One of our generation’s strongest comedic voices, CHRIS ROCK (Jake Hayes/Kevin Pope) has firmly positioned himself as a multi-faceted force to contend with. Rock most recently starred in and co-wrote the romantic comedy "Down To Earth," which opened as the #1 comedy upon its release last February. In the dark comedy, "Nurse Betty," directed by Neil LaBute, Rock starred along with Morgan Freeman as a pair of hit men who try to kill a woman after she witnesses a hit they’ve committed. The film won the Palm d’Or for Best Screenplay at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. Recently, he also starred in and served as a producer for MTV Studios’ "Pootietang," was the voice of the title character in the animated/live action comedy "Osmosis Jones," played a voice in Steven Spielberg’s "AI: Artificial Intelligence." Rock will perform triple duty with his next feature film, "Head of State." Rock will star, direct, and has co-written the comedic tale of America’s first Black president. He will begin production this July.
The Brooklyn-raised comedian has garnered three Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, been featured on covers of many national publications and saw his eponymous HBO talk show become one of the network’s highest-rated and most talked-about programs.
Rock’s most recent HBO special and CD, both titled "Bigger & Blacker," were taped on the stage of Harlem’s fabled Apollo Theatre, earned him a Grammy Award for Best Spoken or Comedy Album, as well as multiple Emmy nominations.
Rock’s emergence can be traced to his tour de force HBO special, "Bring The Pain." The special was honored with two 1997 Emmy Awards for Best Writing and Outstanding Special. Rock also picked up a nomination when he received a shared writing credit for "Politically Incorrect" in the category of Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program. He also received a CableAce Award for the 1994 HBO Special, "Chris Rock: Big Ass Jokes."
"The Chris Rock Show," created for HBO in the wake of the successful specials, features interviews interspersed with comedy and live music. The program was honored with two 1999 Emmy nominations for writing and for its host, and received an Emmy Award for Best Writing.
Rock’s debut book, Rock This! (Hyperion, 1997) spent time on both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.
Chris Rock grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. He had two idols: boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and comedian Eddie Murphy. He realized early in life the career for which he was headed. Honing his comedic skills on the comedy club circuit, he soon realized a long-held dream when he joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1989. During the 1993-94 seasons, Rock also made several guest appearances on Fox’s "In Living Color."
Rock’s feature film debut was in "Beverly Hills Cop II" with Eddie Murphy. He went on to create, write, produce, and star in the rap comedy, "CB4," in 1993. Other film credits include "Boomerang," "Panther," "New Jack City," "I’m Gonna Git You Sucka!" and writer-director Kevin Smith’s "Dogma." The summer of 1998 saw Rock co-star in two $100 million-plus grossing films: "Lethal Weapon 4" and "Dr. Doolittle."
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