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Christopher Julius Rock III (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted by Comedy Central as the fifth greatest stand-up comedian of all time. A vibrant, toothpick-thin comedian, actor and writer whose stand-up material has often dared to take on the African-American establishment yet found the universality in the American experience, Chris Rock became the favored comic de jour after distinguishing himself on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" from 1990-93. He later headlined two HBO specials and launched his own talk show "The Chris Rock Show" on HBO in 1997. Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. A few years later, they relocated and settled in the working-class area of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. His mother, Rosalie (née Tingman), was a teacher and social worker with the mentally handicapped; his father, Julius Rock, was a former truck driver and newspaper deliveryman. Both his parents are Christian. Julius died in 1988 after ulcer surgery. Rock has five younger siblings, Andre, Tony, Brian (a minister), Kenny, Andi, and a half-sibling, Jordan. His brothers Tony and Kenny are also in the entertainment business. Rock has said that he was influenced by the performing style of his paternal grandfather, Allen Rock, a preacher. Rock began performing in Manhattan comedy clubs as a teenager and was taken under the wings of such comics as Sam Kinison and Eddie Murphy. By 1987, he had made an early TV appearance on the HBO special "Uptown Comedy Express.” That same year, Rock made his feature film debut as a parking valet in "Beverly Hills Cop II.” But Rock's "big break" came with "Saturday Night Live,” on which he lampooned black leaders, impersonated figures like Michael Jackson and created comic characters like the militant talk show host Nat X and the rapper I'm Chillin'. Feeling stuck and pigeonholed in only black roles, Rock left the series in 1993, jumping to Fox's "In Living Color,” but that show was in its waning days and Rock chose to concentrate on other avenues, appearing in only nine episodes. A frustrated Rock left Saturday Night Live in 1993, appearing instead as a "special guest" star on the predominately African-American sketch show In Living Color. The show, however, was canceled months later. Rock then decided to concentrate on a film career. He wrote and starred in the mockumentary CB4 but the film was not a success. Acting jobs became scarce, and Rock abandoned Hollywood to concentrate on stand-up comedy. Rock starred in his first HBO comedy special in 1994 titled Big Ass Jokes. But it was his second stand-up special, 1996's Bring the Pain, that reinvented Rock as one of the best comedians in the industry. His routine, which featured commentaries on race in America, stirred up a great deal of controversy. Rock won two Emmy Awards for that special. Adding to his popularity was his much-publicized role as a commentator for Comedy Central's Politically Incorrect during the 1996 Presidential elections which earned him another Emmy nomination. Rock also was the voice for the "Lil Penny" puppet who was the alter ego to basketball star Penny Hardaway in a series of Nike shoe commercials from 1994-1998, and hosted the '97 MTV Video Music Awards. In 1994, he had his first HBO special, "HBO Comedy Half-Hour: Chris Rock – Big Ass Jokes.” Rock co-executive produced, wrote and starred in his second HBO special, "Chris Rock: Bring the Pain" in 1996, which earned Emmy Awards for writing and as Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. He was in competition with himself in the writing category, though, as he had also been cited for his work covering the 1996 political conventions on "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher" (Comedy Central), which demonstrated a take on current events that was far more Mort Sahl or Lenny Bruce than Sam Kinison. His TV profile increased with memorable commercials for 1-800-CALL-ATT and Nike. In the latter, he gave voice to the puppet Li'l Penney. Rock has also guest starred on TV series such as "Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” "Martin" and "Homicide: Life on the Street.” Rock later had two more HBO comedy specials: Bigger & Blacker in 1999, and Never Scared in 2004. Articles relating to both specials called Rock "the funniest man in America" in Time and Entertainment Weekly, respectively. HBO also aired his talk show, The Chris Rock Show, which gained critical acclaim for Rock's interviews with celebrities and politicians. The show won an Emmy for writing. His television work has won him a total of three Emmy Awards and 15 nominations. By the end of the decade, Rock was established as one of the preeminent stand-up comedians and comic minds of his generation. During this time, Rock also translated his comedy into print form in the book Rock This! and released the Grammy Award-winning comedy albums, Roll with the New, Bigger & Blacker and Never Scared. Quietly building a feature career as well, Rock could be seen as a rib joint customer in a smart little bit in "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (1988). One of his best parts was his portrayal of Pookie, a con artist street dealer whose undercover work leads to drug addiction and death, in "New Jack City" (1991). After a supporting role in the Eddie Murphy vehicle "Boomerang" (1992), he co-wrote, produced and starred in "CB4" (1993), playing