Jack Black

Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black is an American actor, comedian, and musician known for his leading roles in family and comedy feature films, voice work in animated projects, and music career. He serves as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the comedy rock duo Tenacious D and operates the YouTube channel Jablinski Games, which he launched in 2018. His entertainment career encompasses film, television, stage, video games, and musical recordings.

Black was born in Santa Monica, California, on August 28, 1969, to satellite engineers Thomas William Black and Judith Love Cohen, and was raised in Hermosa Beach. His mother worked on engineering projects for the Minuteman nuclear missile guidance system, the Apollo lunar module guidance system, and the Hubble Space Telescope. Black was raised Jewish, attended Hebrew school, and had a bar mitzvah. Following his parents' divorce when he was 10, he moved to Culver City with his father. He attended the Poseidon School, the Crossroads School—where he excelled in drama—and the University of California, Los Angeles, before dropping out in his second year to pursue an acting career.

Black made his acting debut at age 13 in a 1982 television commercial for the video game Pitfall!. In 1987, he joined the Actors' Gang theater troupe and began appearing in stage productions. His early screen work featured small television roles on series such as Life Goes On, Northern Exposure, Picket Fences, and The X-Files. After being cast in Bob Roberts (1992), he appeared in supporting film roles, including Dead Man Walking (1995), The Cable Guy (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), and Enemy of the State (1998). Black achieved his breakout role starring in the romantic comedy High Fidelity (2000), which led to leading roles in Shallow Hal (2001) and Orange County (2002).

He established himself as a leading man with his starring role in the musical comedy School of Rock (2003), earning a Golden Globe Award nomination. His film career continued with roles in King Kong (2005), The Holiday (2006), Nacho Libre (2006), and Tropic Thunder (2008). In 2008, he began voicing the character Po in the Kung Fu Panda animated franchise. His other voice acting roles include animated features such as Ice Age (2002), Shark Tale (2004), and The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023), as well as the action-adventure video game Brütal Legend (2009).

In 2011, Black starred as Bernie Tiede in the biographical film Bernie, receiving critical praise and a second Golden Globe nomination. His subsequent film work includes Goosebumps (2015) and its 2018 sequel, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018), and A Minecraft Movie (2025).

Outside of acting, Black formed Tenacious D with Kyle Gass in 1994. The duo has released five albums and starred in the film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006). Over his career, Black's accolades include an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance with Tenacious D, and nominations for Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Awards. In 2018, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.