Chris Tucker
Birth name	Christopher Tucker
Born	(1972-08-31) August 31, 1972 (age 39) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Medium	Stand up, Film
Nationality	American
Years active	1988–present
Genres	Blue comedy, Black comedy, Insult comedy, Observational comedy
Influences	Richard Pryor[1] Eddie Murphy[1]
Notable works and roles	Detective James Carter in Rush Hour Smokey in Friday

Christopher "Chris" Tucker (born August 31, 1972)^[2][3] is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing the role of Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series. Tucker became a frequent stand up performer on Def Comedy Jam in the 1990s. He came to prominence in the 1995 film Friday alongside Ice Cube, and then appeared in Luc Besson's The Fifth Element before beginning work on the highly commercially successful Rush Hour films. In 2006 he negotiated an unprecedented $25 million salary to appear in Rush Hour 3, which at the time made him the highest paid actor in Hollywood.^[4] Despite his good box office credentials, his workrate as a film actor has been slow, with Tucker only appearing in the two Rush Hour sequels in the last decade. Tucker was a close friend of Michael Jackson, appearing in the "You Rock My World" video. He appeared as a witness for the defense at Jackson's 2005 trial. He had financial troubles in 2011 when his $6 million property on Lake Apopka in the Bella Collina community was foreclosed. He returned to doing standup that same year.

Early life[link]

Tucker was born Christopher Tucker in Atlanta, Georgia on August 31, 1972, the youngest son of Mary Louise (née Bryant) and Norris Tucker.^[3] His father was an independent businessman who owned a janitorial service.^[5][6] Tucker was raised in Decatur, Georgia. After graduating from Columbia High School in Decatur, GA., Tucker moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy and movies.

Career[link]

In 1992, at the age of 19 or 20, Tucker was a frequent performer on Def Comedy Jam.^[7] He made his cinematic debut in House Party 3,^[8] and gained greater film recognition alongside rapper Ice Cube in the 1995 film Friday.^[8] In 1997, he co-starred with Charlie Sheen in Money Talks, and alongside Bruce Willis in The Fifth Element.

He, along with Jackie Chan, 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. After the commercial success of the first Rush Hour film, Tucker held out for a $20 million salary for Rush Hour 2 and was paid $25 million salary for Rush Hour 3.^[9] The latter was part of a $40 million two-movie contract with New Line Cinema that also included an unnamed future film. He was also to receive 20% of the gross against his salary from the Rush Hour 3.^[10]