Everything about Dave Chappelle totally explained
David Khari Webber Chappelle (born
August 24,
1973) is an
American stand-up comedian,
screenwriter,
television/
film producer, and
actor. In 2003, he became known for his popular
sketch comedy television series,
Chappelle's Show.
Early Life
Chappelle was born in
Washington, D.C. His father, William David Chappelle III, was a professor at
Antioch College in
Yellow Springs, Ohio. His younger brother is named Abdi. His mother, Yvonne K. (
née Reed), was a professor at
Howard University and the
University of Maryland and is also a
Unitarian Universalist minister. Chappelle grew up in
Silver Spring, Maryland and attended Woodlin Elementary school. During young Chappelle's formative years, his comic inspiration came from various comedy idols, particularly
Eddie Murphy and
Richard Pryor. On
Inside the Actors Studio, he also cited
Bugs Bunny as one of his earliest influences, praising
voice actor Mel Blanc.
After his parents separated, Chappelle stayed in Washington with his mother while spending
summers with his father in
Ohio. In
June 1991, he graduated from Washington's
Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a renowned
performing arts high school, where he majored in
theatre arts.
Career
Early works
Chappelle moved to New York City to pursue a career as a comedian. He gathered the courage to perform at
Harlem's famed
Apollo Theater in front of the infamous "Amateur Night" audience. The performance resulted in him being
booed off the stage. Chappelle has described the experience as the moment that gave him the courage to continue his show business aspirations. He quickly made a name for himself in the New York City comedy circuit, even performing in the city's
parks. At the age of 20, Chappelle made his film debut as "Ahchoo" in
Mel Brooks's . That same year, he'd a small but showy role in the film
Undercover Blues. On the strength of his performances in these films, Chappelle was offered the role of
Bubba in
Forrest Gump, which was in a pre-production stage. Not realizing the impact this future
Academy Award winner for Best Picture would have, and concerned about what seemed to be a racially demeaning character, he turned down the part. He has since admitted to regretting the decision. Chappelle played another supporting movie role in 1994's little-seen
Getting In.
He attracted the attention of TV network executives with his guest appearance in an episode of
ABC's highly rated
sitcom Home Improvement. The storyline had Chappelle and real-life friend comedian
Jim Breuer ask
Tim Taylor for advice on their girlfriends. The characters' single outing in the episode proved so popular that ABC decided to give them their own
spin-off sitcom titled
Buddies. However, after taping a
pilot episode, Jim Breuer was fired and replaced with actor
Christopher Gartin.
Buddies premiered in
March 1996 to disappointing
ratings. The show was cancelled after only four episodes out of thirteen that were produced. Nine years later, in
May 2005, ten of the episodes were released on a single-disc
DVD to capitalize on Chappelle's new-found fame.
He later appeared as the nightclub comedian in
The Nutty Professor starring
Eddie Murphy, one of his major comedic influences. He also had minor roles in
Con Air and
Martin Lawrence's
Blue Streak. He co-wrote (with
Neal Brennan) and starred in
Half Baked, a
cult film about a group of
pot-smoking best friends trying to get their friend out of jail.
Chappelle appeared as himself in an episode of
The Larry Sanders Show, in which he and the executives of the show's nameless
television network satirized the treatment that scriptwriters and show creators were subject to, as well as the executives' knee-jerk stereotyping when it came to race. In 1998, he played a supporting role as
Tom Hanks' character's friend and confidant in
You've Got Mail.
Chappelle's Show
In 2003, Chappelle debuted his own weekly sketch comedy show on
Comedy Central called
Chappelle's Show. The show parodied many aspects of
American culture including
racial stereotypes,
politics and
pop culture. Along with comedy skits, the show also featured musical performances by mostly
hip-hop and
soul artists.
Chappelle's pointed social and political commentary quickly helped the show garner critical and commercial success as well as controversy. Richard Pryor, one of Chappelle's comedic influences, was a fan of the show and stated that he'd "passed the
torch" to Chappelle. He received two
Emmy nominations for the show.
Additionally, the
DVD set,
Chappelle's Show Season One Uncensored!, became the best-selling DVD of a television show to date, overtaking the previous best-selling,
The Simpsons first season DVD. It had sold over 3 million copies. Due to the show's popularity, Comedy Central's parent company
Viacom reportedly offered Chappelle a $55 million contract (giving Chappelle a share of DVD sales) to continue production of
Chappelle's Show for two more years while allowing him to do side projects. Chappelle had stated that sketches are not his favorite form of comedy, and that the characteristics of the show's format were somewhat like
short films.
