Chris Rock: 33 fun facts about the comedian! (List)

1. Chris Rock was born February 7, 1965 in Andrews, South Carolina to Rosalie Tingman and Julius Rock.

2. He is comedian, actor, producer, director, and screenwriter who rose to prominence as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1993.

3. After being beaten and bullied by white students in high school, he dropped out, earned his GED, and worked at fast food restaurants.

4. While doing stand up at New York City’s Catch a Rising Star in the 80’s he befriended Eddie Murphy and was given a small role in Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987.

5. He’s played starring roles in the films Down to Earth, I Think I Love My Wife, Dogma, Grown Ups and Top Five and he provided the voice for Marty the zebra in the Madagascar films.

6.  His mother was a teacher and social worker, while his father was a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman.

7. His younger brothers Tony, Kenny, and Jordan are also in the entertainment business.

8. Shortly after his birth, Rock and his family moved to Brooklyn, New York.

9. He created and narrated the TV series Everybody Hates Chris, which starred Tyler James Williams in the title role.

10. From his performance style to his preparation, Rock’s stand-up routine has been influenced by his preacher grandfather, Allen Rock.

11. One tool he took from his grandfather was to only write brief phrases down instead of entire routines. This way, he’s constantly talking instead of reading.

12. He married Malaak Compton-Rock on November 23, 1996. They had two daughters together, Lola Simone and Zahra Savannah, before Chris filed for divorce in December 2014.

13. After earning street cred on the comedy circuit, Rock landed a bit part in the TV series “Miami Vice” in 1987.

14. That same year, he landed his first film role in “Beverly Hills Cop II.” Rock was personally cast by Eddie Murphy, who had befriended and mentored the young comedian.

15. After his tenure on Saturday Night Live, he appeared in six episodes of In Living Color from 1993 to 1994.

16. Rock left “SNL” in 1993 to join “In Living Color” only for the latter sketch show to be cancelled months later.

17. In 1990, Rock joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live” and was a member of the “Bad Boys of SNL” with Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, David Spade, and Rob Schneider.

18. Without a steady TV gig and film opportunities sparse, Rock decided to focus again on his stand-up. “Bring the Pain,” his second stand-up special, was universally acclaimed and won the comedian two Emmy Awards. That same year, he also won the Grammy for Best Spoken Comedy Album for “Roll With the New.”

19. Today, he is one of the most revered comedians ever. Comedy Central ranks Rock as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time.

20. To date, Rock has earned four Emmy Awards to date, adding one for “The Chris Rock Show” in 1999 and another for his stand-up special “Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger” in 2009.

21. In 2011, Rock starred in his first Broadway play, “The Motherf***** with the Hat,” to positive reviews.

22. At the awards ceremony, Sean Penn famously (and uncomfortably) defended Jude Law after Rock called Law the low-rent Tom Cruise.

23. In 2005, the comedian hosted the 77th Academy Awards.

24. As for his personal life, Rock has been married to Malaak Compton-Rock since 1996. The couple has two daughters together: Lola Simone (b. 2002) and Zahra Savannah (b. 2004).

25. Rock’s great-great-grandfather, Julius Caesar Tingman, was a slave for 21 years and later fought in the American Civil War.

26. Rock is most noted for his raw humor and has no qualms about making fun of all sexes and races. His uninhibited nature has earned him respect and praise from both white and African American communities.

27. 1996 marked a turning point in Rock’s career. His talents were recognized by HBO, and the cable network produced a comedy special starring Rock, titled Bring in the Pain.

28. In 1999, he appeared in the irreverent big-screen comedy Dogma, alongside such hot young stars as Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Salma Hayek.

29. He had another big screen role in 2000, playing a hit man in the black comedy Nurse Betty, starring Renee Zellweger.

30. In 2005, Rock debuted a sitcom on The CW Television Network called Everybody Hates Chris, a spoof on the perennially popular Everybody Loves Raymond. The show was inspired by Rock’s teenage years growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of New York City. The show quickly became the second most watched comedy on the network.

31. Rock has continued to thrive as a comedian and an actor. He has appeared in such films as Death at a Funeral (2010) with Martin Lawrence and Grown Ups (2010) with Adam Sandler.

32. In 2012, Rock starred opposite Julie Delpy in the independent romantic comedy 2 Days in New York. In 2014, Rock wrote, directed and starred in Top Five, a film in which he plays a comedic actor struggling with his career and his upcoming wedding to a reality TV star.

33. In October 2015, it was announced that Rock would return to host the 88th Academy Awards in February 2016.