ABOUT CHRIS ROCK
Former 'Saturday Night Live' cast member Chris Rock has appeared in such films as 'Bad Company' and is the creator of the television show 'Everybody Hates Chris.'
Who Is Chris Rock?
Comedian Chris Rock grew up in Brooklyn, New York. At age 18, he was discovered by Eddie Murphy at New York's Comedy Strip. He went on to appear in films and on Saturday Night Live, and soon released his first comedy album.
His successes include two Emmy award-winning HBO specials, three Grammy award-winning comedy albums and the popular sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. He has also twice hosted the Academy Awards.
Early Life
Rock was born on February 7, 1965, in Andrews, South Carolina. Rock is the eldest son of Julius Rock, a truck driver, and Rose Rock, a teacher. When Rock was a toddler his family relocated to Brooklyn, New York. He spent the remainder of his childhood in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.
He attended a nearly all-white public school and, as a result, was subjected to discrimination at an early age. Rock's early bouts with racism greatly influenced his comedic material.
Rock is most noted for his raw humor and has no qualms about making fun of all sexes and races. His uninhibited nature has garnered him respect as well as controversy from both white and minority communities.
Stand-Up Comedy Albums and Specials
At age 18, Rock was discovered by Eddie Murphy doing stand-up comedy at New York's Comedy Strip. In 1991, he released his first comedy album, Born Suspect.
1996 marked a turning point in Rock's career. His talents were recognized by HBO, and the cable network produced a comedy special starring Rock, titled Bring in the Pain. The comedian won two Emmy Awards and wide critical acclaim for the show.
Rock also received Grammy Awards for his albums Roll With the New (1997), Bigger and Blacker (1999) and Never Scared (2004). His fifth comedy special, 2008's Kill the Messenger, resulted in a pair of Emmy wins.
After signing a deal with Netflix, the comedian returned to the stage for the 2018 release of Tamborine.
TV Shows and Movies
'Beverly Hills Cop II,' 'New Jack City'
A small role in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) was Rock's film debut. He also appeared in Keenan Ivory Wayans' I'm Gonna Get You Sucka (1988), before undertaking the more dramatic role of Pookie, a drug-addicted informant, in Mario Van Peebles' New Jack City (1991).
'Saturday Night Live'
In 1990, Rock followed in the footsteps of his idol, Murphy, by joining the cast of Saturday Night Live, where he enjoyed some success with his creation of the black power character Nat X. After three seasons on SNL, Rock left to pursue other career opportunities. He starred in the hip-hop comedy CB4 in 1993, and appeared on In Living Color for a handful of episodes that year prior to the show's cancellation.
SOURCE: https://www.biography.com/actor/chris-rock
QUOTES BY CHRIS ROCK
(There are so many good ones, I couldn’t pick just one)
QUOTE #1: We got a justice system for rich, for poor, for black, for white. We live in a country where two people can do the exact same crime in the exact same place at the exact same time and get a different sentence.
QUOTE #2 When you meet somebody for the first time, you’re not meeting them. You’re meeting their representative.
QUOTE #3: Wealth is not about having a lot of money; it’s about having a lot of options.
QUOTE #4: No matter what happens or how difficult things become, you will eventually feel better.
QUOTE #5: You can only offend me if you mean something to me.
QUOTE #6: I think it’s better to have ideas. You can change an idea; changing a belief is trickier.