Kenny Blank facts for kids

Kenny Blank, also known as Kenn Michael, is an American actor, composer, director, editor, and producer. He was born on September 15, 1977. He is best known for playing Michael Peterson in the TV show The Parent 'Hood from 1995 to 1997. He also wrote some music for that show. You might also know him from the 1992 movie Boomerang, which starred Eddie Murphy.

Early Life and Education

Kenny Blank was born Kenneth Michael Benbow Blank in New York City on September 15, 1977. His mother, Lola, was a dancer who performed with the famous singer James Brown. His father, Warren Benbow, was a jazz drummer who played with music legends like Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder.

Kenny started playing the piano and making short films when he was just 6 years old. He finished high school at Stamford High School in 1995. Later, in the late 1990s, he studied filmmaking at the University of Southern California.

Acting Career

Kenny Blank started acting when he was 7 years old. As a child, he reviewed the book Jumanji on the TV show Reading Rainbow. His first big acting role was as Tito in the 1991 movie The Super, which starred Joe Pesci. For this role, he was nominated for a Young Artist Award in 1992. This award celebrates young actors.

In 1991, he also played Linus Bragg in the film Carolina Skeletons. This movie was based on the true story of George Stinney, a young African-American boy who was wrongly accused of a crime. Kenny Blank also had a small part in the movie Boomerang (1992) and appeared in the TV miniseries Alex Haley's Queen.

Television Roles

Kenny Blank was a regular actor on the TV show Tall Hopes (1993), where he played Ernest Harris, a character who wanted to be a director. Even though the show didn't get great reviews, Kenny's acting was praised.

He then played teenager Michael Peterson in the sitcom The Parent 'Hood in the mid-1990s. He also helped write songs for this show. Kenny left the series after its third season. He also made guest appearances on popular TV shows like Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Moesha, City of Angels, Living Single, and Freaks and Geeks. He also appeared in the horror comedy movie Boltneck.

Voice Acting

Kenny Blank is also known for his voice acting. He was the voice of Darren Patterson on the Nickelodeon cartoon series As Told by Ginger (2000–06). He also voiced J.T. in All Grown Up!, a spin-off of Rugrats.

You can hear his voice in the Saints Row video game series, where he is one of the voices you can choose for the main character, the Boss. He also provided the English voice for Angelino in the movie Mutafukaz and Philly the Kid in the animated series Cannon Busters.

Other Creative Work

Since 1998, Kenny Blank has worked behind the scenes too. He has filmed, edited, and directed many short films. He directed the theme song for the movie Mystery Men in 1999. He also showed an experimental film called Manifested Intent at the Urbanworld Film Festival. In 2019, Kenny directed the TV movie In Broad Daylight for TV One.

In the 1990s, he also worked as a composer, writing songs for The Montel Williams Show and the title theme for The Super. As a teenager, he created music for commercials for companies like Kodak and Lego.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games