A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor.

History and etymology[link]

Coinage in France by André Breton[link]

The term ''black humor'' (from the French ''humour noir'') was coined by the Surrealist theoretician André Breton in 1935, to designate a sub-genre of comedy and satire often relying on topics such as death.

Breton coined the term for his book ''Anthology of Black Humor'' (''Anthologie de l'humour noir''), in which he credited Jonathan Swift as the originator of black humor and gallows humor, and included excerpts from 45 other writers. Breton included both examples in which the wit arises from a victim, with which the audience empathizes, as is more typical in the tradition of gallows humor, and examples in which the comedy is used to mock the victim, whose suffering is trivialized, and leads to sympathizing with the victimizer, as is the case with Sade. Black humor is related to that of the grotesque genre.

Breton identified Swift as the originator of black humor and gallows humor, particularly in his pieces ''Directions to Servants'' (1731), ''A Modest Proposal'' (1729), ''A Meditation Upon a Broom-Stick'' (1710), and a few aphorisms.

The terms black comedy or dark comedy have been later derived as alternatives to Breton's term. In black humor, topics and events that are usually regarded as taboo, specifically those related to death, are treated in an unusually humorous or satirical manner while retaining their seriousness; the intent of black comedy, therefore, is often for the audience to experience both laughter and discomfort, sometimes simultaneously.

Adoption in literary criticism[link]

Bruce Jay Friedman, in his anthology entitled ''Black Humor'', imported the concept to the United States, labeling with it very different authors and works, arguing that they shared the same literary genre. The Friedman label came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s. Early American writers who employed black humor were Nathanael West and Vladimir Nabokov. In 1965 a mass-market paperback, titled ''Black Humor,'' was released. Containing work by a myriad of authors, which included J.P. Donleavy, Edward Albee, Joseph Heller, Thomas Pynchon, John Barth, Vladimir Nabokov, Bruce Jay Friedman, himself, and Louis-Ferdinand Celine, this was one of the first American anthologies devoted to the conception of black humor as a literary genre; the publication also sparked nation wide interest in black humor. Among the writers labeled as black humorists by journalists and literary critics are Roald Dahl, Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut, others have been Sam Kinison, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Bill Hicks, Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle, Chris Morris and the Monty Python team.

By contrast, blue comedy focuses more on crude topics, such as nudity, sex and bodily fluids. Although the two are interrelated, black comedy is different from straightforward obscenity in that it is more subtle and does not necessarily have the explicit intention of offending people. In obscene humor, much of the humorous element comes from shock and revulsion, while black comedy might include an element of irony, or even fatalism. For example, the archetypal black-comedy self-mutilation appears in the English novel ''Tristram Shandy''. Tristram, five years old at the time, starts to urinate out of an open window for lack of a chamber pot. The sash falls and circumcises him; his family reacts with both chaotic action and philosophic digression.

Visual media[link]

Motion pictures[link]

Black comedy is commonly used in dramatic or satirical films, retaining its serious tone, working as a tool of many films, television shows and video games. Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film ''Dr. Strangelove'' presents one of the best-known mainstream examples of black comedy. The subject of the film is nuclear warfare and the possible annihilation of life on Earth. Normally, dramas about nuclear war treat the subject with gravity and seriousness, creating suspense over the efforts to avoid a nuclear war, but ''Dr. Strangelove'' instead plays the subject for laughs. For example, in the film, the fail-safe procedures designed to prevent a nuclear war are precisely the systems that ensure that it will happen. Plotwise, Group Captain Mandrake serves as the only sane character in the film, while Major Kong fills the role of the hero striving for a harmful goal.

Television[link]

The most successful television situation comedy also to be a black comedy is ''M*A*S*H,'' which, like the film version of ''M*A*S*H'' that had inspired it, treated the Korean War as a subject of black comedy; it deliberately kept recorded laughter out of the operating room sequences, and many of the episodes described the absurdity of many combat situations, even in sequences where the characters were weathering hostile fire.

