Lewis Black facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lewis Black
Black in 2007
Birth name	Lewis Niles Black
Born	(1948-08-30) August 30, 1948 (age 76) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Medium	Film stand-up television
Education	University of Maryland, College Park University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA) Yale University (MFA)
Years active	1970s–present
Genres	Black comedy news satire observational comedy political satire
Subject(s)	American culture American politics current events pop culture

Lewis Niles Black (born August 30, 1948) is an American comedian and actor. He is famous for his stand-up comedy routines, which often turn into passionate speeches about current events, politics, and cultural trends.

He hosted the Comedy Central TV show Lewis Black's Root of All Evil. He also appears regularly on The Daily Show with his special "Back in Black" segment. Comedy Central recognized him as one of the greatest stand-up comedians. In 2015, he voiced the character Anger in the Pixar movie Inside Out, and he will return for the 2024 sequel.

Lewis Black also works as a spokesperson for the Aruba Tourism Authority. Since 2013, he has been an "ambassador for voting rights" for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an organization that works to protect people's rights. Since 2022, he has led the board of directors for the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library.

When he is not performing, Black lives in Manhattan, New York, and also has a home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Lewis Black's Early Life and Education

Lewis Black was born on August 30, 1948, in Washington, D.C. His mother, Jeannette Black, was a teacher, and his father, Samuel Black, was an artist and engineer. He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, in a neighborhood called Burnt Mills. His grandparents came from Eastern Europe.

He finished high school at Springbrook High School in 1966. After high school, he attended the University of Maryland, College Park for a year. He then transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, he studied how to write plays. He was also part of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity and a member of the Student Congress.

After graduating in 1970, he worked in Washington, D.C., wrote plays, and performed stand-up comedy. He later earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the Yale School of Drama in 1977.

Black started his career in theater as a playwright, writing plays. He also performed stand-up comedy as an opening act for these plays. He worked at the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar in New York City, where he helped create many short plays. After leaving the theater, he focused more on comedy and acting in small roles on TV and in movies.

Lewis Black's Comedic Style

Lewis Black is known for his unique comedic style. He often talks about everyday life, current events, and politics. His performances can become very energetic, almost like a passionate speech, as he shares his thoughts on different topics.

He has mentioned that other famous comedians like George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, Bob Newhart, and Shelley Berman influenced his comedy.

Lewis Black's Career Highlights

Stand-Up Comedy Shows

Lewis Black has performed in many comedy specials. In 1998, he had his first special on Comedy Central Presents. He had more specials in 2000 and 2002. In 2002, he starred in another special called Taxed Beyond Belief.

He hosted the "World Stupidity Awards" at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal in 2004 and 2005. In 2004, he had an HBO stand-up special called Black on Broadway. He also hosted Comedy Central's Last Laugh '07.

In 2006, Black performed in Washington, D.C., for an HBO special called Red, White, and Screwed. This show was later released on DVD.

He won a Grammy Award in 2007 for "Best Comedy Album" for his album The Carnegie Hall Performance. In 2008, he hosted the Comedy Central show The Root of All Evil. On this show, two topics or people were debated, and Black, acting as a judge, decided which was "more evil." He also hosted History of the Joke with Lewis Black on The History Channel.

In 2009, Black filmed two shows in Detroit, Michigan, which became the concert film Stark Raving Black. In 2011, he filmed his comedy special In God We Rust in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In 2013, Black recorded his stand-up special Old Yeller: Live at the Borgata. This was one of the first comedy specials to be available at the same time on many different TV platforms. In 2020, he released his special Thanks for Risking Your Life, which was filmed during the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Movies and TV Shows

Lewis Black has appeared in various movies and television shows.

On the Screen

Black in 2007 at "Stand Up for Heroes"

He appeared in an episode of Law and Order in 1991. In 2009, he played Professor Crawley, an entomologist (someone who studies insects), in The Big Bang Theory. He also released his autobiography, Nothing's Sacred, in 2005.

Since 2005, Black has appeared in short segments on The Weather Channel. In the 2006 film Accepted, he played Dean Ben Lewis. He also appeared in the films Man of the Year and Unaccompanied Minors in 2006.

Voice Acting Roles

Lewis Black has lent his voice to many animated characters.

• He was the voice of "Manobrain" in the Cartoon Network series Duck Dodgers.
• He voiced the Deadly Duplicator in the Adult Swim show Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law and its video game.
• He provided the voice of Ted, an oxpecker bird, in the My Gym Partner's a Monkey episode "Hornbill and Ted's Bogus Journey."
• He voiced Mr. E/Ricky Owens in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.
• In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, he voiced a character named Vic who turns into a spider-like monster called "Spider-Bytez."
• Black voiced Anger in the Pixar movies Inside Out and Inside Out 2.
• He has also been the voice of Santa Claus in some SpongeBob SquarePants episodes and the spin-off series Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years.

Tours and Special Performances

Lewis Black has performed for many audiences, including benefit shows and tours.

• In 2007, he performed a benefit show at his old high school, Springbrook High School, for students and alumni.
• In December 2007, he joined other celebrities like Robin Williams and Lance Armstrong on a United Service Organizations (USO) trip to perform for troops in Iraq and Kuwait.
• In 2008, Black went on tour to promote his book Me of Little Faith.
• He also did a stand-up tour called "Let Them Eat Cake," and material from this tour was featured on his comedy album Anticipation.
• In 2010, he started a new tour called "In God We Rust."

Lewis Black's Published Works

Lewis Black has written several books:

• Nothing's Sacred (2005)
• Nothing's Sacred (audio book) (2006)
• Nothing's Sacred (softcover version) (2007)
• Me of Little Faith (2008)
• Me of Little Faith (paperback version with added content) (2009)
• I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas (2010)
• One Slight Hitch (Play) (2013)

Lewis Black's Media Releases

CDs

DVDs

• Unleashed (2002)
• Black on Broadway (2004)
• A Pair of Lewis Black Shorts (2006)
• Red, White, and Screwed (2006)
• History of the Joke with Lewis Black (2008)
• Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black (2009)
• Stark Raving Black (2009)
• In God We Rust (2012)
• Lewis Black: Old Yeller - Live At the Borgata In Atlantic City (2013)
• Black to the Future (2017)
• Thanks for Risking Your Life (2020)

Lewis Black's Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Video Game Roles

See also

In Spanish: Lewis Black para niños