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Dave Chappelle

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Not to be confused with David LaChapelle.
Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle, 2007
Birth nameDavid Khari Webber Chappelle
Born (1973-08-24) August 24, 1973 (age 51)
Washington, D.C., U.S.[1]
MediumStand-up, television, film
NationalityAmerican
Years active1987–present
GenresSatire/political satire, improvisational comedy, observational comedy, surreal humor, sketch comedy, black comedy, blue comedy
Subject(s)Racism, race relations, American politics, African American culture, pop culture, recreational drug use, human sexuality, morality
SpouseElaine Chappelle (2001–present) 3 children
Notable works and rolesHimself and Various in Chappelle's Show
Himself in Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Achoo in Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Thurgood Jenkins in Half Baked
Signature

David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle[4] (/ʃəˈpɛl/; born August 24, 1973)[1] is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. He is currently touring the United States as part of the Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival.[5] Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His first lead role in a film was in Half Baked in 1998. In 2003, he became widely known for his popular sketch comedy television series, Chappelle's Show, which ran until his abrupt retirement from the show in 2005. Chappelle is ranked forty-third in Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.[6]

Early life

Chappelle was born David Khari Webber Chappelle in Washington, D.C. on August 24, 1973.[1][2] His father, William David Chappelle III, was a professor at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.[2] His mother, Yvonne (née Reed), was a professor at Howard University, Prince George's Community College, and the University of Maryland and is also a Unitarian Universalist minister.[7][8][9] Chappelle grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and attended Woodlin Elementary School.[2] During young Chappelle's formative years, his comic inspiration came from various comedians, particularly Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor.[2]

After his parents separated, Chappelle stayed in Washington with his mother while spending summers with his father in Ohio. In 1991, he graduated from Washington's Duke Ellington School of the Arts where he studied theatre arts.[2]

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.[2] He quickly made a name for himself on the New York comedy circuit, even performing in the city's parks. At the age of 19, Chappelle made his film debut as "Ahchoo" in Mel Brooks' Robin Hood: Men in Tights. In the same year, Chappelle was offered the role of Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue in Forrest Gump. Concerned the character was demeaning and the movie would bomb, he turned down the part.[10][11] He parodied the film in the 1997 short "Bowl of Pork," where a dim-witted black man is responsible for the Rodney King beating, the LA riots and OJ Simpson being accused of murder.[12] Chappelle played another supporting movie role in the 1994 film Getting In.

He attracted the attention of TV network executives and developed numerous pilots but none of them were picked up for series.[2][13] In 1995, he made a guest appearance in an episode of ABC's highly rated sitcom Home Improvement. The storyline had Chappelle and real-life friend and comedian Jim Breuer ask Tim Taylor for advice on their girlfriends.[14] 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 five 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.

After the failure of Buddies, Chappelle starred in another pilot. According to Chappelle, the network was uncomfortable with the African-American cast and wanted white actors added.[15] Chappelle resisted and subsequently accused the network of racism. Shortly after this incident, Chappelle's father died. Chappelle returned to Ohio and considered leaving the entertainment business.[2][13]

He later appeared as a nightclub comedian in the 1996 comedy The Nutty Professor starring Eddie Murphy, one of his major comedic influences. He also had a minor role in 1997's Con Air. At the beginning of 1998, he did a stand-up performance for HBO Comedy Half-Hour.[16] He and Neal Brennan co-wrote the 1998 cult stoner film Half Baked, Chappelle's first starring role, about a group of marijuana-smoking friends trying to get their friend out of jail. That same year, he appeared in "Pilots and Pens Lost", a 1998 episode of The Larry Sanders Show's sixth season, in which he and the executives of the show's nameless television network satirized the treatment to which scriptwriters and show creators were subjected, as well as the executives' knee-jerk tendencies toward racial stereotypes. In December of that year Chappelle appeared as Tom Hanks' friend and confidant in You've Got Mail. In 1999, he appeared in the Martin Lawrence film Blue Streak.

In 2000, Chappelle recorded his first half hour-long HBO special, Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly, in Washington, DC.[17] He followed this up with an appearance as "Conspiracy Brother" in the 2002 racial satire Undercover Brother.

2003–2006: Standup and Chappelle's Show

Main article: 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.

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.

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 (also owned by Viacom).[18] James's estate disagreed with the proposed comical tone of the film and put a halt to the talks.[19]

In 2004, Chappelle recorded his second comedy special, this time airing on Showtime - Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth, at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium.[20]

Season three 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:

You know why my show is good? Because the network officials say you're not smart enough to get what I'm doing, and every day I fight for you. I tell them how smart you are. Turns out, I was wrong. You people are stupid.[21]

Season 3 was scheduled to air on May 31, 2005, but in that month, Chappelle stunned fans and the entertainment industry when he abruptly left during production of the third season of Chappelle's Show and took a trip to South Africa. Chappelle has since stated that he was unhappy with the direction the show had taken.

