Dave Chappelle

Guide Note:

Dave Chappelle is a popular comedian who has hosted "Chappelle's Show", a comedy sketch show on Comedy Central, and has appeared in several films. In 2006, Chappelle walked away from a $50 million contract with Comedy Central.

Fast Facts

1. Born: August 24, 1973
2. Debut Film: Robin Hood: Men in Tights
3. Starred in Half Baked
4. Set stand-up record for performing for six consecutive hours at Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, California
5. Mother was professor at Howard University
6. Father was professor at Antioch College
7. Known for Chappelle's Show

Born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area, Chappelle grew up the son of two college professors. After high school, he moved to New York to pursue his stand-up career, and eventually began to land roles in films such as the 1993 Mel Brooks film Robin Hood: Men in Tights. He made his breakout film appearance in the 1998 comedy Half Baked and later landed his own show on Comedy Central. Chappelle's Show was both a critical and commercial success in which the comedian poked fun at racial stereotypes and attitudes in American culture. In the show, Chappelle parodied famous black stars such as Prince and Rick James, and wrote much of the material himself. In 2005, claiming that his creativity was being stifled, he abandoned a $50 million deal with Comedy Central and went into self-imposed exile in South Africa for several weeks. He has since returned and begun performing stand-up and making movies again. He claims that his major comedic influences were Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and Bugs Bunny.