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| Birth Name(s) : Dave Chappelle |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
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Partner:
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| Profession:
Actor |
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Full Dave Chappelle Biography
David Khari Webber Chappelle (born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian, satirist and actor. In 2003, he became known for his popular sketch comedy television series, Chappelle's Show.
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.
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.”
Later in the year, Chappelle had returned home to Ohio and performed impromptu stand-up shows in Los Angeles. He then went on a tour which began in Newport, Kentucky which is not 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 in 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.
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 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 said "it was the first time I felt that someone was not laughing with me but laughing at me."
Chappelle has stated that he has no intention of leaving Yellow Springs, Ohio, his current residence. "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."
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. But James disagreed with the proposed tone of the film and put a halt to the talks.
Chappelle has appeared in commercials for Right Guard, Coke, and Pepsi. The latter two are a contradictory endorsement which he has humorously referred to in his show, saying " can't even taste the difference...all I know is Pepsi paid me most recently, so, it tastes better." Chappelle appeared on Talib Kweli's 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.
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.
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, Sulayman and Ibrahim, 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 known as a countercultural center. |
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