Coming here I don't have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I'm interested in the kind of person I've got to become. I want to be well rounded and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well balanced. I've got to check my intentions, man.[22]

Return

In June 2005, Chappelle performed impromptu stand-up shows in Los Angeles.[23][24][25] He then went on a tour that began in Newport, Kentucky, not far from his Ohio home.[26] 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!."[dead link‍][27] 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.[28] 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 had not 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.[2]

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 Mexico. The hardest thing to do is to be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching.

Chappelle also said that he felt some of his sketches were "socially irresponsible."[29][30] 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.[31] 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.[29][30] Chappelle said, "it was the first time I felt that someone was not laughing with me but laughing at me."[29]

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.[32] 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.[30] 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.

The show still plays in syndication on several television networks despite the relatively small number of episodes compared to most American syndicated television programs.[citation needed]

Dave Chappelle's Block Party

The site of Dave Chappelle's Block Party in Brooklyn.

Chappelle was the star and producer of the Michel Gondry-directed documentary Dave Chappelle's Block Party, which chronicles a Chappelle-hosted concert in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn on September 18, 2004. Several musical artists, including Kanye West, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Dead Prez and Jill Scott are featured in the movie both performing in the concert and in conversation off-stage. The most surprising highlight of the event was the "last minute" reunion of popular 1990s hip hop 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.

2007–present

In April 2007, Chappelle set a stand-up endurance record at the Laugh Factory Sunset Strip comedy club, beating comedian Dane Cook's record of 3 hours and 50 minutes. In December of the same year, Chappelle broke his own record with a time of 6 hours and 12 minutes. Cook reclaimed the record in January 2008, with a time of 7 hours.[33] On November 19, 2009 Chappelle performed at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, where it was speculated that he would aim to take back the record. However, he was disqualified according to the club owner after he left the stage five hours into his routine.[34]

Chappelle again appeared on Inside the Actors Studio and in celebration of the show's 200th episode, he humorously interviewed the show's usual host, James Lipton. The episode aired on November 11, 2008. He appeared again on Inside the Actors Studio in 2013, for its 250th episode.

He continues to make impromptu and unannounced appearances at comedy venues across the country, including performing a two hour set at Chappelle's Show co-creator Neal Brennan's weekly show at M.I.'s Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica in July 2013.[35]

In August 2013, Chappelle returned to stand-up[36] when he embarked on the Oddball Comedy and Curiosity festival. Sponsored by Funny or Die, the video sharing website of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, Chappelle co-headlined the festival with comedy act Flight of the Conchords.[37] At the Hartford, Connecticut show, Chappelle walked off the stage due to hecklers in the crowd.[38] A few days later to follow up on the Hartford incident Chappelle stopped in Chicago for a performance where comedy website DaLaughingBarrel.Com acquired and released audio of him being heard on stage responding to the heckling in Hartford by saying "Fuck Hartford!"[39]

That same month, Chappelle's impersonation of Prince from Chappelle's Show was selected by the singer as the cover art for his new single "Breakfast Can Wait."[40]

Personal life

Chappelle lives with his wife Elaine,[41] sons Sulayman and Ibrahim,[31][42][43][44] and daughter Sonal, on a 65-acre (260,000 m2) farm,[2][13] just outside Yellow Springs, Ohio.[26] He also owns several houses in Xenia, Ohio. Regarding his home in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Chappelle said at a blues and jazz festival in the town in mid-September 2006: "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. That's why I came back and that's why I'm staying."[45]

Chappelle converted to Islam in 1998. 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."[46]

Chappelle is friends with Nas and celebrated the rapper's 40th birthday with him.[47]

Filmography

Actor
Year Film Role Notes
1992 Def Comedy Jam Himself
1993 Robin Hood: Men in Tights Ahchoo
1993 Undercover Blues Ozzie
1995 Home Improvement Dave One episode
1996 The Nutty Professor Reggie Warrington
1996 Buddies Dave Carlisle Discontinued same year
1997 Con Air Pinball
1998 HBO Comedy Half-Hour Himself (stand-up special)
1998 Half Baked Thurgood Jenkins / Sir Smoke-a-Lot
1998 You've Got Mail Kevin Jackson
1999 200 Cigarettes Disco Cabbie
1999 Blue Streak Tulley
2000 Screwed Rusty P. Hayes
2002 Undercover Brother Conspiracy Brother
2003–2006 Chappelle's Show Himself and others
2005, 2008 Inside the Actor's Studio Himself
2006 Dave Chappelle's Block Party Himself Documentary
2007 I'm Rick James Himself Documentary
2013 "Richard Pryor - Omit The Logic" Himself Documentary

Discography

Actor
Year Album Role Notes
2000 Killin' Them Softly Executive Producer Stand Up
2004 For What It's Worth Executive Producer Stand Up