See also[link]

Comedy horror

Cringe humor

Crude humor

Gallows humor

Macabre

Problem plays

Schadenfreude

Shock value

Notes [link]

Category:Jokes

ar:كومÙ?دÙ?ا سوداء bg:Черна комедиÑ? ca:Humor negre cs:ÄŒerný humor da:Sort humor de:Schwarzer Humor et:Must huumor es:Humor negro fa:کمدی سیاه fr:Humour noir it:Umorismo nero he:קו×?דיה שחורה ka:შáƒ?ვი იუმáƒ?რი nl:Zwarte humor ja:ブラックジョーク no:Svart humor nds:Swart Humor pl:Czarny humor pt:Humor negro ru:Чёрный Ñ?мор simple:Black comedy sk:ÄŒierny humor sr:Црни хумор fi:Musta huumori sv:Svart humor tr:Kara mizah zh:黑色幽默

name	DeRay Davis
birthname	Antwan DeRay Davis
birth place	Chicago, Illinois, USA
yearsactive	2002–present
occupation	Actor, comedian
website	}}

DeRay Davis (born Antwan DeRay Davis) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. DeRay began his career in the comedy clubs. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, He won the Comedy Central Laugh Riots Competition and was a standout on the Cedric the Entertainer Tour. Best known for his role as Ray-Ray the Hustle Guy in ''Barbershop'' and ''Barbershop 2: Back in Business'', Davis has also appeared in other films, including ''Semi-Pro'' (2008). Davis' television roles and appearances have included programs such as BET's ''ComicView'', MTV's ''Nick Cannon's Wild 'N Out'' and 'Short Circuitz'', and HBO's ''Entourage''.

The comedian also sounds on several skits on rapper Kanye West's albums ''The College Dropout'' and ''Late Registration'', and also appeared in West's music video for "Through the Wire." Other music video appearances for Davis include Lil' Flip's "Game Over", Chris Brown's "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)," and Three 6 Mafia's "Doe Boy Fresh."

Davis is the play older brother of R&B; singer Steph Jones.

Filmography[link]

''21 Jump Street'' (2012)- Domingo

''Power Play (Standup)'' (2011) - Himself

''Jumping the Broom'' (2011) - Malcom

''Life as We Know It'' (2010) - Lonnie

''Imagine That'' (2009) - John

''Semi-Pro'' (2008) - Bee Bee Ellis

''Frankenhood''(2008)-Motown

''How She Move'' (2008) - Himself

''Code Name: The Cleaner'' (2007) - Ronnie

''License to Wed'' (2007) - Joel

''Scary Movie 4'' (2006) - Marvin

''School for Scoundrels'' (2006) - Bee Bee

''The Seat Filler'' (2004) - E.J.

''Who Made the Potatoe Salad'' (2006)- Junebug

''The Fog'' (2005) - Spooner

''The Big Black Comedy Show'' (2004) - Himself

''Johnson Family Vacation'' (2004) - 310 Motoring Worker

''Barbershop 2'' (2004) - Ray Ray

''Barbershop'' (2002) - Ray Ray

''Play'd: A Hip Hop Story'' (2002)-Jaxx's bodyguard

External links[link]

Official DeRay Davis website

DeRay Davis on Twitter

Category:African American film actors Category:African American comedians Category:American comedians Category:American stand-up comedians Category:African American television actors Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

nl:DeRay Davis

birth name	Micah S. Katt Williams
birth date	September 02, 1971
birth place	Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
othername	Katt Williams />Money Mikegangsta
medium	Stand-up, Television, Film, Music
nationality	American
active	1990–present
genre	Black comedy, Blue comedy, Satire, Observational comedy, Physical comedy
subject	African-American culture, Race relations, Racism, Recreational drug use, Human sexualityLife
notable work	Various in ''Wild 'n Out''Bobby Shaw in ''My Wife and Kids''Money Mike in ''Friday After Next''''It's Pimpin' Pimpin'''
website	http://www.kattwilliams.com/ }}

Micah S. Katt Williams (born September 2, 1971) is a U.S. comedian, rapper, and actor. He is best known for his role as Money Mike in ''Friday After Next''. He is also known for his stint on Nick Cannon’s MTV improv show, ''Wild 'n Out'', for playing the fictional character Bobby Shaw on the program ''My Wife and Kids'', as well as providing the voice for the character "A Pimp Named Slickback" in ''The Boondocks''.

