Dave Chappelle

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Not to be confused with David LaChapelle, the photographer.
Not to be confused with David Chapel, the adult film star.
Dave Chappelle <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">Image:Chappelle23.jpg
</td></tr>
Born: August 24 1973 (age 35)
Washington, D.C.
Occupation: Comedian

<tr><th style="text-align: right;">Salary:</th><td>$1.5 million</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align: right;">Spouse:</th><td>Linda Chappele</td></tr><tr><th style="text-align: right;">Website:</th><td>DaveChappelle.com</td></tr>

David "Dave" Chappelle (born August 24,1973) is an Emmy-nominated comedian, satirist and actor.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Dave Chappelle was born in Washington, D.C. During his younger years, his comic inspiration came from comedians such as Richard Pryor as well as television comedians. At the age of 14, he gathered the courage to perform stand-up comedy at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater. He was booed off the stage but, in an Inside the Actors Studio interview broadcast February 12, 2006, he described the experience as an enlightening moment that gave him the courage to continue with his show business ambitions.

After his parents divorced, Chappelle stayed in Washington, D.C. with his mother, while spending summers with his father in Yellow Springs, 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 literary and theatre arts.

[edit] First roles in films and television

Within a year of his graduation, Dave Chappelle appeared, at the age of 19, in small, but showy roles in his first two films, 1993's Robin Hood: Men in Tights (released on July 28) and Undercover Blues (released on September 10, although it was apparently filmed before Robin Hood). After another similar supporting part in the following year's Getting In, he attracted attention of network executives with his exuberant performance on the March 14, 1995 episode of ABC's highly-rated TV series Home Improvement. The storyline had Chappelle and actor Jim Breuer playing a duo of amateur video filmmakers whose every move results in comic mayhem. The characters' single outing in the episode proved so popular that ABC decided to star them in their own series.

Dave Chappelle was offered the role of Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue in the film Forrest Gump, but turned it down, believing that the movie would be unsuccessful. Chappelle later admitted to deeply regretting this decision, but stated to act as a black character that was dumber than Forrest Gump would be down right wrong and irresponsible against African-Americans. [1]

The half-hour sitcom Buddies premiered on Tuesday, March 5, 1996 with Christopher Gartin replacing Jim Breuer as Dave's "buddy". The unique comic timing, however, that Chappelle had worked out with Breuer in the Home Improvement episode and the subsequent rehearsals for Buddies did not transfer to Gartin, and Breuer's abrupt firing and replacement with Gartin during the production of the first episode, exacerbated ill will and prevented Chappelle and Gartin from developing the rapport and the comedic chemistry necessary for the characters' believability and likeability. The dilemma was reflected in the disappointing ratings and, after a move to Wednesday night did not help, Buddies was off the air on March 27 after a broadcast history of only four episodes, out of the thirteen that were produced. Nine years later, in May 2005, ten of the episodes were released on DVD to capitalize on Chappelle's new-found fame.

Chappelle had a good role in the 1996 remake of The Nutty Professor, but it was in 1998 that his career and life hit a turning point following a starring role in the comedy film Half Baked, which Chappelle co-wrote with Neal Brennan and produced (uncredited). Since he remained in contact with Breuer, Chappelle decided to recapture the special comic harmony that they generated two years before by offering Breuer the co-starring role in Half Baked. The film follows the adventures of a gang of potheads and has since become a cult classic.

[edit] Conversion to Islam

In 1998, Chappelle converted to Islam. He told Time Magazine in a May 2005 interview, "I don't normally talk about my religion publicly because I don't want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing. And I believe it is beautiful if you learn it the right way." [2]

[edit] Television stardom

In 2003, Chappelle debuted his own weekly television show on Comedy Central, Chappelle's Show. The show parodies many aspects of American culture, including racial stereotypes and slurs, including Chappelle's African-American heritage. This, combined with Chappelle's pointed social and political commentary, quickly helped garner the show critical and commercial success. Chappelle's Show also gained a large hip-hop following and featured such progressive rappers as Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, The Roots, Mos Def, and Kanye West. Along with comedy skits, the show also had musical performances, which spotlighted musical guests such as Wu-Tang Clan, Busta Rhymes, Outkast, Common, De La Soul, Fat Joe, Anthony Hamilton, DMX, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, and John Mayer. Chappelle can even be heard on the track "The Mic" by the Roots as well as "Right About Now" by Talib Kweli. By the end of the second season, it was one of the highest-rated shows on basic cable, and second only to South Park on Comedy Central.[citation needed] Additionally, the DVD set, Chappelle's Show Season One Uncensored!, became the best-selling DVD of a television show to date, which had sold over 3 million copies [3]. 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 has stated, though, that sketch is not his favorite form of comedy, but that characteristics of the format of his show were somewhat like short films.

Image:I'm RickJames Bitch!.jpg
Chappelle portraying the late Rick James in the infamous Rick James sketch.

Chappelle was the subject 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 18 September 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". The movie was released in the United States on March 3, 2006.

The sudden popularity of Chappelle's television show and his widespread fame created new dilemmas for Chappelle. For example, one of his most widely-known segments from the show, the February 2004 Rick James sketch, finds Chappelle portraying funk musician Rick James, six months before James' death in August. In the sketch, Chappelle shouts, "I'm Rick James, Bitch!" The phrase met the public's attention and quickly became a part of popular culture. Soon, to Chappelle's chagrin, the phrase was shouted at him by fans wherever he went, often in front of his wife and children. During an appearance at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Chappelle stopped the show to deal with an audience member who would not stop repeating the Rick James phrase. After the crowd repeatedly called out the phrase during a show at Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, Chappelle admonished the crowd and walked off the stage.

