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Chris Tucker
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| Chris Tucker | |
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| Birth name | Christopher Tucker |
| Born | August 31, 1972 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Influences | Martin Lawrence |
| Influenced | Dave Chappelle |
| Website | http://www.christucker.com/ |
Christopher "Chris" Tucker (born August 31, 1972) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his roles as Smokey in the 1995 film Friday and Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour trilogy.
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Biography
Early life
Chris Tucker was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Mary and Norris Tucker. His mother was closely involved in church work, and his father was an independent businessman who owned a janitorial service.12 Tucker was raised in Decatur, Georgia. After graduating from Columbia High School, Tucker moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy and movies.
Career
Tucker's first major movie role was alongside rapper Ice Cube in the 1995 film Friday. He also starred with Charlie Sheen in 1997's Money Talks and alongside Bruce Willis in The Fifth Element the same year. He later starred in the 1998 martial arts action comedy Rush Hour and its sequels, Rush Hour 2 and Rush Hour 3, in which he played James Carter, an abrasive, wise-cracking detective. Realizing the success of the first Rush Hour film, Tucker held out from studio bosses until they paid his price tag of $20 million for Rush Hour 2;3 the film became an enormous success. The other star, Jackie Chan, received $15 million and gross points.
Despite a flurry of films at the start of his career, Tucker has only made three appearances since 1998, all as Detective James Carter. Tucker's career trajectory is unusual in that, while he has made such a relatively small number of films, he has already become a member of the unofficial "$20 million per film" club, joining such actors as Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise and Will Smith. Tucker signed a two-movie contract with New Line Cinema for 40 million dollars to star in Rush Hour 3 and another unnamed film. He is also to receive 20% of the gross against his salary from the 3rd Rush Hour film.4
Tucker did not reprise his role of Smokey in Next Friday (2000) because he had become a born-again Christian after filming Money Talks (1997). He chose to do the Rush Hour series instead. He also starred in Michael Jackson's video "You Rock My World." On February 13, 2009, Tucker participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend's Celebrity Game. Other celebrities participating include rapper Master P, NBA Hall of Famer's Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, wide receiver Terrell Owens, and four Harlem Globetrotters.
Personal life
Chris has a son named Destin Christopher Tucker, who was born in 2000 and lives with his mother in Los Angeles. He owns homes in the luxury community of Bella Colina in Montverde, Florida, located west of Orlando, as well as in a gated community in Tarzana, California, where he raises his children.
Tucker is friends with fellow Rush Hour star Jackie Chan, and was also friends with the late singer Michael Jackson, appearing in Jackson's video "You Rock My World" from his 2001 album Invincible as well attending Jackson's memorial service. A friend of Bill Clinton, Tucker has travelled with the former President overseas, though he endorsed Barack Obama rather than Hillary Clinton in the 2008 primaries.56
Tucker participated in a PBS documentary on the genetic makeup of African Americans. He found he has African American, European American, and Native American ancestry.7 Through DNA tests (as aired on the 2006 PBS documentary African American Lives), Tucker's paternal ancestry was traced back to the Mbundu ethnic group of Angola and one line of his mother's to the Bamileke of Cameroon.8910 He also managed to trace his family tree back to the 1830s.11 Tucker was shown traveling to Angola, the birthplace of his ancestors, with the program's host Henry Louis Gates.12
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | House Party 3 | Johnny Booze | |
| 1995 | Friday | Smokey | Major role |
| Panther | Bodyguard | ||
| Dead Presidents | Skip | ||
| 1997 | Money Talks | Franklin Hatchett | Major role |
| Jackie Brown | Beaumont Livingston | ||
| The Fifth Element | Ruby Rhod | Major role | |
| 1998 | Rush Hour | Detective James Carter | Major role |
| 2001 | Rush Hour 2 | Detective James Carter | Major role |
| 2007 | Rush Hour 3 | Detective James Carter | Major role |
| 2009 | Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra | George Jacobs |
Television
| Year | Series | Role | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Roseanne | Himself | 1 |
| 1992 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Rapper | 1 |
| 2001 | Diary | Himself | 1 |
| 2006 | African American Lives | Himself | 4 |
References
- ^ Chris Tucker Biography - Yahoo! Movies
- ^ Chris Tucker Biography .filmreference.com
- ^ Chris Tucker's profile at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Chris Tucker signs onto Brett Ratner's Rush Hour 3 accessed August 5, 2007 8:31PM
- ^ Nedra Pickler (January 22, 2008). "Obama sees rock-star power in action". Yahoo! News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080123/ap_on_el_pr/obama_rock_star. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
- ^ Candace Newson (January 26, 2008). "On the trail: Stars talk politics, endorsements as they 'stand for change' with Obama". TheTimesandDemocrat.com. http://www.thetandd.com/articles/2008/01/26/features/fries/12928835.txt. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
- ^ Richard Willing (2008). "DNA rewrites history for African-Americans". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/genetics/2006-02-01-dna-african-americans_x.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
- ^ "African Ancestry & DNA Tests: The Results"
- ^ Chris Tucker 'Rush Hour 3' Interview with Kam Williams
- ^ Chris Tucker and Brett Ratner The A.V. Club
- ^ African Ancestry & DNA Tests
- ^ Oprah, Bishop Jakes, Chris Tucker Trace Roots On PBS Accessed August 5, 2007 8:28PM