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Jack Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian and musician. Black's acting career began with primetime TV roles, and then with small roles in 1990s films such as Dead Man Walking and Enemy of the State. Actor and musician Jack Black began his unique double career as a cult figure on the L.A. “alternative” comedy scene before he was upgraded to scene-stealing character roles in larger pictures, eventually taking the lead in some of the most quirky and endearing comedies of the early millennium. Forays into headier romantic dramas did not cultivate as much enthusiasm as Black’s signature role – that of an overconfident, smart aleck loser with an arsenal of expressive faces and a gung-ho attitude towards the most absurd plans of action. But if audiences did not lap up his subtler shades it was not because they lacked nuance; it was because Black’s offbeat, joyous, larger-than-life characters were just too unique and fun not to want to more of. He was at his most memorable when he was portraying just the type of person he might have become if he had not found a lucrative niche for his unique persona — the bitter record store clerk, the failing musician conning his way into easy day jobs, the pontificating “artist” of no discernable creative output, the guy who works the late shift thanks to fists full of speed. By the 2000s, he was cast in lead roles in comedy films such as Shallow Hal and School of Rock and in dramas such as King Kong and The Holiday. He is a member of the so-called Frat Pack, a media term for a group of comedians active in Hollywood films. He has been nominated for a Golden Globe award. Black and Kyle Gass make up the comedy and rock music duo Tenacious D. The duo has released two albums, Tenacious D, and its follow up, The Pick of Destiny. Black was born Thomas Jack Black, Jr. in Redondo Beach, California, the son of two satellite engineers, Judith (née Cohen) and Thomas Jack Black, Sr.; his mother worked on the Hubble Space Telescope. Jack Black's mother is Jewish and his father converted to Judaism; Black was thus raised Jewish. His parents divorced when he was 10. Jack had a Bull Mastiff and Rottweiler mix named Chico. Chico died of parvovirus soon after Jack's parents divorced. Black moved to Culver City with his father and frequently visited his mother’s home until the end of his first year of college at UCLA when his father’s family moved to Bristol, UK. As a child, Black appeared in an early Atari Pitfall! commercial, which was later shown during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live and again on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. When he entered high school, his parents suggested that he should transfer to the Poseidon School, a private secondary school engineered specifically for students struggling in the traditional school system. Black eagerly accepted the proposition, afraid that he would only be bullied if he remained in public school. He also attended the Crossroads School, where he excelled in drama. Black later attended UCLA but dropped out during his sophomore year to pursue a career in the entertainment business, at which point his father discontinued his financial support. Fellow UCLA veteran Tim Robbins later cast Black in Bob Roberts. He also had recurring roles on the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show. Black was born Thomas Black on Aug. 28, 1969, and was anointed with the nickname Jack almost immediately. His parents were both satellite engineers (aka, rocket scientists) who split when he was 10 years old, after which Black moved from wealthy Hermosa Beach, CA, to the Los Angeles neighborhood of Culver City. The family’s academic gene apparently was not passed on to their son, who instead exhibited evidence of harboring the “need for attention” gene. School was an excruciating experience for the kid who could not sit still and focus and who dreamed of someday being adored on stage for performing sound effects with various bodily orifices. He received his first taste of the spotlight when he was cast in an Atari video game commercial at the age of 13. His follow-up was an ad for the considerably less cool Smurfberry Crunch cereal. He appeared onstage for three weeks in a production of “Inside Eddie Binstock,” directed by then-unknown Tim Robbins, before the typical distractions of youth won out and his headshots began collecting dust. The bright but frustrated teen began hanging out on the streets with fellow metalhead burnouts, and after getting into an increasing amount of trouble with school and with the law, he was plucked from public high school and sent to a small private one for “troubled” youths. Surrounded by far bigger delinquents than himself, Black straightened out and began to regain his interest in acting. He transferred to the arts-oriented Crossroads School in Santa Monica, where he thrived in the theater department and also fronted a rock band, whose failure to win over the crowd at a high school party temporarily squashed his musical aspirations. He went on to the Theater Studies program at UCLA, and it was there that the man who would one day become known for his unbridled physical comedy and adolescent obnoxiousness surprisingly appeared onstage in heavy-hitting theatrical works by Brecht and Ionesco. He spent more and more time around Robbins’ Actor’s Gang theater group, eventually dropping out of school to devote his time to acting. And music. The sting of his high school failure safely behind him, Black met fellow musician and actor Kyle Gass through the Actor’s Gang and the two hatched the idea for the tongue-in-cheek rock duo, Tenacious D. Black's acting career began with primetime TV. He played