Early life[link]

As a means to get into a nightclub while underage, he noticed that they weren’t checking IDs in the line for comics and proceeded to enter the club through that entrance. He was called on stage where he did a five-minute improv to an enthusiastic crowd. “I was so nervous but everyone laughed and thought I was funny. After that, I was opened up to the wonderful world of comedy... Improv is where a comic really gets to shine, if he is good. That’s as close as a comedian can get to the playoffs."

Career[link]

Williams started being a comedian in his neighborhood, Avondale, most notably appearing on BET's ''Comic View''. He has also played supporting characters in movies such as ''First Sunday'' and ''Norbit'', but is probably more widely recognized for his character Money Mike in the movie ''Friday After Next''. He has also used the Money Mike stage name when rapping for songs by such artists as Baby Bash, The Game, and Suga Free.

Williams has provided numerous skits and video appearances for artists such as Nick Cannon, DJ Drama, E-40, The Game, Lyfe Jennings, Lil Jon, Lil’ Kim, Lil' Scrappy, Ludacris, Outkast, T.I., Cyrano Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Machine Gun Kelly, and others. He was a cast member on ''Wild 'n Out'' for several seasons; he voices "A Pimp Named Slickback" on the Adult Swim's ''The Boondocks''; he plays himself as an onstage comedian in ''Grand Theft Auto IV''; and Williams has appeared in several episodes of ''My Wife and Kids'' as character Bobby Shaw. He was also on Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav.

Anti-Mexican rant[link]

On August 27, 2011, at a standup performance in Phoenix, Arizona, Katt Williams got into an argument with a heckler in the studio audience. Once he found out that the offending audience member was of Mexican descent, he started insulting Mexico and Mexicans, arguing that the country should have fought to maintain California and that U.S. citizens of Mexican descent should "get back over there" if they are more patriotic to Mexico than the USA, and then chanted "USA." He then went on to say, that he has love for his Mexican American homies and seemed to win the crowd over. The member of the studio audience was later ejected from the venue by security staff.

Legal problems[link]

On November 13, 2006, Williams was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after a stolen gun was found in his briefcase. On December 14, 2006, Williams pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed firearm and was sentenced to three years probation, ordered to pay restitution, and was given credit for the three days he spent in jail.

In November 2010, Williams was arrested by police while working on a film in Coweta County, Georgia. He was accused of stealing $3,500 worth of coins and jewelry. He was released the following day on a $40,000 bond. Police later charged Williams with burglary and criminal trespass.

On June 11, 2011, Williams was arrested in connection of an alleged assault on a tractor driver. The alleged victim said three women approached his tractor at around 4:30pm local time and attacked him with rocks and dirt clods, causing him facial injuries. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officers arrived on the scene and arrested the three women for assault with a deadly weapon and Williams for felony intimidation of a witness. Williams was booked into jail and released that same night on $50,000 bail.

Personal life[link]

Williams currently lives in Los Angeles and is a father of eight including one biological son, Micah, from his former marriage, and seven adopted children. He recently won back custody of one of his adopted children after a former nanny who claimed an eight-year-old girl was her biological child and had won custody after Williams had failed to make a court appearance; after Williams filed a claim the following month that the nanny was a "shameless fraud", Williams won back custody of the child.

Filmography[link]

''Friday After Next'' (2002)-Money Mike

''Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd'' (2003) -Neighbor(Uncredited)

''Repos'' (2006) (V)

''Katt Williams: Live: Let a Playa Play'' (2006)-Himself

''Pimp Chronicles, Pt. 1'' (2006)-Himself

''Norbit'' (2007)-Lord Have Mercy

''The Perfect Holiday'' (2007)-Delicious

''American Hustle: The Movie'' (2007)-Himself

''Epic Movie'' (2007)-Harry Beaver

''Internet Dating'' (2008)