Along with regular actor roles, Chapelle has also done commercials for Right Guard deodorant, along with both Coke and Pepsi. He has commented about the latter in his last stand-up special saying, "if you want to know the truth...I can't even taste the difference. Surprise! All I know is Pepsi paid me most recently so, tastes better."

Chappelle has made an appearance on Def Poetry. He performed two poems, titled Fuck Ashton Kutcher and How I Got the Lead on "Jeopardy!."[4]

[edit] Season 3 turbulence

The comedian 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 triggered reports of mental or drug problems with the actor, which Chappelle later denied. On May 11, 2005, news sources reported that Chappelle had checked himself into a psychiatric facility in South Africa, which Chappelle has since repeatedly denied. On May 14, Time Magazine announced that one of their reporters had interviewed Chappelle in South Africa, and the comedian said no psychiatric treatments were occurring or necessary. Chappelle has stated that his reasons for visiting South Africa were to reflect on his life and career. [5]

On August 3, co-star Charlie Murphy gave an interview to TV Guide stating that he believed that Dave Chappelle was finished with Chappelle's Show and would not be returning.

[edit] Return

Later in the year, Chappelle had returned home and was performing impromptu shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Newport, Kentucky.

Chappelle 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 had an impact in his decision to go to South Africa to get away from the stress of stardom, stating that he had not received 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 was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey on her show on February 3, 2006 in his first televised interview since his departure from Chappelle's Show. He stated in the interview that he "wasn't crazy" but the environment was "incredibly stressful". He continued:

I would go to work on the show and I felt awful every day, that's not the way it was. ... I felt like some kind of prostitute or something. If I feel so bad, why keep on showing up to this place? I'm going to Africa. The hardest thing to do is to be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching.

Chappelle also admitted to Oprah that he felt some of his sketches were socially irresponsible. He singled out the "pixie sketch" (in which it implied everyone has a pixie that appears to them and encourages them to act in a way stereotypical for their race) and said during the filming of the blackface pixie sketch a white crew member was laughing. Chappelle said "it was the first time I felt that someone was not laughing with me but laughing at me." He also said that during the sketch he was called nigger by one of the other non-important cast members. [6][7]

During these interviews, Chappelle did not rule out returning to Chappelle's Show to "finish what we started", but promised that he would not return without changes to the production, such as a better working environment. He also stated he would like to donate half of the DVD sales to charity, and to people that supported him. 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 would not return to the show if Comedy Central were to air the unfinished material. On July 9, 2006, Comedy Central aired the first episode of Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes. An uncensored DVD release of the episodes was made available on July 25.

Chappelle has stated that he has no intention of leaving Yellow Springs. "Turns out you don't need $50 million to live around these parts, just a nice smile and a kind way about you. You guys are the best neighbors ever", he stated at a blues and jazz festival in the town in mid-September 2006, "That's why I came back and that's why I'm staying."<ref>Associated Press, The. 11 Sept 2006. Chappelle plans to stay in Ohio town, Yahoo News.</ref>

According to IMDB, Chappelle is set to star in a sports comedy film, Ballers, in 2007.

Dave Chappelle was scheduled to perform at The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas, November 14-18, 2006, however, it was cancelled at the last minute on the first date of the show for reasons unknown.

[edit] Personal life

Currently, Chappelle lives with his wife Elaine (who is of Filipino descent [8]) and two sons (one is named Sulayman[9]) on a 65-acre farm just outside Yellow Springs, Ohio. When he is not 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.

Chappelle has commented on being a computer and video game enthusiast, some of his favorites being NBA Street, Street Fighter and Grand Theft Auto. He also is a World of Warcraft enthusiast. On Chappelle's Show, he has paid homage a few different times to various video games. One was to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, in which he plays the main character that steals a car to go to work. Another was to the game Street Hoops, in which he challenges and beats a child with cancer. In the sketch with the Tupac rap on the Lost Episodes, one can hear a lyric mention, "run up in yo spot like CJ off of San Andreas. San Andreas".

Chappelle likes to skateboard as a hobby and says he tries to find skateparks in the cities he performs in. He has also made an appearance skateboarding in the Signature Video Magazine Volume 1. The video features a short clip of Dave skating at Project 58 in Raleigh, North Carolina. He made another appearance skating on the first episode of Chappelle's Show during the credits as Clayton.

[edit] Facts

  • Richard Pryor said that he "passed the torch" to Chappelle. [10]
  • Dave Chappelle created an iTunes Celebrity Playlist and selected the DangerDoom track Mince Meat for his Block Party Picks. He stated, "Two very consistently good artists collaborate to make my head nod. Doom, Mouse - Thank You. Wherever you are, nice album."
  • Chappelle has also reportedly offered beatboxer Rahzel $1,000,000 to "be his iPod".[11]
  • Has said to be on bad terms with Derek Dubose jr.
  • He is 5'11 ft (1.80 m) in height. [12]

[edit] Chappelle DVDs

[edit] Filmography


[edit] References

[edit] External links

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[edit] Official websites

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