half of a middle class duo who decide to rewrite themselves as bad gangsta rappers. Rock had what was really no more than a cameo in "Panther" (1995) and played one of the two auditors charged with getting the goods on "Sgt. Bilko" (1996). He also co-starred in "Beverly Hills Ninja" (1997) and voiced the guinea pig in the Eddie Murphy remake of "Dr. Dolittle" (1998).He then turned in a hilarious performance as Rufus, the hitherto unknown 13th apostle, in Kevin Smith's Catholic comedy "Dogma" (1999). In 2000, Rock took on a variety of roles, most notably in the romantic comedy "Down to Earth", a remake of the 1941 classic "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" which itself was the basis for Warren Beatty's "Heaven Can Wait" (1978). Essaying a struggling comedian who dies a second too soon and is returned to Earth in the body of a rich, white man whose wife and lover are trying to kill him, Rock was elevated to leading man status and proved capable of carrying a movie, not just stealing scenes and cracking jokes as he did in the Cannes-screened black comedy "Nurse Betty" in which he was teamed with Morgan Freeman playing a pair of hit men. Rock returned to more familiar territory later when he lent his unique voice to the title character of the inventive animated feature film "Osmosis Jones" (2001). Here he played a renegade white-blood cell cop paired with a stuffy cold tablet (David Hyde Pierce of TV's "Frasier") to combat a cold that has taken over actor Bill Murray's body. Despite the continued brilliance of his stand-up performances and his popular HBO comedy/chat series "The Chris Rock Show" (1997-2000), his film track record remained spotty: he appeared as a man recruited for his resemblance to his dead spy twin brother opposite Anthony Hopkins in the middling CIA action/comedy "Bad Company" (2002), then starred and directed and co-wrote the funny but uneven comedy "Head of State" (2003) as an alderman plucked from obscurity to run for President of the United States. Rock also specialized in scene-stealing cameos in films such as "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001) and "Paparazzi" (2004). Rock's respect in the industry and reputation form bringing articulate edginess and unpredictability to his fiery, high-energy live performances earned him one of Hollywood's most coveted—and risky—gigs in 2005 when he was tapped to host the 77th Annual Academy Awards. Rock made headlines even before the show aired, making snide comments about the show's stodgy irrelevance to straight black male audiences that may have irritated some Academy members but had the public abuzz. On the big night Rock impressed most viewers with his unabashed, razor-sharp jibes and the refreshingly brisk pace with which he kept the often glacial show moving. Meanwhile, Rock returned to the more comfortable medium of film, where he gave voice to Marty the Zebra in “Madagascar” (2005), Disney’s animated adventure about four zoo animals who escape and inadvertently find themselves in Africa where the city slickers struggle to survive in the wild. He also appeared in the shameless remake, “The Longest Yard” (2005), starring man-boy Adam Sandler in the role once occupied by a defiant, but charming Burt Reynolds. Although he did not appear on camera, Rock served as creator, writer, executive producer and narrator of his semi-autobiographical sit-com "Everybody Hates Chris" (UPN, 2005 - ), which loosely chronicled his childhood and was one of the most critically lauded series of its debut season. It was not until the success of his stand-up act in the late 1990s that Rock began receiving major parts in films. These include roles in Dogma, Beverly Hills Ninja, Lethal Weapon 4, Nurse Betty, The Longest Yard, Bad Company, and a starring role in Down to Earth. Rock has also increasingly worked behind the camera, both as a writer and director of Head of State and I Think I Love My Wife. In the fall of 2005, the UPN television network premiered a comedy series called Everybody Hates Chris, based on Rock's school days, of which he is the executive producer and narrator. The show has garnered both critical and commercial success, and Rock describes it as "honest" and "very working-class, so people can relate." Rock made his second feature film as director, adapting Eric Rohmer’s talky, cerebral romantic drama “Chloe in the Afternoon” (1972) into “I Think I Love My Wife” (2007), a coarse, sharp-tongued comedy starring the actor as a board suburban businessman fantasizing about every woman he sees because his wife (Gina Torres) has gone cold in the bedroom. But when an old flame (Kerry Washington) reenters his life, the lonely businessman suddenly finds himself contemplating infidelity, all the while wondering if he really does love his wife. Rock was inspired to purchase the Rohmer film while in Tower Records buying foreign films—a naked Zouzou on the cover prompted him to pull it off the shelf. After partnering with Louis C.K. on the script, Rock took hold of the directing reigns, more out of necessity for getting the film made than anything else. Prior to its release, “I Think I Love My Wife” was panned by most reviewers, many of whom noticed a serious dearth of funny jokes, though a few did cite Rock’s development as an actor in a semi-serious role. In early 2005, Rock hosted the 77th Academy Awards ceremony. The decision to have Rock host the awards was seen by some as a chance to bring an "edge" to the