''First Sunday'' (2008)-Rickey

''It's Pimpin' Pimpin''' (2008)-Himself

''Lonely Street'' (2009)-Rodent

''Katt Williams Presents: Katthouse'' (2009)-Himself

''Katt Williams: Pimpadelic'' (2009)-Himself

''Katt Williams: 9 Lives'' (2010)-Himself

''Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore'' (2010)-Seamus

References[link]

External links[link]

Official website

VIBE Profile

Katt Williams as Host of Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav

Category:1971 births Category:Actors from Ohio Category:African American comedians Category:African American film actors Category:African American rappers Category:Midwest hip hop musicians Category:Identical twins Category:Living people Category:People from Cincinnati, Ohio Category:People from Dayton, Ohio Category:The Diplomats members Category:Rappers from Ohio

de:Katt Williams it:Katt Williams nl:Katt Williams pt:Katt Williams sv:Katt Williams bat-smg:Katt Williams

Name	Lewis Black
Birth name	Lewis Niles Black
Birth date	August 30, 1948
Birth place	Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Education	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, theatre
Nationality	American
Active	1981 – present
Genre	Satire, news satire, political satire, observational comedy, black comedy, rant
Subject	American politics, American culture, current events, pop culture
Influences	George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, Bill Hicks, Bob Newhart, Shelley Berman
Influenced	Dara Ó Briain
Notable work	''Back in Black'' on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''''The Carnegie Hall Performance''''Lewis Black's Root of All Evil'' ''Stark Raving Black''
Website	lewisblack.com

Lewis Niles Black (born August 30, 1948) is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena. He hosted the Comedy Central series ''Lewis Black's Root of All Evil'', and makes regular appearances on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' delivering his “Back in Black� commentary segment. When not on the road performing, he resides in Manhattan. He also maintains a residence in Chapel Hill, N.C. He is currently the spokesman for Aruba Tourism, appearing in television ads that aired in late 2009 and 2010. He was voted 51st of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time by Comedy Central in 2004; and was voted 5th in Comedy Central's Stand`Up Showdown in 2008 and 11th in 2010.

Early life[link]

Black is the son of Jeannette, a teacher, and Sam Black, an artist and mechanical engineer. He was born and raised in a middle-class Jewish family in Silver Spring, Maryland, graduating from Springbrook High School in 1966, summa cum laude.

Black recounts in his book ''Nothing's Sacred'' that he scored highly on the math section of his SAT exam and later applied to Yale, Princeton, Brown, Amherst, Williams, and Georgetown. Every college he applied to except Georgetown rejected him, and by that point he had decided he didn't want to go there, so he spent a year at University of Maryland before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, he studied playwriting and was a brother of Pi Lambda Phi International fraternity and a member of Student Congress. He earned an MFA degree at the Yale School of Drama in 1977, and was once married for less than a year.

Black's career began in theater as a playwright. He served as the playwright in residence and associate artistic director of Steve Olsen's West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar in Hell's Kitchen in New York City, where he collaborated with composer and lyricist Rusty Magee and artistic director Rand Foerster on hundreds of one-act plays from 1981 to 1989. Also with Rusty Magee, Black wrote the musical ''The Czar of Rock and Roll'', which premiered at Houston's Alley Theatre in 1990.

Black's stand-up comedy began as an opening act for the plays; he was also the master of ceremonies. After a management change at the theater, Black left and began working as a comedian, as well as finding bit parts in television and films.

Comedic style[link]

Black's style of comedy is that of a man who, in dealing with the absurdities of life and contemporary politics, is approaching his personal limits of sanity. Sarcasm, hyperbole, profanity, shouting and trademark angry finger-shaking bring emphasis to his topics of discussion. He once described his humor as "being on the ''Titanic'' every single day and being the only person who knows what is going to happen." He claims that he doesn't write his jokes down, he merely starts talking about something that makes him angry until he has to move on before he has a stroke.

Black has described his political affiliation as: "I'm a socialist, so that puts me totally outside any concept...the Canadians get it. But seriously, most people don't get it. The idea of capping people's income just scares people. 'Oh, you're taking money from the rich.' Ooh, what a horrifying thing. These people really need $200 million".

