Chris Rock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Rock
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Rock in 2021
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Christopher Julius Rock
February 7, 1965 Andrews, South Carolina, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
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Notable work
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Filmography |
| Spouse(s) |
Malaak Compton
(m. 1996; div. 2016) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Tony Rock (brother) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Comedy career | |
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| Genres |
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Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He is famous for his funny movies, TV shows, and stand-up comedy. Chris Rock has won many awards. These include three Grammy Awards for his comedy albums. He also won four Primetime Emmy Awards. Both Comedy Central and Rolling Stone magazine ranked him among the top 5 stand-up comedians ever.
After working as a stand-up comedian for years, Rock appeared in small movie roles. One of his first films was Beverly Hills Cop II. He became well-known as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1993. During his time at SNL, he also acted in movies like New Jack City and Boomerang. He also wrote and produced CB4.
Chris Rock became a big star with his comedy special Bring the Pain in 1996. This was the second of his five HBO comedy specials. Other HBO specials include Bigger & Blacker (1999) and Never Scared (2004). He also made Kill the Messenger (2008) and Chris Rock: Tamborine (2018).
He created, wrote, produced, and narrated the TV show Everybody Hates Chris (2005-2009). This show was based on his own childhood. From 1997 to 2000, HBO aired his talk show, The Chris Rock Show. This show was praised for Rock's interviews with famous people and politicians.
Rock has starred in many movies. These include Nurse Betty (1999), Down to Earth (2001), and Head of State (2003). He also appeared in The Longest Yard (2005) and the Madagascar animated movies (2005–2012). More recent films include Grown Ups (2010) and Top Five (2014). He has also appeared in TV shows like Louie and Fargo.
Contents
Early life and family
Christopher Julius Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina on February 7, 1965. Soon after he was born, his parents moved to Crown Heights in Brooklyn, New York. A few years later, they moved to Bedford–Stuyvesant.
His mother, Rosalie, was a teacher and social worker. His father, Julius Rock, was a truck driver and delivered newspapers. Julius passed away in 1988.
Chris Rock is the oldest of his parents' seven children. He has six younger brothers and one younger sister. His younger brothers Tony, Kenny, and Jordan also work in entertainment.
Rock's family history was shown on the PBS show African American Lives 2 in 2008. A DNA test showed that his family comes from Cameroon. His great-great-grandfather, Julius Caesar Tingman, was enslaved for 21 years. He later fought in the American Civil War. In the 1940s, Rock's grandfather moved from South Carolina to New York City. He became a taxi driver and a preacher.
Rock went to schools in mostly white neighborhoods in Brooklyn. There, he faced bullying from other students. As he got older, the bullying got worse. His parents took him out of James Madison High School. He left high school but later earned his General Educational Development (GED) diploma. After that, Rock worked at fast-food restaurants.
Career highlights
Starting in comedy
Chris Rock began his stand-up comedy career in 1984 in New York City. He performed at a club called Catch a Rising Star. Famous comedian Eddie Murphy saw his act and became his mentor. Murphy gave Rock his first movie role in Beverly Hills Cop II. Rock became more known in the comedy world. He also got small roles in the movie I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and the TV show Miami Vice.
Saturday Night Live and big success
Rock was a cast member on the comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1993. He joined other new cast members like Chris Farley and Adam Sandler. They were known as the "Bad Boys of SNL." In 1991, he released his first comedy album, Born Suspect. He also gained praise for his role in the movie New Jack City. Being on SNL helped Rock become known across the country. He has hosted SNL four times: in 1996, 2014, 2020, and 2024.
Rock planned to leave Saturday Night Live after the 1992–93 season. He then appeared in six episodes of the sketch show In Living Color. The show was canceled shortly after he joined. Rock then wrote and starred in the comedy movie CB4. This movie earned $18 million, which was good for its $6 million budget.
Rock had his first HBO comedy special in 1994. His second special, Bring the Pain in 1996, made him one of the most successful comedians. Rock won two Emmy Awards for this special.
He also worked as a commentator for Comedy Central's Politically Incorrect during the 1996 Presidential elections. He earned another Emmy nomination for this work. Rock also voiced the "Lil Penny" puppet in Nike shoe commercials from 1994 to 1998. He hosted the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.
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Rock had two more HBO comedy specials: Bigger & Blacker in 1999 and Never Scared in 2004. Magazines like Time and Entertainment Weekly called Rock "the funniest man in America." HBO also aired his talk show, The Chris Rock Show. This show was praised for Rock's interviews with famous people and politicians. The show won an Emmy for its writing. His TV work has won him a total of three Emmy Awards.
By the end of the 1990s, Rock was known as a top stand-up comedian. He also wrote a book called Rock This! and released Grammy-winning comedy albums. His fifth HBO special, Kill the Messenger, premiered in 2008. It won him another Emmy for writing.
In 2016, Netflix announced they would release two new stand-up comedy specials from Rock. The first special, Chris Rock: Tamborine, was released on Netflix in 2018. It was filmed in Brooklyn and directed by comedian Bo Burnham. This special was his first concert special in 10 years. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
Film career
1990s films
Chris Rock started getting main roles in movies after his stand-up success in the late 1990s. He had supporting roles in films like New Jack City (1991) and Boomerang (1992). He also appeared in Sgt. Bilko (1996), Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998).
