmaker Wes Anderson with whom he shared writing and acting credits for ''Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), and '' The Royal ...
.
After Robbins cast him in ''
Bob Roberts'', Black began appearing in small film roles such as ''
Airborne'' (1993), ''
Demolition Man'', ''
Waterworld
''Waterworld'' is a 1995 American post-apocalyptic action film directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It was based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it with Ch ...
'', ''
The Fan'', ''
The Cable Guy'', ''
Mars Attacks!
''Mars Attacks!'' is a 1996 American science fiction comedy film directed by Tim Burton, who also co-produced it with Larry J. Franco. The screenplay by Jonathan Gems was based on the Topps trading card series of the same name. The film fe ...
'', ''
Dead Man Walking'', ''
The Jackal'', ''
Crossworlds'', ''
Enemy of the State'', and others. He had a small role in ''
True Romance'' as a security guard, but the scene was deleted.
Leading roles
In 2000, Black co-starred in the film ''
High Fidelity'' as a wild employee in a record store run by
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays '' Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his o ...
. Black considers his role in ''High Fidelity'' as his breakout into the
Hollywood scene. He quickly gained leading roles in films such as ''
Shallow Hal'', ''
Nacho Libre'', ''
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny'', ''
Year One
The term "Year One" in political history usually refers to the institution of radical, revolutionary change. This usage dates from the time of the French Revolution. After the official abolition of the French monarchy on 21 September 1792, the N ...
'', and ''
Gulliver's Travels
''Gulliver's Travels'', or ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'' is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan ...
''. He received particular praise for his starring role in the well-received ''
School of Rock'', earning critical acclaim and a
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 ...
nomination for
Best Actor – Musical or Comedy.
He starred in one of his few dramatic roles as the obsessed filmmaker
Carl Denham in
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
's
2005 remake of ''
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
'', a performance he based on
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
. He voiced
the title role in ''
Kung Fu Panda'', which grossed on its opening day, June 6, 2008, as well as ''
Kung Fu Panda 2'' and ''
Kung Fu Panda 3''; this is his favorite role and he praises the tutoring of co-star and two-time Academy Award winner
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...
. His next film, ''
The Big Year
''The Big Year'' is a 2011 American comedy film starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin. ''The Big Year'' was directed by David Frankel and written by Howard Franklin. It was based on the 2004 nonfiction book ''The Big Year: A Tale ...
'', a competitive birdwatching comedy co-starring
Owen Wilson
Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has had a long association with filmmaker Wes Anderson with whom he shared writing and acting credits for ''Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), and '' The Royal ...
,
Steve Martin, and
JoBeth Williams, was released in October 2011.
Black garnered a second Golden Globe Award nomination, this time in the category Best Actor in a Comedy, for his 2011 starring role in Richard Linklater's
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
, ''
Bernie.'' He played as real-life murderer
Bernie Tiede, a funeral director in a small
East Texas
East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas. Most of the region con ...
town, who befriends and eventually murders a rich widow, played by
Shirley MacLaine. Black's subdued portrayal, authentic East Texas accent, and musical talent – he sings several gospel
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...
s as well as "
Seventy-six Trombones" – had
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 ...
describing Black's work as "one of the performances of the year."
In December 2022, it was revealed that a sequel to ''
The Holiday
''The Holiday'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. Coproduced by Bruce A. Block, it was filmed in both California and England and stars Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz as Iris and Amanda, two lovelorn wo ...
'' was in preproduction. Black,
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. With a variety of works in film, she is widely recognised for her work in romantic comedies and animation. Diaz has received various accolades, including nominations for ...
,
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 C ...
and
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...
have all signed on to reprise their roles from the original. However, director Meyers and Winslet both denied the rumor.
Later television roles
In 2004, Black guest-starred in the first episode of
Cartoon Network's
Adult Swim
Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
show ''
Tom Goes to the Mayor''. He appeared in the post-
Super Bowl episode of ''
The Office'' along with
Cloris Leachman and
Jessica Alba in a fake movie within the show. In 2010, Black made a guest appearance on ''
Community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, villag ...
'' and also guest-starred on Nickelodeon's ''
iCarly
''iCarly'' is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider, which originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series tells the story of Carly Shay ( Miranda Cosgrove), a teenager who creates and hos ...
'' in an episode titled, "iStart a Fan War".
Black has appeared numerous times on the "untelevised TV network" short
film festival
A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending up ...
Channel 101, created by
Dan Harmon
Daniel James Harmon (born January 3, 1973) is an American writer, producer, and actor. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC/ Yahoo! Screen sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast '' Harmont ...
and
Rob Schrab, starring in the shows ''
Computerman'', ''Timebelt'', and ''Laserfart''. He also provided an introduction for the unaired sketch comedy ''Awesometown'', donning a
Colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 a ...
