Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Rock gained prominence as a stand-up comedian, who with his edgy humor and quick wit tackled subjects such as race relations, human sexuality, and observational humor. He is also known for his work in film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best comedy album and four Primetime Emmy Awards as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination. He was ranked No. 5 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. He also ranked No. 5 on Rolling Stone's list of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time.
After years working as a stand-up comedian and appearing in minor film roles including Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Rock gained prominence as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1993. While at SNL, he appeared in the films New Jack City (1991), Boomerang (1992) and CB4 (1993), which he also wrote and produced. He reached mainstream stardom with the critically acclaimed Bring the Pain in 1996. Rock continued making popular specials which include 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), which was based on his early life. From 1997 to 2000 HBO aired his critically acclaimed talk show The Chris Rock Show.
Rock was cast in starring film roles in Nurse Betty (1999), Down to Earth, Pootie Tang (both 2001), Head of State (2003), The Longest Yard (2005), the Madagascar film series (2005–2012), I Think I Love My Wife (2007), Death at a Funeral (2010), Grown Ups (2010), its sequel Grown Ups 2 (2013), Top Five (2014) and Spiral (2021). He is known for his appearances in television including Louie, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and Fargo. He made his Broadway theater debut in the 2011 Stephen Adly Guirgis play The Motherfucker with the Hat. He hosted the Academy Awards twice; in 2005 and 2016, and was involved in an incident with Will Smith on stage at the 2022 Awards.
Early life
Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina on February 7, 1965, making him an early member of Generation X. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. A few years later, they relocated and settled in the working class area of Bedford–Stuyvesant. His mother, Rosalie (née Tingman), was a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped; his father, Julius Rock, was a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman. Julius died in 1988 after ulcer surgery.
Rock is the eldest of his parents' seven children (six boys and one girl), and he had an older paternal half-brother, Charles Ledell Rock, who died in 2006 after suffering from alcoholism. Rock's younger brothers Tony, Kenny, and Jordan are also in the entertainment business.
Rock's family history was profiled on the PBS series African American Lives 2 in 2008. A DNA test showed that he is of Cameroonian descent, specifically from the Udeme (Ouldémé) people of northern Cameroon. Rock's great-great-grandfather, Julius Caesar Tingman, was enslaved for 21 years before serving in the American Civil War as part of the United States Colored Troops. During the 1940s, Rock's paternal grandfather moved from South Carolina to New York City to become a taxicab driver and preacher.
Rock was bused to schools in predominantly white neighborhoods of Brooklyn, where he endured bullying and beatings from white students. As he grew older, the bullying worsened and Rock's parents pulled him out of James Madison High School. He dropped out of high school altogether, but he later earned a General Educational Development (GED). Rock then worked various jobs at fast-food restaurants.
