Born 1965 · 1 quote
Chris Rock is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker born in 1965. He first gained prominence with 1980s stand-up routines about race relations, human sexuality, and everyday observations. His words are worth reading because they come from one of comedy’s most highly ranked stand-ups, with major awards across comedy, television, and film.
“You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named "Bush", "Dick", and "Colin." Need I say more?”
Christopher Julius Rock, born February 7, 1965, is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker whose career grew out of the New York stand-up scene of the 1980s. He first became known for routines that took on race relations, human sexuality, and sharp observational comedy. Over time, that work spread into film, television, Broadway, and award-show hosting. He has received three Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award nomination.
Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina, and moved with his parents first to Crown Heights in Brooklyn, then to the working-class area of Bedford-Stuyvesant. His mother, Rosalie, was a teacher and social worker for people with developmental disabilities. His father, Julius, was a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman, and died in 1988 after ulcer surgery. Rock was the eldest of his parents’ seven children, and several of his younger brothers also entered entertainment.
His early years were not easy. Rock was bused to schools in predominantly white Brooklyn neighborhoods, where he endured bullying and beatings from white students. As the bullying worsened, his parents pulled him out of James Madison High School. He later dropped out of high school, earned a GED, and worked various fast-food jobs, including at Red Lobster. His family history, later profiled on African American Lives 2, included enslaved ancestors, service in the United States Colored Troops, and election to the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Rock began performing stand-up in 1984 at Catch a Rising Star in New York City. Eddie Murphy saw his act, befriended him, mentored him, and gave him his first film role in Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987. Rock then built his career through comedy clubs, bit parts, and television work before joining Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1993. During that period he appeared in New Jack City and Boomerang, and in 1993 he appeared in CB4, which he also wrote and produced.
His 1996 HBO special Bring the Pain made him a major name in American comedy and won two Emmy Awards. He followed it with specials including Bigger & Blacker, Never Scared, Kill the Messenger, Tamborine, and Selective Outrage. He also developed, wrote, produced, and narrated Everybody Hates Chris, based on his early life, and hosted The Chris Rock Show on HBO. On film, his work includes Lethal Weapon 4, Dogma, the Madagascar franchise, Top Five, Spiral, Amsterdam, and Rustin. He made his Broadway debut in 2011 in The Motherfucker with the Hat and hosted the Academy Awards in 2005 and 2016. Rock’s words still carry because they come from a comic willing to press hard on public subjects while keeping the timing, bite, and clarity of stand-up at the center.
Source: Wikipedia · Photo: Wikimedia Commons