-era military uniform. In the introduction, he claims to be
George Washington and takes credit for the accomplishments of other American Presidents such as
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the nati ...
and
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
.
Hosting work and appearances
Black took part in the ''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and ...
'' celebrity edition along with
Denis Leary,
Jimmy Kimmel, and others and was handed the prize of in October 2001. On December 14, he hosted the 2008
Spike Video Game Awards. Black has hosted the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
Kids' Choice Awards
The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...
and ''
Acceptable.TV''. He presented the tribute to rock legends Led Zeppelin when the band was named as 2012 recipients of Kennedy Center Honors. In 2016, Black joined the climate change documentary show
Years of Living Dangerously as one of its celebrity correspondents. In 2018, Black appeared in the music video for
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (character), 2-D (Singing, vocals, Musical keyboard, keyboards), Murd ...
song "
Humility
Humility is the quality of being humble. Dictionary definitions accentuate humility as a low self-regard and sense of unworthiness. In a religious context humility can mean a recognition of self in relation to a deity (i.e. God), and subsequent ...
".
Voice acting
In addition to ''
Kung Fu Panda'', Black has voice acted on other occasions, including "
Husbands and Knives
"Husbands and Knives" is the seventh episode of the nineteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 18, 2007. It features guest appearances from Alan ...
" from ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'' which aired November 18, 2007, portraying Milo, the friendly owner of the rival comic book store. He provided the voice of the main character, roadie Eddie Riggs, in the heavy metal-themed action-adventure video game ''
Brütal Legend''. In 2009, at the Spike Video Game Awards, he earned the Best Voice award for the voice of Eddie Riggs in ''Brütal Legend''. In April 2009, Black starred in an episode of ''
Yo Gabba Gabba!'', in which he vocalized children songs, such as "It's Not Fun to Get Lost", "Friends", and "The Goodbye Song". He has also had starring voice-overs in animated features, including Zeke in ''
Ice Age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...
'' (2002) and Lenny in ''
Shark Tale'' (2004).
Black voiced
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the ...
in
Bad Lip Reading's parodies of the
''Star Wars'' original trilogy on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
. In 2015, Black played a fictional version of real-life author
R. L. Stine for ''
Goosebumps
''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Corporation, Scholastic Publishing. The protagonists in these stories are tweens or young teens who find themselves in scary ...
'', and provided the voices of two of Stine's creations,
Slappy the Dummy and The Invisible Boy. He reprised the Stine role in the film's 2018 sequel, ''
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween''. He also voiced himself and many other additional characters on the animated
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
series "
Tenacious D in Post-Apocalypto”, which he also co-directed and co-wrote, along with his
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "tenac ...
partner
Kyle Gass
Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960) is an American musician, comedian and actor best known for co-founding—and being a member of— Tenacious D, a Grammy-winning comedy band. He also co-founded the bands Trainwreck and the Kyle Gass Band, ...
. Black will be providing the voice of
Bowser in ''
The Super Mario Bros. Movie'', scheduled to release in April 2023.
Musical career
Black is the lead singer and guitarist for the
comedy rock/
hard rock band
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "tenac ...
along with
Kyle Gass
Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960) is an American musician, comedian and actor best known for co-founding—and being a member of— Tenacious D, a Grammy-winning comedy band. He also co-founded the bands Trainwreck and the Kyle Gass Band, ...
. They have released four albums, a
self-titled debut, ''
The Pick of Destiny'', ''
Rize of the Fenix'', and ''
Post-Apocalypto''. One of their songs from their album ''The Pick of Destiny'', titled "The Metal," was used in the music video games ''
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock'' and ''
Brütal Legend''. "Rock Your Socks," from the album ''Tenacious D'', was played in the music video game ''
Rock Band Unplugged'' as well. "Master Exploder" from ''The Pick Of Destiny'' went on to be used in music video games ''
Guitar Hero Van Halen
''Guitar Hero: Van Halen'' is a music rhythm video game developed by Underground Development and published by Activision. It is the third game in the ''Guitar Hero'' series to focus on the career and songs of one rock band, Van Halen, following ...
'', ''
Rock Band 2'', and ''Brütal Legend'', along with their song "Tribute" from ''Tenacious D''. "Master Exploder" and "The Metal" featured in the
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...
''
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny''. The film, directed by Tenacious D veteran
Liam Lynch, featured recurring characters from Black's comedy such as Lee the super-fan and the
Sasquatch. Several celebrities had roles in the film; actor
Tim Robbins cameos as does
Dave Grohl as
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...
.
Ben Stiller also makes an appearance as a worker at a
Guitar Center, even having a role in the
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...
for "
Tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conq ...
."
