Chris Rock's Biography

Chris Rock grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, one of seven siblings. At an early age Chris Rock wanted to be a comic. According to Chris Rock's official website he had two heroes: boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, and comedian Eddie Murphy; he couldn't fight, so that left comedy.

After taking his act round the comedy circuit, Chris Rock got his first big break in 1989 when he joined Saturday Night Live, the launching pad for the likes of Chevy Chase and Bill Murray.

It was in the mid 1990s that Chris Rock's career found direction. After making guest appearances on In Living Color, Chris Rock branched out into acting whilst still maintaining his persona as a comedian.

Chris Rock's film debut was with Beverley Hills Cop II. He then wrote, produced and starred in CB4. After which he appeared in Boomerang, Panther and New Jack City and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka!

Meanwhile his comedy shows were collecting accolades. Chris Rock:Big Ass Jokes (1994) was followed by the big hit Bring the Pain (1996), which won Emmy Awards for Best Writing and Outstanding Special.

Chris Rock also earned critical acclaim for his work on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. The chat and sketch series, The Chris Rock Show which ran from 1997 to 2000 also saw Chris Rock pick up an Emmy for best writing.

Chris Rock's film career continued with Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) and, in the same year, Dr Dolittle.

After appearances in Dogma (1999) and Nurse Betty (2000), Chris Rock once again expanded his role, screenwriting and producing (as well as acting in) Down to Earth, and Pootie Tang, a spin-off from The Chris Rock Show. In 2003 Rock directed and starred in Head of State.

Amongst all this in 1999 Chris Rock had another successful comedy special Bigger and Blacker. Taped at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, Rock's subjects, typically combining humour with social issues, included white school children on shooting sprees, gays in the military, and a plea for black people to get social security at 29 (because they rarely survive to 65).

In 1996, Chris Rock married his long-term girlfriend Malaak Compton.

In 2007, Chris Rock did a voice-over on Bee Movie. The BBC describes how Chris Rock's role grew.

His subsequent credits include Grown Ups and Top Five, the latter of which he also wrote and directed.