ceremony and to make it more relevant or appealing to younger audiences. During one segment Rock asked "Who is this guy?" in reference to actor Jude Law seemingly appearing in every movie Rock had seen that year and implied Law was a low-rent Tom Cruise (he made a joke about filmmakers rushing production and being unable to get the actors they want: "If you want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law, wait [to make the film]!") . Nearly two hours later, a defensive Sean Penn took the stage to present and said, "In answer to our host's question, Jude Law is one of our finest young actors." (At the time, Penn and Law were shooting All the King's Men.) Law was not the only actor that Rock poked fun at that evening, however -- he turned the joke on himself at one point, saying "if you want Denzel [Washington] and all you can get is me, wait!" Many critics panned Rock's performance, with some comparing him to David Letterman. Rock's first music video was for his song "Your Mother's Got a Big Head" from his album Born Suspect. Rock also made videos for his songs "Champagne" from Roll With the New and "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)" from Bigger & Blacker. Chris Rock also directed and appeared in the music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Hump de Bump". Rock appeared in the Big Daddy Kane music video "Smooth Operator" as a guy getting his hair cut. He also appeared in Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down", one of the many celebrities seen lip-synching the song. Rock's subject matter typically involves family, politics, romance, music, class relationships, and race relations in the United States. Though not strictly autobiographical, much of his comic standpoint seem rooted in his teenage experience; his strict parents, concerned about the inadequacies of the local school system, arranged to have the adolescent Rock bused to a nearly all-white high school in Bensonhurst (an Italian-ethnic neighborhood of Brooklyn known at the time for poor race relations). In his memoir "Rock This," the comedian recalls, "My parents assumed I'd get a better education in a better neighborhood. What I actually got was a worse education in a worse neighborhood. And a whole bunch of ass-whippings." The discontinuity between expectation and experience—between what you arrive expecting and what you leave understanding—is one basis of Rock's comic style, and seems to have come to him young. The comedian has also expressed discomfort with the notion that success in standup comedy—or, indeed, in any aspect of the entertainment industry—should oblige him to serve as a role model. In this position, he finds himself directly at odds with one his comic idols, Bill Cosby. (Cosby has reprimanded Rock both explicitly—for his famous/notorious Niggas vs. Black People track—and implicitly, for heavy use of the word "nigger.") Rock has not wavered from a position explored in his 1996 Roll With The New show, and reiterated in his 1997 memoir: "Why does the public expect entertainers to behave better than everybody else? It's ridiculous...Of course, this is just for black entertainers. You don't see anyone telling Jerry Seinfeld he's a good role model. Because everyone expects whites to behave themselves...Nowadays, you've got to be an entertainer and a leader. It's too much." 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". Due to the broadcast being at 5:45pm Rock was immediately cut off, and the BBC made several apologies for his use of the word "motherfucker". Rock has been married to Malaak Compton since November 23, 1996. She is the founder and executive director of StyleWorks, a non-profit, full-service salon that provides free services for women leaving welfare and entering the workforce. They have 2 daughters together, Lola Simone, born June 28 2002 and Zahra Savannah born 22 May 2004. Chris Rock has one son from his first marriage, Nazeeri Jafar (born February 8, 1984). In November 2006, the entertainment news website TMZ.com reported that Rock was filing for divorce after nearly ten years of marriage to Malaak. Two weeks later, however, TMZ reported that Rock had not filed divorce papers, and that it appeared that the couple had been able to work out their differences and stay together. In response to the reports, Rock released a statement to the press denouncing them as "untrue rumors and lies". Often the subject of tabloids, when asked about paparazzi and the other negative aspects of fame, Rock says he accepts the bad with the good: "You can't be happy that fire cooks your food and be mad it burns your fingertips." In 2007, freelance journalist and former actress Kali Bowyer filed a paternity suit against Chris Rock, claiming he was the father of her son, and in need of hospitalization. DNA testing proved that Rock was not the child's father. Rock currently resides in Alpine, New Jersey. Rock is an avid supporter of the New York Mets baseball team. During the 2007 season he was seen nearly every game on the video screen leading the crowd in a chant of "Let's Go Mets." On his UK tour, Chris stated, "I live in New Jersey and My house is worth $3 million" USD, and that Mary J Blige, Jay-Z and Denzel Washington all live in his neighborhood. In 2008 Rock's family history was profiled on the PBS series African American Lives 2. A DNA test shows that he is descended from the Udeme people of northern Cameroon. |
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