roles on several shows such as: The Golden Palace (Taxi Driver), Life Goes On (skinhead), The X-Files (Bart 'Zero' Liquori), Northern Exposure (Kevin Wilkins, prom king), HBO's Mr. Show and Picket Fences (Curtis Williams). Black later took on small roles in Airborne, Demolition Man, The Cable Guy, Bob Roberts, Mars Attacks!, Waterworld, The Jackal, Bye Bye Love, Jesus' Son, Dead Man Walking, Enemy of the State, and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. He was cast in the role of Barry, the pretentious co-worker to John Cusack's record store owner in High Fidelity, which garnered him more exposure. His career soon led to leading roles in films such as Shallow Hal, Orange County, School of Rock, Envy, Be Kind Rewind and King Kong. Black starred in two films in 2006: Nacho Libre, in which he played a Mexican friar following his childhood dream of wrestling and pursuing true victory by fighting for the children of an orphanage, and Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny, a fictionalized account of the band's formation and their quest to obtain a "supranatural" guitar pick. Nacho Libre opened on June 16, 2006; Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny was released November 22, 2006. Black pounded the audition circuit and landed his first paying gig close to home, in Tim Robbins' directorial debut "Bob Roberts" (1992), in which he played a crazed follower of the folk singer-turned-right wing politician. Black’s unusual look (for Hollywood, anyway) and his engaging, off-the cuff humor landed him a surprising number of paying TV and film gigs over the next few years. He appeared as plaid-shirted teenage burnouts in shows like “Northern Exposure” (CBS, 1990-95), “The X-Files” (Fox, 1993-2002), and had a supporting role in the low-budget teen sports flick “Airborne” (1993). In 1994, Black and Kyle Gass (JB and KG, respectively) debuted their act at a hip skid row rock club and almost instantly gained a local following for their comic banter and brilliantly performed, tongue-in-cheek tributes to classic rock. Paying homage by aping the well-worn themes of rock music – including medieval legends and puffed up bravado – the key to D’s success was really hilarious songwriting, really good guitar playing, and Black’s fantastic vocal ability, which ranged from rakish growl to rebellious sneer to operatic bellow. Black continued building an acting resume with character roles in "Dead Man Walking" (1995) "Bye Bye, Love" (1995) and "Waterworld" (1995), but his growing cult status as a renaissance funnyman and musician led to better opportunities to showcase his unique talent. Tenacious D fan David Cross invited Black to appear on the infamous “Mr. Show with Bob and David” (HBO, 1995-98), where he gave scene-stealing performances in several musical numbers and seemed visibly reluctant to leave the stage when they were over. Tenacious D received offers to perform their act in films like “Bio Dome” (1996) and “The Cable Guy” (1996). In 1997, HBO signed JB and KG to a six-episode deal for their own series, “Tenacious D” (1997-2000) which aired following “Mr. Show” and included Bob and David as collaborators. Only two episodes of the comedy about a struggling rock band aired that year. The rest did not surface until Black’s considerable fame years later. In 1998, Black brought his frenetic screen presence to featured roles in the indie comedy “Bongwater,” the HBO mystery "Johnny Skidmarks" (HBO), and the big-budget action thriller "Enemy of the State." His rise continued with Robbins’ "Cradle Will Rock" (1999) and a turn as a co-worker of lead character Billy Crudup in the acclaimed "Jesus' Son" (1999), where he provided comic relief as a paranoid hospital orderly with pockets full of stolen meds. But Black’s role as a deliciously abrasive record store employee in the film adaptation of “High Fidelity” (2000) proved to be his breakout role — a major film that showcased his engaging comedic antics as well as his musical talents. The film’s final scene featured Black’s cynical character dropping his ironic shell to deliver a stunning rendition of the Marvin Gaye classic "Let's Get it On” – and with that, a star was truly born. Following his roundly praised performance, Black inked his first major deal, signing on to star with Jason Biggs and Steve Zahn in "Saving Silverman" (2000), a film that was inconceivably awful, despite its quirky, talented cast. The following year Black’s musical career enjoyed considerably better success with the release of Tenacious D’s self-titled album, which charted internationally and led to opening slots on tours with The Foo Fighters, Beck and Pearl Jam. With “Silverman,” Black had finally reached leading man status, but his ensuing run of films as top-billed actor were one-dimensional broad comedies that failed to capitalize on his unique talent. "Shallow Hal" (2001), from hitmakers Bobby and Peter Farrelly and co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow, seemed like a good idea on paper. But the low-brow comedy about a bland lout who suddenly sees only inner beauty after a spell is cast on him and he subsequently falls for a 300-pound woman failed to find an audience. Black found only a slightly better vehicle with Jake Kasdan’s comedy "Orange County" (2002), in which he played a fairly standard stoner brother of the more ambitious Colin Hanks. Black also provided the voice of Zeke in the popular CGI-animated comedy "Ice Age" (2002) before “Orange County” screenwriter and next door neighbor Mike White decided to write a script custom-tailored to Black’s strengths, as well as to tap into a sweeter side of him that audiences had yet to see. The result was "School of Rock" (2003), which starred Black as a failing musician in