Tenacious D helped the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation raise awareness of these diseases and funds for the organization in Los Angeles on December 20, 2001, and in
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
on June 16, 2007. Tenacious D can be seen performing in the 90s-era
Pauly Shore film ''
Bio-Dome'' where the duo is performing its song "The Five Needs" at a "Save the Environment" party. Black was also a guest star on an episode of ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pr ...
'' entitled "Ellen the Musical," alongside Broadway star
Kristin Chenoweth and teenage singer-actress
Olivia Olson
Olivia Rose Olson (born May 21, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and writer, largely known for her voice roles as Vanessa Doofenshmirtz in ''Phineas and Ferb'' and Marceline the Vampire Queen in ''Adventure Time''. She also play ...
. On the show, besides singing, he discussed his then-upcoming film ''
Nacho Libre'' with the host.
In 2000, Jack Black (along with
Kyle Gass
Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960) is an American musician, comedian and actor best known for co-founding—and being a member of— Tenacious D, a Grammy-winning comedy band. He also co-founded the bands Trainwreck and the Kyle Gass Band, ...
) provided backing vocals to
punk rock band
The Vandals' song "Fourteen," which appears on their album ''
Look What I Almost Stepped In...''. Black has also appeared on
Dave Grohl's ''
Probot'' album, providing vocals for the hidden song "I Am The Warlock," and
Lynch
Lynch may refer to:
Places Australia
* Lynch Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica
* Lynch Point, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica
* Lynch's Crater, Queensland, Australia
England
* River Lynch, Hertfordshire
* The Lynch, an island in the River T ...
's ''
Fake Songs
''Fake Songs'' is the third studio album by American musician Liam Lynch, released on April 1, 2003 through S-Curve Records and distributed worldwide by Capitol Records. The album is known for featuring his best-known song " United States of What ...
'' album, providing vocals for the song "Rock and Roll Whore". Black performed a cover of
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown (music style), Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player ...
's "
Let's Get It On
''Let's Get It On'' is the thirteenth studio album by American soul music, soul singer, songwriter, and producer Marvin Gaye. It was released on August 28, 1973, by the Motown subsidiary label Tamla Records on LP record, LP.
Recording sessions ...
" in the last sequence of ''High Fidelity''. He lent his musical abilities to the
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple line ...
song "Burn the Witch" with rhythmic stomps and claps. He also provided vocals for two tracks on the 2006 album ''
Death by Sexy'' by
Eagles of Death Metal, and on
The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'').
The three ...
's track "Sax Man" from the album ''
Incredibad''.
Black also recorded a duet on
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...
's album, ''Hang Cool Teddy Bear'', on the song "Like a Rose." Meat Loaf also played Black's father in the ''Pick of Destiny'' movie.
Black has appeared in music videos of
Beck's "
Sexx Laws
"Sexx Laws" is a song by American singer Beck, from his album ''Midnite Vultures'' (1999). It was released as the lead single from the album in October 1999.
Composition
Beck said of the song's lyrics: It's me playing with the ridiculousness of t ...
";
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the Foo Fighters (album), epony ...
' "
Learn To Fly," "
Low
Low or LOW or lows, may refer to:
People
* Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low
Places
* Low, Quebec, Canada
* Low, Utah, United States
* Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station
* Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...
," and "
The One";
The Eagles of Death Metal's "
I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)";
Sum 41's "Things I Want";
Dio's "
Push
Push may refer to:
Music
* Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push
Albums
* ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988
* ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992
* ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010
Songs
* "Push" (Enrique Iglesias ...
";
Weezer's "
Photograph
A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now creat ...
";
The Mooney Suzuki's "In a Young Man's Mind";
"Weird Al" Yankovic's "
Tacky," and
Die Antwoord's "Ugly Boy". In October 2010, Tenacious D appeared at
BlizzCon 2010
BlizzCon is an annual gaming convention held by Blizzard Entertainment to promote its major franchises including ''Warcraft'', ''StarCraft'', '' Diablo'', ''Hearthstone'', ''Heroes of the Storm,'' and ''Overwatch''.
The first BlizzCon was held ...
, a convention hosted by the game designers,
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and video game publisher, publisher based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, the company was founded on February 8, 1991, under the name Silicon & Synapse, ...
. In 2012, Jack Black joined up with other celebrities to record "Book People Unite," a song sponsored by the Library of Congress and RIF.
Black did guest vocals and appeared on the
Dethklok
Dethklok is a fictional melodic death metal band featured in the Adult Swim animated television series '' Metalocalypse''.
The first official Dethklok album was released on September 25, 2007, entitled '' The Dethalbum''. The album debuted at ...
soundtrack album ''
The Doomstar Requiem
''The Doomstar Requiem – A Klok Opera Soundtrack'' is the fourth full-length album by death metal band Dethklok, from the Adult Swim animated series '' Metalocalypse''. It was released digitally on October 27, 2013. It was released on LP and ...
''. He sings the parts for Dethklok's original band manager as well as a blogger.
