Funny guy, Chris Rock is a very prominent figure in Hollywood and even people who do not watch stand up comedy have encountered him in various movie roles across the years often depicting a hilarious persona that provides some great comic relief. He has had a great comedic career that has seen him become a fan favorite, being voted the fifth greatest stand-up comedian when a poll was conducted by Comedy Central.
Chris Rock Biography
Chris Rock was born Christopher Julius Rock III on February 7, 1965. His parents Rosalie (née Tingman) and Christopher Julius Rock Jr. had their son in Andrews, South Carolina. They soon, however, moved to Brooklyn, New York, settling in the Crown Heights neighbourhood. After that, they moved to the working class area of Bedford–Stuyvesant. Chris Rock went to school in the mostly white neighbourhoods of Brooklyn. He was bullied and beaten by white students so much so that he had to change schools and later dropped out of high school. He later went on to earn a GED but began working menial jobs at different fast food restaurants.
He got into stand-up comedy in 1984 in New York. His rise in comedy was slow but steady and he soon started getting bit roles in movies and television (the film I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and the Series Miami Vice were some of his earliest onscreen work). Eddie Murphy who is one of Chris Rock’s comedy influences saw his act in a nightclub and befriended him. It was Eddie Murphy, then also acting as Rock’s mentor that gave Chris Rock his very first movie role in Beverly Hills Cop II.
Chris Rock’s other comedy influences include Flip Wilson, Bill Cosby, and Woody Allen. His career has grown so much that he is now considered a comedy influence for comedians like Trevor Noah and Kevin Hart. He became more popular when he became a cast member of Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s. His film credits continued to grow as he made appearances in the Madagascar film series (2005–2012) and both Grown Ups along with a lot of other successful films. He has also worked severally in a behind-the-scenes capacity, being the writer and director of films like Head of State and I Think I Love My Wife while also starring as the lead actor.
In 2005, Chris Rock developed the Sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, a sitcom based on his early life, which he also wrote and narrated. Over the course of his career, Rock has won numerous awards including four Emmy Awards and three Grammy awards. He hosted the Academy Awards twice, in 2005 and 2016.
Streaming giant Netflix announced on October 30, 2016, that they would release two comedy specials from Chris Rock. The comedian was paid $40 million per special. The first named Chris Rock: Tamborine was filmed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and released on February 14, 2018.
Chris Rock’s Family: His Parents & Brothers
Rock’s father Christofer Julius Rock Jr. drove trucks and delivered newspapers to support his family. His mother was a teacher and social worker who worked with the mentally handicapped. His father died in 1988 after he got an ulcer surgery. Their family history has been profiled on the PBS series – African American Lives 2. He has six living brothers, his younger brothers Tony, Kenny and Jordan are also into entertainment. His other younger brothers are Andre, Brian, and Andi. Sadly, his older brother Charles died in 2006 after he struggled for a long time with alcoholism.
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A DNA test has shown that Chris Rock is of Cameroonian descent and it has been revealed that his great-great-grandfather Julius Caesar Tingman was a slave for 21 years. Tingman later served in the American Civil War, being one of the United States Colored Troops.
Chris Rock’s Divorce – Ex-Wife, Daughters, and Girlfriend
Chris Rock got married on November 23, 1996, to Malaak Compton. His former wife whom he has since divorced is the executive director of Styleworks. With Styleworks, Malaak Compton-Rock gives free services to women who are on their way out of welfare, going into the workforce. She, therefore, runs it as a non-profit, full-service salon. The pair had lived in Alpine, New Jersey and together welcomed two daughters – Lola Simone who was born in 2002 and Zahra Savannah who was born in 2004.
Rock announced that he had filed for divorce from his wife in 2014. He admitted that he had been unfaithful in his marriage but also that he was struggling with a porn addiction. The divorce became official on August 22, 2016.
The enigmatic comedian seemed out of the dating game for a while until he was paired with Megalyn Echikunwoke, an actress who was spotted with him at the pre-Grammy Awards back in February 2016. Echikunwoke seemed to confirm their relationship the next day when she tweeted that she had spent the last night with her valentine. Engagement rumors which surfaced in 2016 were shot down by Echikunwoke. In 2020, after 4 years of dating, the couple split and went their separate ways.
Chris Rock Height
Chris Rock is 5 ft 10 inches or 178 cm. Combined with his weight of 78kg or 172 lbs, the actor has a very slim build which no doubt made him an easy target for bullies when he was younger. He has never been a fan of the gym and only hired a trainer once to improve his stamina and endurance while preparing for his role in the 2005 movie, The Longest Yard.