desperate need of cash, who poses as his roommate to take a substitute teaching job. The only knowledge he has to impart to his young wards is rock knowledge, so he sets about to forming a 5th grade supergroup to compete in a local battle of the bands. Working with director Richard Linklater, Black dodged obvious cuteness, steered clear of mawkish sentimentality, and emerged as one of the best loved comic talents in Hollywood, capable of both outrageous, adolescent humor and a charmingly unbreakable confidence against all odds. Black’s next release, “Envy” (2004), had been filmed before his "School of Rock" breakthrough and had more in common with the uninspired films he did prior to the career landmark. Unfunny and incoherent to the extreme, Black came off the least scathed in the film, appearing in it far less than his billing suggested. The actor next voiced Lenny, the sweet-natured shark who hides his true personality, in DreamWorks' CGI-animated underwater underworld opus "Shark Tale" (2004). Next, Black jumped at the opportunity to work with Academy Award winning director Peter Jackson, who was casting the lead in a remake of 1933’s “King Kong.” The comic actor might have seemed an unusual candidate for the period action drama, but the description of Carl Denham’s character as a cocky, but failing Orson Welles-type filmmaker starving for fame was certainly well within Black’s bag of tricks. The epic spectacle was a box office hit, and Black’s reigned-in performance won over another new crop of movie audiences. Continuing to experiment with what he could bring to different types of roles, Black co-starred with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet in "The Holiday" (2006), a panned romantic comedy about the friendship between an American woman and a British woman, both of whom have recently been dumped. Black stepped into the producer’s role and certainly put his imprint on his next pair of outrageous comedies. In “Nacho Libre” (2006), he starred as a monastery cook whose inability to do no right –including make good food – leads him to earn money and find his place as a Lucha Libre wrestler – a pursuit strictly forbidden by the church elders. Despite the direction of Jared Hess, fresh off the success of Napoleon Dynamite” and helming by Black and White’s new production company (aptly, Black and White Productions), the promising film missed the mark with critics and came and went at the box office with little more than diehard Black and “Dynamite” fans in attendance. He starred alongside Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, and Kate Winslet in The Holiday, in which he played Miles, the love interest of Winslet's character. In 2007, he still occasionally made TV appearances, including the short-lived animated television program Clone High. Black starred in Margot at the Wedding, opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nicole Kidman, released November 16, 2007. Jack Black has appeared numerous times on the "untelevised TV network" short film festival Channel101, starring in the shows Computerman, Timebelt, and Laserfart. He also provided an introduction for the unaired sketch comedy, Awesometown, donning a Colonial-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 and Abraham Lincoln) and gives viewers a general idea as to what they should expect from the show. Black has also guest starred in the Adult Swim show Tom Goes to the Mayor as a bear trap store owner. Black appeared in an un-aired pilot episode for a show directed by Ben Stiller called Heat Vision and Jack where he played an ex-astronaut pursued by actor Ron Silver. He was accompanied by his friend who had merged with a motorcycle, voiced by Owen Wilson. In a Season 3 episode of The X-Files, titled "D.P.O.", Black played Bart 'Zero' Liquori, friend to Darren, a teen who could cause lightning strikes, played by Giovanni Ribisi. Black traded in a big salary in exchange for creative control (along with Kyle Gass) for the highly anticipated mock rock biopic, “Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny” (2006). Critics were split over the fictitious tale of the humble beginnings of “the greatest band in the world;” some unmoved by the excessive drug and bathroom humor. Abundant “inside” jokes comprehensible only to diehard Tenacious fans alienated still more moviegoers. In the end, box office showing was weak, though the accompanying soundtrack sold well and reached number eight on the Billboard charts. Off-screen, Black quietly eloped with Los Angeles musician Tanya Haden, with whom he had gone to Crossroads High School, but had not seen until the pair reconnected at a party the previous year. Their first son, Samuel, was born that summer. The following year, Black appeared in a small cameo as Paul McCartney in the biopic satire “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” before taking on a supporting role in Noah Baumbach’s “Margot at the Wedding” (2007). In the meaty family dramedy from the director of “The Squid and the Whale” (2005), Black was tapped to play the immature, overbearing “bad choice” fiancé for family black sheep Jennifer Jason Leigh, trying to mend fences with her successful author sister (Nicole Kidman). Darkly comic and bursting with complex family dynamics, the well-made film and Black’s mature performance as an insecure blowhard remained below the radar. In 2008, Black was recruited by director Michel Gondry to co-star opposite Mos Def in “Be Kind, Rewind,” a comedy wherein junkyard worker Black accidentally de-magnetizes the stock of an entire video store and attempts to re-shoot all the films with the aid of the owner’s son and various neighborhood characters. The microbudget versions of “RoboCop” and “The Lion King” become wildly