Black, as a member of Tenacious D, won the award for Best Metal Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards. The song "
The Last in Line" won the award, a cover of the song of the same name by
Dio that appeared on the tribute album ''
This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to:
Television
* ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards
* ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...
''.
YouTube channel
On December 21, 2018, Black created a
YouTube channel called ''Jablinski Games''. Within one week of its launch, it had amassed over 1 million subscribers. The videos published on the channel are typically either candid vlogs involving Black and his two sons, or gaming content. Jack created the channel largely in order to bond with his son, who serves as
videographer
Videography is the process of capturing moving images on electronic media (e.g., videotape, direct to disk recording, or solid state storage) and even streaming media. The term includes methods of video production and post-production. It used ...
and
editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, ...
of the channel. On July 21, 2019, Black took part in a
Minecraft
''Minecraft'' is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before bein ...
stream with popular YouTuber
PewDiePie
Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg ( , ; born 24 October 1989), better known as PewDiePie ( ), is a Swedish YouTuber known for his Let's Play videos and comedic formatted videos and shows. Kjellberg's popularity on YouTube and extensive media coverage ...
in order to raise money for the
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), in the wake of the suicide of
Etika in June 2019. After two days of streaming, they raised $30,479 with the stream being broadcast live both on YouTube and on the streaming platform DLive. As of August 2022, Jablinski Games has 4.86 million subscribers and 195 million video views.
Awards and nominations
Black was nominated for two
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 ...
s. On September 18, 2018, Black was inducted into Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
Electric Dynamite Productions, Inc.
In August 2006, Black registered his own production company, Electric Dynamite Productions, Inc. The company's first work produced was the 2009 mockumentary ''Branson'', which was a co-production with BranMo Productions and Perfect Weekend. In 2011, the company would produce two TV-movies, My Life As an Experiment and Shredd.
In 2013, the company notably produced TV series ''
Ghost Ghirls''
for the now-defunct
Yahoo! Screen, as well as obtained the rights to adapt the UK mockumentary ''Wizard's Way'' into
a feature film. The company would also be a producer credit on ''
The D Train'' (2015) and ''
The Polka King'' (2017), both of which featured Black in the starring role. The company produced ''
The Aquabats! RadVentures!
''The Aquabats! Super Show!'' is an American action-comedy musical television series which aired from March 3, 2012 to January 8, 2014 on The Hub Network and resumed as an independent YouTube web series in September 2019. The series was created ...
'' in 2018, the dark-comedy film ''
Happily'' in 2021.
Personal life
At age 14, Black struggled with
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...
use. He said, "I was having a lot of troubles with cocaine... I was hanging out with some pretty rough characters. I was scared to go to school because one of them wanted to kill me. I wanted to get out of there."
One of Black's brothers, Howard, died of
AIDS in 1991 at age 36.
His oldest brother, Neil, is an engineer, scientist, and musician.
Black dated actress
Laura Kightlinger between 1996 and 2005.
In January 2006, Black became engaged to singer
Tanya Haden, a daughter of jazz bassist
Charlie Haden. They had both attended Crossroads School, and 15 years after graduating they met again at a friend's birthday party. They married on March 14, 2006 in
Big Sur, California. Their sons were born in 2006 and 2008.
Although an
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
, Black identifies as
nominally Jewish, and fatherhood influenced his decision to raise his children in the Jewish faith.
Black endorsed
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
's
2012 re-election campaign. In 2015, he visited
Kampala
Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and ...
as part of
Comic Relief USA's Red Nose Day.
Black was an outspoken critic of
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...
. On the day of
Trump's presidential inauguration, he and Tenacious D bandmate
Kyle Gass
Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960) is an American musician, comedian and actor best known for co-founding—and being a member of— Tenacious D, a Grammy-winning comedy band. He also co-founded the bands Trainwreck and the Kyle Gass Band, ...
performed their 2006 protest song "The Government Totally Sucks". Black said to the audience beforehand, "We haven't played
his songfor years, because it just never felt appropriate—but now, we're happy to unleash the beast. The government totally sucks."
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Jack
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American comedians
21st-century American male actors
1969 births
Jewish American atheists
American comedy musicians
American male child actors
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male guitarists
American male television actors
American male voice actors
American rock singers
American rock songwriters
American male singer-songwriters
American television writers
American YouTubers
California Democrats
Crossroads School alumni
Grammy Award winners
Guitarists from California
Jewish American comedians
Jewish American male actors
Jewish American musicians
Jewish singers
Living people
Male actors from Santa Monica, California
American male television writers
American male YouTubers
Musicians from Santa Monica, California
Rhythm guitarists
Screenwriters from California
Tenacious D members
UCLA Film School alumni
Writers from Santa Monica, California
YouTube channels launched in 2018
American tenors
Singer-songwriters from California
21st-century American Jews