Black lists his comedic influences as George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, Bill Hicks, Bob Newhart and Shelley Berman.

Career[link]

Comedy Central Presents[link]

In 1998, Black starred in his first comedy special on the series ''Comedy Central Presents.'' He starred in two additional episodes of the series in 2000 and 2002. He starred in another special for the network in 2002, titled ''Taxed Beyond Belief''.

Hosting[link]

Since 2003, Black has hosted the World Stupidity Awards ceremony at Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy festival for the three years the awards were presented.

Black hosted the Comedy Central television series ''The Root of All Evil'' in 2008. The show pitted two people or pop-culture topics against each other as a panel of comedians argued, in the style of a court trial, which is more evil, e.g., "Paris Hilton vs. Dick Cheney" and "Internet Porn vs. YouTube". After hearing arguments from both sides, Black, acting as judge, made the final decision as to which is more evil.

Black hosted Comedy Central's ''Last Laugh '07'', which aired on December 2, 2007 along with Dave Attell and D.L. Hughley.

On February 18, 2008, Black hosted ''History of the Joke with Lewis Black'', a 2-hour comedy-documentary on The History Channel.

At the end of 2009, Black returned to the History Channel to host ''Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black'', in which he discussed the year-end pressures of Thanksgiving, Channukah, Christmas, and New Year's.

Stand-up shows[link]

In 2004, he had an HBO stand-up special titled ''Black on Broadway.''

On April 21, 2006, Black performed at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC for an HBO special, ''Red, White, and Screwed''. It aired on June 10, 2006, and a DVD was released October 3, 2006. When explaining his choice of venue, Black said that "some asshole" was paid to count the number of times the word "fuck" was said from his previous HBO special, ''Black On Broadway'', and that the original location, the Kennedy Center, wanted him to cut back on its use. Black was told the number was 42, when actually it was approximately 78.

On February 11, 2007, Black received a Grammy award for "Best Comedy Album" for his album ''The Carnegie Hall Performance''.

Comedy Central's "Stand-Up Month" in January 2008 features specials originally presented on HBO by Black, along with programs featuring Dane Cook and Chris Rock.

In January 2008, as part of Comedy Central's "Stand-Up Month", Black's routine finished at #5 on "Stand-Up Showdown 2008", a viewer-based countdown of the top "Comedy Central Presents" routine. Black. also was voted 11th in 2010.

On August 2, 2009, Black filmed two shows at the Fillmore Theater in Detroit, MI. These shows were the basis for a concert film called ''Stark Raving Black'', which appeared in theaters for a limited time in October. It was released on June 15, 2010 .

Film and television career[link]

Black appeared in episode 25 "Aria" (1991) of ''Law and Order'' as porn director Franklin Frome, ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' episode "Obscene" (2004) as a shock jock, and in ''The Big Bang Theory'' episode "The Jiminy Conjecture" (2009) as an entomologist. He also released his autobiography, ''Nothing's Sacred'', in 2005. Since November 9, 2005, Black has been making appearances in small segments on ''The Weather Channel.'' In December 2005, he appeared in an animated holiday special ''The Happy Elf'', as the voice of the extremely tightly wound elf, Norbert.

In the film ''Accepted'', a film about high school graduates who create a college when they fail to get accepted into any, he played Dean Ben Lewis of the school "South Harmon Institute of Technology". He also appeared in the 2006 films ''Man of the Year'' and ''Unaccompanied Minors''. Black hosted Comedy Central's ''Last Laugh '06'', which aired on December 10, 2006.

Voice acting[link]

Black was the voice of "Manobrain" during the third season of the Cartoon Network series "Duck Dodgers". He was the inventor of a diet pill which was stolen while he was in college. He blamed the theft on his college friend Dr. I. Q. High, not realizing that the actual thief was Duck Dodgers. The theft set Manobrain on the path of evil.

Black provided the voice of the Deadly Duplicator in four episodes of the Adult Swim show ''Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law'' and in the video game based on the show.

