Chris Rock is an American-based stand-up comedian, actor, singer, writer, producer, and film director. His career is as varied as it is successful, whether he’s dominating comedy clubs, television, or the movie screen. Here’s everything you need to know about this much-beloved celebrity.
When Was Chris Rock Born?
Chris Rock’s birthday is on February 7, 1965. He was born in Andrews, South Carolina.
How tall is Chris Rock?
Chris Rock’s height is 5 feet and 8 inches. He also weighs about 76 kilograms.
How much is Chris Rock worth?
Given that Chris Rock is a successful and talented filmmaker, actor, comedian, television producer, and director, he earns a lot of money. Forbes reveals that Chris Rock’s net worth is over $97 million as of 2022.
Chris Rock’s Background and Family
Chris Rock’s dad, Julius Rock, worked as a truck driver and newspaper delivery man, while his mother, Rosalie, was a teacher and social worker for the mentally disabled. His father died in 1988 from ulcer surgery.
He is the firstborn of eight children, seven boys and one girl (Tony Rock, Andi Rock, Andre Rock, Kenny Rock, Brian Rock, and Jordan Rock). Three of his brothers are also currently in the entertainment business. Among Chris rock’s siblings was his paternal half-brother, Charles Ledell, who succumbed to alcoholism in 2006.
His ancestry is traced back to Cameroon in Africa, from the Udeme (Ouldémé) people of northern Cameroon. His great-great-grandfather, Julius Rock Kingman, was enslaved for 21 years. After his release, he served as part of the United States Colored Troops in the American Civil War. In the 1940s, he moved from South Carolina to New York, becoming a preacher and a taxicab driver.
Chris Rock’s Marriage
The comedian married Malaak Compton in 1996 and had two children. Chris Rock’s kids include Lola Simeone Rock (June 28, 2002) and Zahra Savannah Rock (May 22, 2004). However, Malaak, Chris Rock’s wife, divorced Chris in 2016 after almost two decades of marriage. Chris Rock’s divorce was a result of cheating and infidelity.
Education
Chris encountered a bullying community of white students while studying at James Madison High School. His parents had no option but to pull him out of school, so he became a high school dropout. Later earned a GED, or General Education Development, an alternative to US high school Diploma.
He later worked in various jobs, including at fast-food restaurants.
How did Chris rock get famous?
Chris Rock began his comedy career in 1984. His first stand-up comedy was in New York City’s Catch a Rising Star. He eventually got roles in films like I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and TV series Miami Vice.
Eddy Murphy spotted him in one of the shows and started mentoring him. Eddy later gave him a role in the film Beverly Hills Cop II.
Chris Rock on Saturday Night Live
In the 1990s, Chris gained prominence as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, or SNL. He and fellow cast members Chris Farley, David Spade, Adam Sandler, and Rob Schneider were considered the bad boys of SNL.
Chris Rock Standup Comedy
After his stint on SNL, Chris Rock became one of the industry’s most prestigious and commercially successful comedians, beginning with the 1996 breakthrough Bring the Pain and continuing through HBO comedy specials Bigger & Blacker (1999) and Never Scared (2004).
Everybody Hates Chris and Chris Rock’s Televison Career
Chris Rock wrote and narrated the sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris,” which is based on a true story of his early life and ran from 2005-2009. Rock wrote, produced, and directed the show himself. It attracted a lot of success from critics and fans and garnered high ratings. The series talks about Chris Rock’s early childhood and school life, where he often dealt with bullying from white school kids.
In 2006, Everybody Hates Chris was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best TV series (Musical or Comedy) and the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Television Comedy. The series also earned him two Emmy Awards in the same year for cinematography and costuming.
Chris Rock then won another Emmy Award for his Chris Rock Show, which aired on HBO. He also starred in the 4th season of the FX black crime drama/comedy Fargo.
In all, his TV work has won him three Emmy Awards and 15 nominations.
Chris Rock Movie Career
Chris Rock has starred in many movies, including Down to Earth (2001) (which he wrote and directed), Head of State (2003), The Longest Yard (2005) (which also featuring Adam Sandler), the Madagascar film series (2005-2012), I Think I Love My Wife (2007), The Bee Movie (2007) Grown Ups (2010), Grown Ups II (2013), Top Five (2014), Amsterdam (2022), and many HBO stand-up specials.
In 2009, he made his first documentary, Good Hair, which portrayed African-American women in a positive way of beautifully nurturing their hair traditionally. The documentary premiered during the Sundance Film Festival in 2009, receiving a Special Jury Prize.
Good hair was rated one of the best top five documentaries of the year by the National Board of Review. The Good Hair Documentary earned him a nomination for the Gotham Award for Best Documentary and the Writers Guild of America’s Best Documentary Screenplay.
In 2015 he starred in Coppola’s Christmas music special, A Very Murray Christmas, together with Adam Sandler. He also starred in Sandy Wexler, a Netflix film, and The Week Of, a Netflix comedy.
Recently he starred in Dolomite Is My Name (2019), a film that centers on the life of Rudy Ray Moore as a stand-up comedian and director of blaxploitation, an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film dating back to the 1970s.
He received a Teen Choice Award for his role in What to Expect When You’re Expecting, where he acted alongside Anna Kendrick, Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, and Elizabeth Banks.
Academy Awards Hosting Appearances
In February 2005, while hosting the 77th Academy Awards, Rock made a few serious jokes.
His opening statement was: “Welcome to the 77th and LAST Academy Awards!” It was a joke most people didn’t appear to understand at that moment.
He made numerous jokes about various things and people, even himself:
“If you want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law, wait [to make the film]!” Sean Penn (61 years old, director, screenwriter, and producer) angrily responded by saying that Jude Law is among the top young actors.
Taking the audience by surprise, he joked about himself and Denzel Washington, saying, “If you want Denzel [Washington], and all you can get is me, wait!” Hilarious!
Many of the old Oscar’s Officials were unhappy with his jokes since the ceremony’s ratings were lower than they expected.
Chris hosted the 88th Academy Awards in 2016. Of course, some expected him to use the stage and opportunity to stop racism. “Black Lives Matter,” he insisted. His performance was highly regarded.
Why Did Will Smith Slap Chris Rock?
In March 2022, he hosted the 94th Academy Awards. This ceremony had a blend of scripted and unscripted drama.
As is his norm, he made a serious or perhaps a bad joke to the wrong person. While presenting the Best Documentary Feature, he joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head by comparing it to Demi Moore’s shaved head in G.I. Jane.
Will Smith was upset by the joke, stormed the stage, and slapped Chris Rock. “Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth!” he yelled twice as he walked back to his seat.
Later, Will Smith apologized while receiving the Best Actor award for King Richard. Smith apologized to Rock the following day.
Stage Plays
Chris Rock has also appeared in many plays, including Broadway, a play by Stephen Adly Guirgis, and The Motherfucker with the Hat, where he appeared with Bobby Cannavale and Annabella Sciorra.
Chris Rock’s Other Endeavors
Rock released a comedy book called Rock This! in 2000. He also has three albums, Bigger & Blacker, Roll With the New, and Never Scared, which have won him Grammy Awards.
Rock’s first music video was for “Your Mother’s got a Big Head,” the first song from the Born Suspects album. He then made videos for his other two songs, “Champagne” from Roll With the New and “No Sex (In the Champagne Room)” from Bigger & Blacker.
Conclusion
Chris Rock is one of the most talented and versatile celebrities of our time. His success as an actor, director, screenwriter, stand-up comedian, and more is unparalleled.