He was also in the fantasy comedy film Dogma (1999). This movie received good reviews and was shown at the Cannes Film Festival. It featured many famous actors like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Rock then starred in the dark comedy Nurse Betty (2000). This film also debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and was a success.
2000s films
In the 2000s, Rock started working more behind the camera. He wrote the film Down to Earth (2001) with comedian Louis C.K.. That same year, Rock produced and starred in Pootie Tang (2001). Rock also wrote and directed the political comedy Head of State (2003) and the comedy I Think I Love My Wife (2007). He played the main character in both films. He also starred in movies like The Longest Yard (2005) with Adam Sandler.
In 2005, the UPN TV network started a comedy series called Everybody Hates Chris. This show was loosely based on Rock's school days. He was the executive producer and narrator. The show was very popular and received good reviews. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and two Emmy Awards.
Starting in 2005, Rock voiced Marty the zebra in DreamWorks' animated Madagascar film series. He voiced Marty in the sequels Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2013). In 2007, Rock voiced Mooseblood the Mosquito in the animated film The Bee Movie.
In 2009, Rock released his first documentary, Good Hair. The film explored how African-American women view and style their hair. It looked at the hair styling industry for black women. The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and received praise. It won a Special Jury Prize.
2010s films
Some of his films in the 2010s include the comedy Death at a Funeral (2010). This was a remake of a British comedy. The film starred Peter Dinklage, Martin Lawrence, and Kevin Hart. Film critic Roger Ebert praised the film, saying he "laughed all the way through." Rock also starred in the summer comedy Grown Ups (2010) with Adam Sandler and Kevin James.
In 2012, he appeared in the romantic comedy What to Expect When You're Expecting. This film included Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, and Anna Kendrick. Even though it received mixed reviews, the movie was a financial success. Rock was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for his role. That same year, he starred in the romantic comedy 2 Days in New York (2012). The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received good reviews.
In 2014, Rock wrote, directed, and starred in the film Top Five. Critics compared it to Woody Allen's Stardust Memories. The film talks about fame and society. It premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Critics praised the film for capturing Rock's sharp wit and observations.
In 2015, Rock appeared as himself in Sofia Coppola's Christmas musical special, A Very Murray Christmas. He sang "Do You Hear What I Hear?" with Bill Murray. The film debuted on Netflix and won a Primetime Emmy Award.
He also appeared as himself in another Netflix film, Sandy Wexler (2017) starring Adam Sandler. In 2018, he starred in the Netflix comedy The Week Of with Sandler. The film follows two fathers during the week of their children's wedding. The next year, he had a brief role in the comedy film Dolemite Is My Name (2019) starring Eddie Murphy.
2020-present
In 2020, Rock played the character Loy Cannon in the fourth season of Fargo. In 2021, he starred in Spiral (2021), a movie in the horror film genre.
On March 4, 2023, Rock returned to Netflix with Chris Rock: Selective Outrage. This was Netflix's first-ever live event. The show streamed live from the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland. The special received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
In 2023, it was announced that Rock would direct a movie about civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.. Steven Spielberg will produce the film. It will be based on the biography King: A Life by Jonathan Eig.
In 2024, it was announced that Rock would direct an English version of the Academy Award-winning film Another Round (2020).
Academy Awards host
Rock has hosted the Academy Awards twice. He hosted in 2005 and 2016.
Comedic style and views
Rock's comedy often talks about family, politics, relationships, music, celebrities, and race in the United States. His comedy often comes from his teenage experiences. His parents sent him to a mostly white high school in Bensonhurst. He recalled, "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."
Rock has said that people expect entertainers to behave better than everyone else. He believes this is especially true for black entertainers. He also says that if you enjoy the good parts of fame, you have to accept the bad parts too.
Chris Rock has been a big fan of the New York Mets baseball team since he was a child.
In May 2021, Rock spoke against "cancel culture." He said it makes comedians create "boring" and "unfunny" material. He believes that audiences not laughing at jokes is how comedians know their content isn't working. Rock said, "Everybody's scared to make a move. That's not a place to be. You know, we should have the right to fail because failure is a part of art."
Rock has said he was influenced by his grandfather, Allen Rock, who was a preacher. Other comedians who influenced him include Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, and George Carlin.
Comedians who have said Chris Rock influenced them include Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, and Trevor Noah.
Personal life
Chris Rock married Malaak Compton-Rock on November 23, 1996. Malaak Compton-Rock founded StyleWorks, a non-profit hair salon. It provides free services for women entering the workforce. The couple lived in Alpine, New Jersey with their two daughters. In December 2014, Rock filed for divorce. The divorce was finalized on August 22, 2016.
In July 2022, it was reported that Rock started dating actress and director Lake Bell.
Filmography
Discography
Live albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
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| US |
US R&B /HH |
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| Born Suspect |
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| Roll with the New |
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93 | 41 |
| Bigger & Blacker |
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44 | 23 |
| Never Scared |
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Awards and nominations
Book
- Rock This! (Hyperion Books, 1997) – ISBN: 0-7868-6289-0
See also
In Spanish: Chris Rock para niños
