Chris Rock is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer and director.
Gatekeepers News reports that Rock was ranked No. 5 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. He also ranked No. 5 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time.
Early Life and Career
Christopher Julius Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina on February 7, 1965. Rock and his parents moved shortly after to Brooklyn, New York, finally settling in Bedford-Stuyvesant after a second move. He was bused to schools in mostly white neighborhoods in Brooklyn growing up, where he had to endure bullying and harassment from white students. As the bullying got worse, he dropped out of high school and earned his GED while working at fast-food restaurants.
Rock first ventured into stand-up comedy in 1984 at the club Catch a Rising Star in New York City. As he performed, he slowly gained recognition, even getting a few roles such as in the TV series “Miami Vice”. These early years are also when Eddie Murphy saw Rock performing at a nightclub and befriended him, mentoring him and even giving Rock his first film role in “Beverly Hills Cop II” (1987).
Saturday Night Live and Comedy Success
Rock joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 1990. Along with fellow new cast members Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and David Spade, they became known as the Bad Boys of SNL. His first comedy album, “Born Suspect”, was released in 1991. The same year he received praise for his portrayal of an addict in the film “New Jack City”.
Two years later, Rock left SNL and appeared instead on its prime time rival, the predominantly African-American sketch show “In Living Color”. However, he was only in six episodes as the show was cancelled a month after he joined. Subsequently, Rock wrote and starred in the comedy “CB4”, which only cost $6 million to make but made $18 million.
Rock premiered his first HBO special, “Big Ass Jokes”, in 1994, but it was the 1996 follow-up “Bring the Pain” that earned him two Emmy Awards and a reputation as one of the best comedians in America. He gained further popularity as commentator for “Politically Incorrect” on Comedy Central during the 1996 United States Presidential Elections, a role for which he earned another Emmy nomination.
His HBO comedy specials “Bigger & Blacker” (1999) and “Never Scared” (2004) had Time and Entertainment Weekly singing his praises as “the funniest man in America”. HBO also aired his own talk show, “The Chris Rock Show”, where he interviewed celebrities and politicians, and won an Emmy for writing. Other award-winning projects of his from this time period include the comedy albums “Roll with the New”, “Bigger & Blacker” and “Never Scared”, which all won Grammy Awards. Rock’s fifth HBO special “Kill the Messenger” was released in September 2008, winning him another Emmy for outstanding writing for a variety or music program.
Film Career
With the recognition from his comedy career, Rock was able to secure leading roles in films such as “Down to Earth” (2001), “Bad Company” (2002), “The Longest Yard” (2005), “Death at a Funeral” (2010), “Grown Ups” (2010) and “2 Days in New York” (2012). He also provided the voice for Marty the zebra in three films in the “Madagascar” animated film franchise.
In addition to acting in front of the camera, Rock has also taken on the role of writer and director. He wrote, directed and starred in the films “Head of State” (2003), “I Think I Love My Wife” (2007), and the critically-acclaimed film “Top Five” (2014). He also released a documentary about the perceptions and history of American American women’s hairstyles in 2009 titled “Good Hair”.
Other Projects and Ventures
Not only has Rock written and directed films, he also has experience as a television producer. He was the executive producer and narrator of the comedy series “Everybody Hates Chris”, which began airing on UPN in 2005. The show later switched to The CW, where it wrapped up its final season in 2009. The contents of the show were largely based on Rock’s own experiences as a teenager, and was nominated for a 2006 Golden Globe for Best TV Series (Musical or Comedy), 2006 People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Television Comedy, and two 2006 Emmy Awards for costuming and cinematography. Rock also produced the series “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell” (2012).
Drawing on his years of comedy performance experience, Rock hosted not only the 77th Academy Awards in 2005, but also the 88th Academy Awards in 2016. Known to be “a dedicated cannabis consumer”, Rock invested in Lowell Herb Co., a cannabis brand in California, in August 2019.
Will Smith Slap
In March 2022 at the Academy Awards, Will Smith burst on stage and slapped Chris on the face in reaction to a joke the comedian made about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett. Chris barely mentioned the incident publicly for nearly a full year until his live Netflix special on March 4, 2023. In that special Chris brutally admonished both Jada and Will Smith.
Personal Life
Rock married Malaak Compton-Rock on November 23, 1996, and the couple lived in New Jersey with their two daughters (born in 2002 and 2004). In December 2014, Rock announced that he was filing for divorce, admitting to infidelity as well as a porn addiction. Their divorce was finalized in 2016. Chris reportedly had to pay his ex-wife around $40 million worth of real estate and liquid assets.
What is Chris Rock Net Worth?
Chris Rock has a net worth of $60 million.