Black did the voice-over for an oxpecker named Ted in Cartoon Network series ''My Gym Partner's a Monkey'', appearing in "Hornbill and Ted's Bogus Journey." The character is portrayed in the same fashion as his comedy shows, though without the profanity. In addition, the bird's clothes, looks, and mannerisms match those of Black himself. Black currently voices Mr. E/Ricky Owens in ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated''.

Tours[link]

On June 18, 2007 he sat in with Southern rock/Jam band Gov't Mule at the 6th annual Bonnaroo music festival, where he had performed earlier that weekend, for what was to be a quick joke. A member of the audience threw a bottle at Black, which struck him. Black was upset and he encouraged the audience to boo the heckler before leaving the stage in disgust, while shouting obscenities at the heckler. This act was seen in an episode of "Lewis Black's Root of All Evil" titled "YouTube vs. Porn".

On June 29, 2007, Black gave a benefit show at Springbrook High School, his alma mater, in the school's auditorium for 1,100 alumni, faculty, and students. He performed in his usual style, stopping at points to remark how good it felt to use that language on that particular stage. At the end of the show he was given a Springbrook football jersey, and cursed at one teacher for giving him a B and causing him not to graduate first in his class.

In mid December 2007, Black went with Robin Williams, Kid Rock, Lance Armstrong and Rachel Smith, Miss USA 2007, on a USO trip to support the troops in Iraq and Kuwait. They then wrapped it up on Dec 22nd at the U.S Naval Station in Rota, Spain.

Black helped create the annual Carolina Comedy Festival at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In 2008 Black went on tour touting his book ''Me of Little Faith''. He is also currently doing a stand-up tour called "Let Them Eat Cake".

Beginning in January 2010, Black embarked on a new tour called "In God We Rust".

Legal troubles[link]

In 2000, Black and fellow comedian Jim Norton were arrested for their involvement with "The Naked Teen Voyeur Bus", a specially designed bus with acrylic glass walls containing numerous 18 and 19 year old topless women. This bus rode around Manhattan while being broadcast on the Opie and Anthony radio show. Unfortunately, radio station management did not inform the O&A; show that the bus' route was also the route that President Clinton was taking that same day. Twenty-eight hours after the arrest, Black and Norton were released. Black appeared on The Daily Show the following night where he stated he was exercising his constitutional rights. He then joked that the location of this particular right was unclear, but that it was "between 'all men are created equal' and 'don't shit where you eat.'" Additionally, at a fundraising event for New York Attorney General candidate Mark Green on June 28, 2006, Black talked about how he was unable to attend a previous fundraising event for Green because the arrest occurred shortly before.

Published works[link]

''Nothing's Sacred'' (2005)

''Nothing's Sacred'' (audio book) (2006)

''Nothing's Sacred'' (softcover version) (2007)

''Me of Little Faith'' (2008) (New York: Riverhead Books -- Penguin Group) 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-59449-994-5.

''Me of Little Faith'' (paperback version with added content) (2009)

''I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas'' (2010)

Media releases[link]

CDs[link]

''The White Album'' (2000)

''Revolver (EP)'' (2002)

''The End of the Universe'' (2002)

''Rules of Enragement'' (2003)

''Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center Blues'' (2005)

''The Carnegie Hall Performance'' (2006)

''Anticipation'' (2008)

''Stark Raving Black'' (2010)

''The Prophet'' (2011)

DVDs[link]

''Unleashed'' (compilation of his four Comedy Central specials plus his appearances on ''The Daily Show: Indecision 2000'') (2002)

''Black on Broadway'' (2003 HBO Special) (2004)

''A Pair of Lewis Black Shorts'' (''Sidesplitters: The Burt & Dick Story'' and ''The Gynecologists'') (2006)

''Red, White, and Screwed'' (2006 HBO Special)

''History of the Joke with Lewis Black'' (2008 History Channel special)

''Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black'' (2009 History Channel special)

''Stark Raving Black'' (2010)

''In God We Rust'' (2012 Epix Special)

Filmography[link]

''Hannah and Her Sisters'' (1986)

''Jacob's Ladder'' (1990)

''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' (1990–1991) (TV series)

''Law & Order'', "Aria" (1991)

