Chris Tucker

Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series Def Comedy Jam, where he frequently appeared during the 1990s. He made his feature film debut in House Party 3 in 1994 and gained greater recognition in Friday the following year. In 1997, he co-starred in The Fifth Element and Money Talks and had a supporting role in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. Tucker gained international fame in the 2000s for playing Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series.

Tucker was born in Atlanta on August 31, 1971, the youngest son of Mary Louise (née Bryant) and Norris Tucker, and one of six children. He grew up in Decatur, Georgia, and after graduating from Columbia High School, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his comedy career. His comedy influences were Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy. Along with Jackie Chan, Tucker starred as LAPD detective James Carter in the Rush Hour series; after the success of the first film, he held out for a $20 million salary for Rush Hour 2 and was paid $25 million for Rush Hour 3.

In 2011, Tucker made a comeback to stand-up comedy, and the next year he returned to film in Silver Linings Playbook. He also hosted the BET Awards 2013, appeared in Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk in 2016, and portrayed Nike executive Howard White in the 2023 film Air. He has a son named Destin with his ex-wife Azja Pryor and divides his time between Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. He is good friends with Rush Hour co-star Jackie Chan.