Chris Rock, born Feb. 7, 1965, is a comedian and actor who is widely considered to be one of the most notable stand-ups of his generation. Born in Andrews, S.C., Rock’s family relocated to Brooklyn when he was a toddler, where he attended a nearly all-white public school. He would later draw on his upbringing for the sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris,” which launched in 2005 on UPN and went on to run for four seasons. After dropping out of high school, Rock began to work jobs around stand-up joints in New York. He played a small role in “Beverly Hills Cop II” after making a connection with Eddie Murphy, one of his idols. In 1990, Rock made his debut on “Saturday Night Live,” working alongside Chris Farley, Adam Sandler and David Spade. After departing the show over creative differences, Rock joined rival sketch comedy series “In Loving Color,” though it was canceled shortly after his arrival.

Rock continued to tour through the ‘90s, becoming one of the most popular stand-ups of the decade. His first starring role came in 2001 with “Down to Earth” and many more screen credits followed, including “Grown Ups,” “Head of State,” “The Week Of” and a starring role on Season 4 of “Fargo.” Rock also starred in “Spiral: From the Book of Saw,” a reboot of the horror franchise that was developed from a premise he pitched to Lionsgate execs. In 2022, Rock was slapped on stage by Will Smith during the Academy Awards after the comedian made a joked about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The shocking incident was the subject of Rock’s 2023 stand-up special “Selective Outrage,” which marked Netflix’s first-ever live event.