Chris Rock

Christopher Julius Rock, born February 7, 1965, is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He first achieved prominence during the 1980s for his stand-up routines covering subjects such as race relations, human sexuality, and observational comedy. Over his career, he expanded into film, television, and stage productions, earning widespread recognition including four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album, and a Golden Globe Award nomination. Comedy Central ranked him fifth on its list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time, and Rolling Stone placed him fifth on its list of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time.

Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina, to Rosalie, a teacher and social worker, and Julius Rock, a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman who passed away in 1988. Shortly after his birth, his family relocated to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, before settling in Bedford–Stuyvesant. The eldest of seven children, Rock experienced severe bullying while being bused to predominantly white Brooklyn schools, P.S. 277 and Marine Park Junior High School. He attended James Madison High School until dropping out in 1982 at age 17, later earning a General Educational Development diploma. He subsequently worked fast-food jobs and studied communications at Kingsborough Community College for one year.

Rock began performing stand-up comedy in 1984 at Catch a Rising Star in New York City. Comedian Eddie Murphy befriended and mentored him, casting him in his first film role in Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987. Rock gained national exposure as a cast member on NBC's Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1993, forming part of a group known as the Bad Boys of SNL. During this period, he appeared in the films New Jack City and Boomerang. After leaving the show, he co-wrote and starred in the low-budget comedy film CB4 in 1993.

He achieved mainstream stardom with his 1996 HBO special Bring the Pain, which won two Emmy Awards. He launched further stand-up specials including Bigger & Blacker, Never Scared, Kill the Messenger, Tamborine, and Selective Outrage. Rock hosted HBO's award-winning interview program The Chris Rock Show from 1997 to 2000. He later created, wrote, produced, and narrated the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, which aired from 2005 to 2009 and drew inspiration from his early life. Additionally, he hosted the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards and served as host of the Academy Awards in 2005 and 2016.

Rock transitioned into starring roles in major feature films, including Lethal Weapon 4, Dogma, Nurse Betty, and The Longest Yard. He also began working behind the camera, writing, directing, and starring in Head of State, I Think I Love My Wife, and Top Five. He provided the voice of Marty the zebra in the animated Madagascar franchise. His film career also includes roles in Grown Ups, Death at a Funeral, What to Expect When You're Expecting, 2 Days in New York, Spiral, Amsterdam, and Rustin. Additionally, he directed the 2009 documentary Good Hair.

In 2011, Rock made his Broadway theater debut starring in Stephen Adly Guirgis' play The Motherfucker with the Hat, earning a Drama League Award nomination. He expanded his television work with acting roles in series such as Empire, Kevin Can Wait, and Fargo, while also executive producing the series Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell through his production company, Chris Rock Enterprises. At the 2022 Academy Awards, Rock was involved in a widely publicized incident where he was assaulted on stage by Will Smith.