Chris Rock

Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965), known as Chris Rock, is an American comedian, actor and filmmaker. He first gained prominence for his stand-up routines in the 1980s in which he tackled subjects including race relations, human sexuality and observational comedy. His success branched off into film, television and on-stage work, earning multiple accolades including three Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album, four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award nomination. Rock was ranked No. 5 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time and No. 5 on Rolling Stone's list of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time.

After appearing in minor film roles including Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Rock gained prominence as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1993. In 1993 he appeared in CB4, which he also wrote and produced, and reached mainstream stardom with Bring the Pain in 1996. He continued making specials including Bigger & Blacker (1999), Never Scared (2004), Kill the Messenger (2008), Tamborine (2018) and Selective Outrage (2023). He developed, wrote, produced and narrated the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris (2005-2009), based on his early life, and from 1997 to 2000 HBO aired his talk show The Chris Rock Show.

Rock was cast in starring film roles in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Dogma (1999), the Madagascar franchise (2005-2012), Grown Ups (2010), Top Five (2014) and others. Born in Andrews, South Carolina, he was raised in Brooklyn, New York. He began working as a stand-up comic in 1984 in New York City's Catch a Rising Star, where Eddie Murphy befriended and mentored him, giving Rock his first film role in Beverly Hills Cop II. He has hosted the Academy Awards twice, in 2005 and 2016.