Season 3 turbulence
In a June 2004 stand-up performance in
Sacramento, California, Chappelle walked off the stage after berating his audience for constantly shouting "I'm Rick James, bitch!", which became a
catchphrase from the popular "
Rick James sketch". After a few minutes, Chappelle returned and continued by saying "The show is ruining my life." He stated that he disliked working "20 hours a day" and that the popularity of the show was making it difficult for him to continue his stand-up career which was "the most important thing" to him. He also told the audience:
May 2005, Chappelle stunned fans and the entertainment industry when he abruptly left during production of the third season of
Chappelle's Show. Chappelle has since stated that he was unhappy with the direction the show had taken, claiming pressure from network executives regarding the show's content. Chappelle left the United States to visit South Africa. His decision to visit South Africa while leaving the public in the dark regarding the details about his absence triggered reports of drug problems. Chappelle gave an interview to Time Magazine's South African bureau chief. Chappelle denied any drug or mental problems but stated that his reasons for visiting South Africa were to reflect on his life and career.
Return
Later in the year, Chappelle performed impromptu stand-up shows in
Los Angeles. He then went on a tour which began in
Newport, Kentucky which isn't far from his Ohio home. He also made a surprise appearance on
HBO's
Def Poetry where he performed two poems, titled
Fuck Ashton Kutcher and
How I Got the Lead on "Jeopardy!." He was interviewed for
Inside the Actors Studio on
December 18,
2005 at
Pace University's
Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts. The show premiered on
February 12,
2006. Chappelle stated that the death of his father in 1998 had an impact on his decision to go to South Africa. By throwing himself into his work, he hadn't taken a chance to mourn his father's death. He also said the rumors that he was in drug or psychiatric treatment only persuaded him to stay in South Africa. He singled out the "
pixie sketch" in which pixies appear to people and encourage them to reinforce stereotypes of their races. In the sketch, Chappelle is wearing
blackface and is dressed as a character in a
minstrel show. According to Chappelle, during the filming of the sketch, a white crew member was laughing in a way that made him feel uncomfortable and made him rethink the show. Chappelle expressed disdain at the possibility of his material from the unfinished third season being aired, saying that to do so would be "a bully move", and that he wouldn't return to the show if Comedy Central were to air the unfinished material.
Rick James Movie
In June 2004, based on the popularity of the "Rick James sketch", it was announced that Chappelle was in talks to portray Rick James in a
biopic from
Paramount Pictures. Chappelle disagreed with the proposed tone of the film and put a halt to the talks.
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Chappelle was the subject and
producer of the
Michel Gondry-directed documentary
Dave Chappelle's Block Party which chronicles a Chappelle-hosted event in the
Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of
Brooklyn on
September 18 2004. The highlight of the event was the reunion of popular '90s rap group
The Fugees. Chappelle toured several cities in February and March 2006 to promote the film under the moniker "Block Party All-Stars featuring Dave Chappelle".
Universal Pictures' genre division
Rogue Pictures released the film in the United States on
March 3,
2006.
Other works
Chappelle has appeared in commercials for
Right Guard,
Coke, and
Pepsi. The latter two are a contradictory endorsement which he's humorously referred to in a stand up performance, saying "I can't even taste the difference...all I know is Pepsi paid me most recently, so, it tastes better." Chappelle appeared on
Talib Kweli/
Hi-Tek collaboration album
Reflection Eternal performing the voices of
Nelson Mandela and Rick James. He also appeared on
Prince Paul's album
Politics of the Business and on
mixtapes by Talib Kweli and
50 Cent.
Personal life
Chappelle became a
Muslim in 1998. He doesn't discuss this publicly, having stated that he doesn't want people associating his "flawed self" with
Islam, which he says is "beautiful."
Chappelle has commented on being a computer and video game
enthusiast, some of his favorites being
NBA Street,
Street Fighter,
Grand Theft Auto and
World of Warcraft. He has paid tribute to various video games in a few of his sketches. One was to
Grand Theft Auto, in which he plays the main character, who steals a car to go to work. Another is when he's playing "Street Hoops" with a kid who has cancer in the hospital. In a sketch about a
posthumous Tupac Shakur song, a lyric mentions "run up in yo' spot like
CJ from ."
Chappelle is also capable of playing at least two jazz standards, "
'Round Midnight" and "
Misty," on piano, as seen in his film
Block Party and the television series
Iconoclasts.
He lives with his wife Elaine and two sons, and Ibrahim, on a 65-acre
farm, which he calls
"Fuck you Hollywood farm", just outside
Yellow Springs, Ohio.
When he isn't touring or engaged in filming for television or the big screen, Chappelle can be seen in the shops and markets of the small
college town known as a
countercultural center.
Television works
Filmography
Further Information
Get more info on 'Dave Chappelle'.
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