popular with the customers, transforming the video store workers into local heroes. Black was at his best with the film’s blend of outrageous physical comedy and absurd premise, but sweet subplot about the old shop’s uncertain future in the face of economic hardship. Curiously, the film had a weak box office showing, despite positive reviews. Later in the year, Black would provide the voice of the lead character in the offbeat animated tale “Kung Fu Panda” and take the lead in “Tropic Thunder,” another movie about movie-making in which he would appear as a Hollywood actor dumped from the set of a war film into a real war. Black hosted the 2006 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards on April 1, 2006 and hosted it again on March 29, 2008. He also appeared on the MTV video music awards on August 31, 2006. He is also a member of the Frat Pack, which also includes Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Carell. Jack Black has made five appearances on Saturday Night Live: three times as a host, once as a musical guest (with Kyle Gass as Tenacious D), and another appearance with Tenacious D, not as a host or musical guest. He appeared on VH1's Internet video show Acceptable.TV. Black has also voice acted for The Simpsons episode "Husbands and Knives", voicing the friendly owner of the rival comic book store, Milo. In 2008, he will be voicing the main character, roadie Eddie Riggs, in the rock-themed action-adventure video game, Brutal Legend. Black also appeared in a Who Wants To Be A Millionaire celebrity edition along with Denis Leary, Jimmy Kimmel and others and walked away with $125,000. Black stars along side Mos Def in the film Be Kind Rewind, written and directed by Michel Gondry, and released on February 22, 2008. Black first appeared in the music video for Beck's song Sexx Laws. Black is the lead singer for the rock comedy band Tenacious D; he uses a singing style described as being a scat type of music. Black has also performed a two-part scat with bandmate Gass in the song "Tribute". Tenacious D has released two albums, a self-titled debut, and the follow up, The Pick of Destiny (from which their song "The Metal" went on to be used in music video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock). The latter coincides with the movie Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny. The film, directed by Tenacious D veteran Liam Lynch, features recurring characters such as Lee the superfan and Sasquatch. Tim Robbins cameos (both Black and Gass appeared in Robbins' 1999 film Cradle Will Rock), as does Dave Grohl as Satan. Ben Stiller also makes an appearance as a worker at Guitar Center, and also another appearance in the music video for Tribute. Tenacious D recently helped the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation to raise awareness and funds in San Diego on June 16, 2007. Tenacious D can also be seen performing in the Pauly Shore film Bio-Dome, where the duo are performing at a "Save the Environment" party. Black was also a guest star on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show entitled "Ellen the Musical", alongside Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and teenage singer-actress Olivia Olson. On the show, besides singing, he discussed his then-upcoming film Nacho Libre with the host. Black has also appeared on Dave Grohl's Probot album, providing vocals for the hidden song "I Am The Warlock", and Liam Lynch's Fake Songs album, providing vocals for the song "Rock and Roll Whore". Black performed a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in the last sequence of High Fidelity. He lent his musical abilities to the Queens of the Stone Age song "Burn the Witch" with rhythmic stomps and claps, some performed with his eyes closed. Black has appeared in music videos by Beck, "Sexx Laws"; Foo Fighters ( "Learn To Fly", "Low", and "The One"); The Eagles of Death Metal, "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"; and Sum 41 ("Things I Want"). Black dated actress and comedian Laura Kightlinger from 1997 until 2005. In January 2006, he became engaged to Tanya Haden (daughter of the jazz double bassist Charlie Haden). Haden herself is an accomplished cellist. Both attended Crossroads school, but met again 15 years after graduating, at a friend's birthday party. Black proposed marriage around Christmas 2005 with a $50,000 Neil Lane ring. They married on March 14, 2006, in Big Sur, California. Their son, Samuel Wyatt Black, was born on June 10, 2006 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. In January 2008, Black announced that Haden is currently expecting their second child. Black's comedic style combines many key elements from both sides of the traditional double act. Black typically begins a skit in which he presents an earnest introduction to a premise or subject that quickly reveals itself to be flawed or fundamentally ludicrous. Black then switches completely to a far-extreme caricature of human emotion. His would-be bent-man Gass often functions to trigger these outbursts. Tenacious D’s subject matter illustrates this technique. In "Tribute", Tenacious D tells a story in which they claim to have performed "The Greatest Song in the World" for a "Shiny Demon" who would otherwise "EAT THEIR SOULS". In "Inward Singing", Black doesn’t merely discover a new vocal technique, he discovers what he refers to as "the most powerful tool in singing technology since yodeling". Black's skits also use the catchphrase 'more cushion for the pushin', a self-deprecating reference to his abdominal body fat. Black hosted the 2006 Kids' Choice Awards, and returned in the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards. |
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