Chris Rock

American actor, one of the hottest black comedians of the late 1990s. While he was performing at the Comedy Strip in New York, comedian Eddie Murphy discovered him and gave him a role in "Beverly Hills Cop II," 1987. Rock’s dead-on delivery and his observations on society, the political arena and the issues facing African-American people have earned him wide acclaim. Born in South Carolina, Rock grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York. He was the oldest of six children born to Julius, a truck driver, and Rose, a teacher. His father was a strict disciplinarian who tolerated no disrespect or disobedience. Bused to a primarily white school across town, he was a victim of racism and endured regular beatings. Diminutive, shy and respectful, Rock hated the violence that surrounded him but once in a while, he used a stick or a book bag stuffed with bricks to level the field and defend himself. Focused on his childhood dream of becoming a comedian, in 1983 he lied about his age and got into a comedy review. The success he experienced gave him incentive to try the club circuit where he met Eddie Murphy. In 1990, Rock joined "Saturday Night Live," as one of the "Not Ready for Primetime Players," and for the next three years, he honed his act. In 1993, he made his screenwriting debut with "CB4." The lukewarm response pushed him to concentrate more on his acting, and "Bring the Pain!," 1996, a comedy special, earned him two Emmy awards. Since that time, he has made appearances in such films as "Lethal Weapon 4" and published a book called "Rock This!" in 1998. Wryly intelligent, Rock’s stated goal is to make people laugh. Tall and thin with a toothy grin, he’s a hard worker and has an uncanny sense of what is funny and what is not. He has made three comedy recordings and starred in "Chris Rock," 1997, an Emmy award-winning comedy special. In 1989, his father died from complications of an ulcer. After his dad’s death, Rock felt that his safety net had disappeared, and he struggled while trying to deal with the insecurity that resulted. Rock is married to Malaak Compton-Rock, a publicist. They had a daughter, Lola Simone, on 29 June 2002 and a second child, another daughter, Zahra Savannah, born on 22 May 2004 in Brooklyn, NY. The couple divorced on 22 August 2016. On 27 February 2005, Rock was the host of the Academy Award ceremony. Link to Wikipedia biography