| Martin Lawrence |
| Born |
April 16, 1965 (1965-04-16) (age 43)
Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany |
| Medium |
stand-up comedy, television, film |
| Years active |
1987 - present |
| Genres |
Observational comedy, Physical comedy, Improvisational comedy |
| Subject(s) |
Human sexuality, African-American culture, racism, race relations, self-deprecation |
| Influences |
Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby |
| Influenced |
Dave Chappelle |
| Spouse |
Patricia Southall (1995-1996) 1 daughter |
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence1 (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor.
Biography
Early life
Lawrence was given his first name after Martin Luther King Jr. and his middle name after that of John F. Kennedy.1 He was born in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, where his African American father, John Lawrence, served in the US military.1 He has many siblings, Robert, Rae Debbie and Ursula. When Lawrence was seven, his father left the military and the family moved from Germany back to the United States, settling in Landover, Maryland, in the Washington, D.C. area.1 After his parents divorced in 1973,2 Lawrence rarely saw his father, who worked as a police officer.3 His mother, Chlora, worked several jobs, including as a sales representative and cashier at various department stores, to support her family.4 During his teen years, Lawrence excelled at boxing.1 While living in Maryland, he attended Thomas G. Pullen School of Creative and Performing Arts (Landover, Maryland), Eleanor Roosevelt High School1 and also Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Maryland, becoming a Mid-Atlantic Golden Gloves boxing contender.
Career
Lawrence moved to Los Angeles and found his way to the legendary Kings Wood comedy club. Shortly after appearing at the Wood, he won a performance spot on Star Search, a popular show in the United States.1 He did well on the show and made it to the final round before ultimately losing. However, executives at Columbia TriStar Television saw Martin's performance and offered him an appearance on the television sitcom What's Happening Now!!; this was his first acting job.1 Following What's Happening Now!!, Lawrence had bit parts in various films and television roles before entertainment mogul Russell Simmons personally selected him to host the groundbreaking series Def Comedy Jam on HBO. Def Comedy Jam gave many comedians (including Chris Tucker, Dave Chapelle, Bernie Mac and Cedric The Entertainer) mainstream exposure. In 1990, before Def Comedy Jam, Martin received a career breakthrough in film when he appeared in the movie-comedy, House Party along side Christopher "Play" Martin and Christopher "Kid" Reid (popular duo Kid n' Play.) In House Party, Martin's character is "Bilal", the neighborhood DJ, who DJs at the party "Play" throws at his house while his parents are out of town. Tisha Campbell also plays along side Martin in House Party, House Party 2 & 3, and ultimately co-stars opposite Martin in his hit sitcom, Martin.
During his role in Def Comedy Jam, Lawrence appeared in his own hit series, Martin, which aired on Fox.1 The show ran from 1992 to 1997 and was considered a success. He also hosted Saturday Night Live on February 19, 1994, where he made crude remarks on women's genitalia and personal hygiene. The monologue was later completely edited out of reruns and syndicated versions. As a result, Lawrence was banned from the show for the rest of his life. After Martin ended its run, Lawrence worked on many film projects most of which were in the comedy genre. He often starred in films as the second lead opposite actors including Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, and Tim Robbins.1 Many of his films were blockbusters at the box office, including Boomerang (1992), Bad Boys (1995), Nothing To Lose (1997), Blue Streak (1999), Life (1999), Big Momma's House (2000) and Bad Boys 2 (2003). He also starred in critical and box office failures including Black Knight (2001) and National Security (2002). His salary increased dramatically to over $10 million per role. He continues to work in film, with his recent films including Big Momma's House 2, which opened #1 at the North American box office and grossed almost $28 million its first weekend,5 and Wild Hogs (2007), where he played a bored suburbanite looking for adventure on the open road in a biker comedy alongside John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy.
In 2006, Lawrence appeared on Inside the Actors Studio where he was requested by the studio audience to act out his famous characters he played on his Martin television show. To a great deal of excitement and cheering from the studio audience, Lawrence performed most of his characters again, out of wardrobe and with no lines. The audience became particularly excited when Lawrence acted out his Mama Payne, Sheneneh Jenkins, and Jerome characters. During the interview, when yet another character was named off for him to act out, Lawrence mentioned how he was surprised at how many characters he used to perform on the show. There were a couple more funny characters of Lawrence's that he didn't act out, such as the abrasive, strict security guard, Otis. Once his Martin show ended, Lawrence never brought back any of his characters for another TV series or movie.
Personal life
He married Patricia Southall, a former Miss Virginia winner in January 1995. They divorced in September 1997. Lawrence has a daughter with Patricia named Jasmine Page, born on January 15, 1996. Lawrence also has two other daughters, Iyanna and Amara, born in 2001 and 2003. Lawrence also has 2 nieces Sadie and Diaviahn Bowden who now live in Plattsburgh, New York.6
While filming A Thin Line Between Love and Hate in the mid-1990s, Lawrence had a violent outburst on the set and began taking drugs. He became increasingly erratic and was arrested after he reportedly brandished a pistol and screamed at tourists on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles.1 He was also arrested at Burbank Airport for carrying a loaded gun in his suitcase. In March 1997, Lawrence was arrested again after allegedly assaulting a man in a Hollywood nightclub.1
During August 1999, Lawrence went into a three-day coma after collapsing from heat exhaustion while jogging in 100-degree heat with several layers of heavy clothing.1 He recovered in the hospital from near death and running a body temperature of a seemingly impossible 107 °F (41.7 °C), his breathing assisted by a respirator.
Filmography
Television
Discography
Awards and nominations
- Blockbuster Entertainment Award
- nominated with Eddie Murphy for Favorite Comedy Team (2000) for the movie Life
- nominated for Favorite Actor (2001) for the movie Big Momma's House
- NAACP Image Award
- won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1995) for the series Martin
- won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1996) for the series Martin
- nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1997) for the series Martin
- Kids' Choice Award
- nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1995) for the series Martin
- nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1996) for the series Martin
- nominated for Favorite Movie Actor (2001) for the movie Big Momma's House
- MTV Movie Award
- nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Duo (1996) for the movie Bad Boys
- nominated for the movie Big Momma's House
- nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Team (2003) for the movie Bad Boys II
- ShoWest - Male Star of Tomorrow (1995)
- Teen Choice Award - nominated for Wipeout Scene of the Summer (2000) for the movie Big Momma's House
- BET Comedy Award - Icon Comedy Award (2005)
References
External links
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 Quits the Buffer BoysYouTube=YouTube&summary=Martin Lawrence, Martin Payne quits his job buffing floors with the Buffer Boys&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/1gelthL0j-c&fs=1&hl=en&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://3.gvt0.com/vi/1gelthL0j-c/0.jpg&celebrity=Martin Lawrence)
 and Martin ...YouTube=YouTube&summary=Def Comedy Jam Chris Tucker, Bernie Mac (R.I.P.) and Martin Lawrence THIS is the shiiiiittttt !!&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/SmEGd-_xYZA&fs=1&hl=en&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://0.gvt0.com/vi/SmEGd-_xYZA/0.jpg&celebrity=Martin Lawrence)
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