Dave Chappelle

David Khari Webber Chappelle (born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and former sketch comedian. He debuted his half-hour TV special in 1998 and his hour-long TV special in 2000. He co-created and starred in the sketch comedy series Chappelle's Show (2003-2006) on Comedy Central before quitting in the middle of production of the third season. After a hiatus, Chappelle returned to performing stand-up comedy across the United States. By 2006, Chappelle was called the "comic genius of America" by Esquire magazine and, in 2013, "the best" by a Billboard writer. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked him No. 9 in their "50 Best Stand Up Comics of All Time".

Chappelle has appeared in various films, including Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), The Nutty Professor (1996), Con Air (1997), You've Got Mail (1998), Blue Streak (1999), Undercover Brother (2002), Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005), Chi-Raq (2015), and A Star Is Born (2018). His first lead role was in the 1998 comedy film Half Baked, which he co-wrote. In 2016, he signed a $20-million-per-release comedy-special deal with Netflix and released six stand-up specials under the deal. He has won six Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album for The Age of Spin (2018), Equanimity & The Bird Revelation (2019), Sticks & Stones (2019), The Closer (2021), What's in a Name? (2022), and The Dreamer (2023). He has received numerous accolades, including six Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, and the 2019 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

David Khari Webber Chappelle was born on August 24, 1973, in Washington, D.C. His father, William David Chappelle III, was a professor of vocal performance and the dean of students at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and his mother, Yvonne Seon, worked for Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba and is a Unitarian Universalist minister. Chappelle grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, and attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts, graduating in 1991. Following his high school graduation, Chappelle moved to New York City to pursue a career as a comedian. He performed at Harlem's Apollo Theater in front of the "Amateur Night" audience but was booed off stage, which he described as the moment that gave him the courage to continue. In 1992, he won critical and popular acclaim for his television appearance in Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam on HBO. At 19, he made his film debut as "Ahchoo" in Mel Brooks' Robin Hood: Men in Tights.