Eddie Griffin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eddie Griffin
Griffin in 2008
Birth name	Edward Rubin Griffin
Born	(1968-07-15) July 15, 1968 (age 56) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, film, television
Years active	1989–present
Genres	Improvisational comedy, observational comedy, satire
Subject(s)	African-American culture, race relations, politics, everyday life
Spouse	Carla Griffin ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 1997)​ Rochelle Griffin ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2009)​ Nia Rivers ​ ​ (m. 2011; div. 2012)​ Ko Lee ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	11

Edward Rubin Griffin (born July 15, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for portraying Eddie Sherman in the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, the title character in the 2002 comedy film Undercover Brother. He also portrayed Lester Matthews in John Q. (2002), Orpheus in Scary Movie 3 (2003), Pope Sweet Jesus in Norbit (2007), and voiced Richard Pryor on Black Dynamite (2012–2015). Griffin was ranked at number 62 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.

Early life

Griffin was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and was raised by his single mother, Doris Thomas, a phone company operator. His family were Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1984, at 16 years old, he moved to Compton, California, to live with his cousins. He later became a father and enlisted in the U.S. Navy but was discharged within months. After six months in jail on an assault conviction following a fight, he made ends meet dancing and painting houses.

Career

At a comedy club open-mic night in 1989, Griffin hopped onstage on a bet and earned a standing ovation with family stories. He talked his way into stand-up gigs around town and in L.A. One popular bit was his gay version of tough-guy comic Andrew Dice Clay, who later hired Griffin to open for him.

Once he achieved a fair amount of success in standup, Griffin became legendary at The Comedy Store for stopping in to do guest sets on open mic nights and staying up on stage long enough to tire the audience out for the hapless budding comic who had to follow him.

Griffin has appeared in films such as The Meteor Man (1993), The Walking Dead (1995) “David E. Talbert: A Fool & His Money” (1997),Double Take (2001), Undercover Brother (2002), John Q (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Norbit (2007), and Urban Justice (2007).

Griffin has appeared on television shows such as Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000) and Chappelle's Show in the skit "World Series of Dice" as Grits n' Gravy. Griffin performed on two tracks from Dr. Dre's 1999 album, 2001, and the intro track from The D.O.C.'s 1996 album Helter Skelter. He has also appeared on commercials for Miller Beer's Man Laws.

In 2011, Comedy Central released Griffin's stand-up comedy special You Can Tell 'Em I Said It on DVD. In December 2019, his stand-up comedy special, E-Niggma, was released on Showtime.

Personal life

Griffin and his mother got into an argument at his 20th birthday party when she accused him of stealing jewelry from her, which Griffin denied doing. Afterward, Griffin did not see his mother for four years until he moved back to Los Angeles, California, in March 1992, to be closer with his family when his mother was injured in a car accident.

Griffin has been married four times. He married his first wife, Carla in 1984 when he was 16 years old. They divorced in 1997. He married his second wife, Rochelle, in 2002 and divorced in 2009. On September 8, 2011, he married his third wife, Nia Rivers. However, they filed for divorce after one month of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. They were officially divorced six months later in 2012. He married his fourth wife, Ko Lee Griffin, on July 27, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music video appearances

Comedy specials

Documentary

Discography

Live albums

Soundtrack albums

Awards

See also

In Spanish: Eddie Griffin (actor) para niños