References

  1. ^ a b c Powell, Kevin (2006-04-30). "Heaven Hell Dave Chappelle". Esquire. Retrieved 2008-11-01. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Dave Chappelle". Inside the Actors Studio. Season 12. Episode 10. 2006-02-12. Bravo. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Wolk, Josh (2004-03-19). "Chris Rock On Fire". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
  4. ^ "Obituaries: Henry T. Chappelle". Yellow Springs News. March 1991. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ http://sonicawareness.net/post/60640495538/show-recap-dave-chappelle-flight-of-the-conchords
  6. ^ "AaIAnnoying.com - Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups". Retrieved 19 Sept., 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ "Yvonne Seon Biography". The History Makers.com. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
  8. ^ "Dave Chappelle is Alive and Well". The New York Times. November 27, 2005.
  9. ^ "Comedy In Oakland: Dave Chappelle".
  10. ^ Staff report (August 23, 2007). COMEDY: Watching Dave make his stand. Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  11. ^ Wiser, Paige (December 17, 2006). Might-have-beens who (thankfully) weren't: The wacky world of Hollywood's strangest casting calls. Chicago Sun-Times
  12. ^ Gore, Chris (January 26, 1998). Park City Madness: Sundance, Slamdance, and Slamdunk 1998. Film Threat
  13. ^ a b c Leung, Rebecca (December 29, 2004). "Chappelle: 'An Act Of Freedom'". 60 Minutes II, CBS News. Retrieved 2007-03-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Kleid, Beth (1995-04-16). "On View : Boys Will Be 'Buddies' : ABC SITCOM EXPLORES THE RELATIONSHIP AND THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BEST FRIENDS". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-09-06. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ Hontz, Jenny (1998-07-08). "TV's race card". Variety. Retrieved 2013-09-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ HBO Comedy Half-Hour at IMDB.com; Accessed February 17, 2013
  17. ^ Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly. Amazon.com. Retrieved September 29, 2010
  18. ^ Rashbaum, Alyssa (June 10, 2004). "Dave Chappelle Is Rick James, Bitch!". MTV News. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  19. ^ Fleming, Michael (December 13, 2006). "Turner to script singer James's biopic". Variety. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  20. ^ Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth at Amazon.com; Accessed September 29, 2010
  21. ^ Carnes, Jim (June 18, 2004). "Dave Chappelle lets rude crowd have it, sticks up for Cosby's comment". Sacramento Bee. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  22. ^ Robinson, Simon (May 15, 2005). "On the Beach With Dave Chappelle". Time. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  23. ^ Susman, Gary (May 26, 2005). "The Buckeye Stops Here". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  24. ^ Susman, Gary (June 3, 2005). "True Hollywood Story". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  25. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (November 27, 2005). "Dave Chappelle Is Alive and Well (and Playing Las Vegas)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  26. ^ a b Kaufman, Gil (September 12, 2005). "Dave Chappelle Is Back Onstage". MTV News. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  27. ^ "Def Poetry: Season 5: Episode 1: Summary". HBO.[dead link‍]
  28. ^ "Episodes: Dave Chappelle". Bravo. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  29. ^ a b c "Chappelle's Story: Dave's Moral Dilemma". The Oprah Winfrey Show. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ a b c "Transcript: Interview With Dave Chappelle, July 7, 2006". Anderson Cooper 360 CNN. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ a b Gordon, Devin (May 16, 2005). "Fears of a Clown". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2007-02-05. Retrieved 2007-03-20. Cite error: The named reference "fears" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  32. ^ "Chappelle's Story: Future of 'Chappelle's Show'". The Oprah Winfrey Show. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ "Dane Cook Breaks Dave Chappelle's Laugh Factory Endurance Record". Fox News/Associated Press. January 4, 2008.
  34. ^ "Dave Chappelle Fails To Set Comedy Endurance Record When Nature Calls" The Huffington Post; October 20, 2009
  35. ^ Dave Chappelle Drops Two-Hour Set in Santa Monica
  36. ^ http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21584313-one-americas-most-gifted-and-mercurial-comics-returns-stage-funny-man Dave Chappelle’s comeback: Funny man
  37. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/arts/dave-chappelle-returns-to-stand-up-with-stories-to-tell.html?pagewanted=all
  38. ^ Oldenburg, Ann (August 30, 2013). "Dave Chappelle walks off stage in Connecticut". USA Today.
  39. ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/dave-chappelle-hartford-conn-hope-north-korea-drops-bomb-article-1.1446701
  40. ^ "Dave Chappelle and Prince, together at last! (Sort of)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
  41. ^ Dave Itzkoff (November 27, 2005). "Dave Chappelle Is Alive and Well (and Playing Las Vegas)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  42. ^ Couture in the City: "Celebrity Sightings", Oct. 14, 2008
  43. ^ Klein, Joshua (March 7, 2001). "The sixth man". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  44. ^ "DAVE CHAPPELLE, WIFE AND KIDS". Black Celebrity Kids. December 5, 2007
  45. ^ "Chappelle plans to stay in Ohio town". The Associated Press/USA Today. September 11, 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  46. ^ Van Agtmael, Peter. "On the Beach With Dave Chappelle". Time. May 15, 2005
  47. ^ http://www.vladtv.com/blog/174517/nas-throws-down-with-dave-chappelle-for-40th-birthday-party/
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