''The Hard Way'' (1991)

''Homicide: Life on the Street'', "Deception" (1997)

''Mad About You'' (Season 6, Episode 7: Played "The Pizza Slice") (1997) (TV series)

''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', "Obscene" (2004)

''The Happy Elf'' (2005)

''Accepted'' (2006)

''Man of the Year'' (2006)

''Unaccompanied Minors'' (2006)

''Farce of the Penguins'' (2007)

''Falling for Grace'' (2007)

''History of the Joke'' (2008) (Documentary) History Channel

''Lewis Black's Root of All Evil'' (2008) (TV series) Comedy Central

''The Big Bang Theory'', "The Jiminy Conjecture" (2009) (TV series) CBS

''Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' (2010) (TV series) Cartoon Network

''The Penguins of Madagascar'', "Arch-Enemy" (2011) (TV series) Nickelodeon

References[link]

External links[link]

Lewis Black's lewisblack.com

Lewis Black on Twitter

Lewis Black on MySpace

Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse: Lewis Black (TV Interview)

Lewis Black Interview on NPR's ''Fresh Air'' (April 7, 2005)

Lewis Black Interview on NPR's ''Talk of the Nation'' (January 29, 2003)

Lewis Black Interview with the Village Voice (September 23, 2008)

Onion A.V. Club Interview

Lewis Black Interview by Maurie Sherman

Stand Up! Records

Lewis Black Interview, Real Detroit Weekly (November 13, 2007)

"Straight Talk" Interview in Submerge Magazine, (Sept. 2008)

Lewis Black rants about Michele Bachmann, Farmville, Twitter - Citypages.com 5/4/2011

Category:1948 births Category:American dramatists and playwrights Category:American Jews Category:American social commentators Category:American socialists Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish comedians Category:Living people Category:People from Chapel Hill, North Carolina Category:People from Silver Spring, Maryland Category:People from Washington, D.C. Category:Religious skeptics Category:University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Category:Yale School of Drama alumni Category:The Daily Show correspondents and contributors

de:Lewis Black et:Lewis Black es:Lewis Black fr:Lewis Black it:Lewis Black he:לו×?יס בלק nl:Lewis Black ja:ルリス・ブラック pt:Lewis Black sv:Lewis Black

birth name	Anthony Rock
birth date	June 30, 1974
birth place	Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York
occupation	stand-up comedian and actor (1991–present)TV actor
spouse	}}

Anthony "Tony" Rock (born June 30, 1974) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is the younger brother of comedian Chris Rock.

In the early 2000s, Rock hosted a short-lived game show entitled ''Can You Tell?'' for Oprah Winfrey's Oh! Oxygen network. He was also a correspondent for ''BattleBots'' on Comedy Central for the show's fifth season.

Tony has made many guest appearances, including ''The Howard Stern Show'' and "The D'Angelo Show". He performed in New York with Mark Curry and John Henton to highlight the Apollo Theater. He co-starred as Dirk Black on the UPN/CW sitcom ''All of Us''. Tony has worked as a back-up to his brother, Chris, and has appeared in his sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris'', in the recurring role of the title character's uncle Ryan. Tony has hosted ''The Funny Spot'' on TV One.

Tony Rock has his own TV series, a sketch comedy show called ''The Tony Rock Project''. It is broadcast on MyNetworkTV.

Beginning February 19, 2010 Comedy Central has aired Tony Rock's feature on Season 14 of "Comedy Central Presents". His episode was the first original of the 2010 season.

CENTRIC will soon announce its new series APOLLO LIVE, to be hosted by comedian Tony Rock and executive produced by veteran funnyman Jamie Foxx as well as Marcus King and Don Weiner who all put a fresh spin on the classic variety show “Amateur Night� at Harlem’s iconic venue.

Personal life[link]

Tony Rock is one of eight siblings, born to Rosalie Rock and Julius Rock. He grew up on Decatur Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of New York City.

References[link]

External links[link]

Tony Rock's biography on filmbug

Official website

Rock the World Inc. website

Category:1974 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American comedians Category:African American film actors Category:African American television actors Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

pt:Tony Rock