Chris Rock

Chris Rock (born Feb. 7, 1965 in Andrews, SC) is a comedian, actor, producer and directer. He is one of the most well-known and respected stand up comedians of the 20th and 21st century.

Rock begin doing stand up in New York City in the mid-1980s. After performing one night he was befriended by Eddie Murphy and had his first film role in Beverly Hills Cop II. In 1990 he joined the popular comedic TV show "Saturday Night Live" along with fellow new comers Adam Sandler, David Space, and Chris Farley. During this time he also had a notable role in the movie New Jack City playing a crack addict.

He left SNL in 1993 and begin to do solo work and focus more on his stand up. He wrote and starred in the movie CB4 in 1993. He would release two comedic albums in the '90s: "Roll With the New" (1997 - certified platinum in the United States) and "Bigger & Blacker" (1999 - certified platinum in the United States).

Perhaps Rock's biggest successes have come via his HBO stand-up specials. Rock has created five specials: Big Ass Jokes (1994), Bring the Pain (1996), Bigger & Blacker (1999), Never Scared (2004), and Kill the Messenger (2008). Bring the Pain made Rock a national house-hold name and escalated him into superstar status.

Throughout his career, Rock has had many roles in film. His most notable roles include the aforementioned CB4, New Jack City, Lethal Weapon 4, Dogma and Bad Company.