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]

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).^[11] He starred in Michael Jackson's video "You Rock My World" and made a cameo appearance in Tupac Shakur's "California Love".^[12] On February 13, 1999, Tucker participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend's Celebrity Game. Other celebrities participating include rapper Master P, NBA Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Dominique Wilkins, wide receiver Terrell Owens, and four Harlem Globetrotters.

Tucker was announced in 2007 to star in the New Line drama film Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra, directed by Brett Ratner and based on George Jacobs' autobiography of working as Frank Sinatra's valet during the Rat Pack era of 1953–1968.^[13]

In 2011, Tucker made a comeback to stand-up comedy.

Personal life[link]

Chris has a son named Destin Christopher Tucker, who was born in 1998 and lives with his mother in Bikovo. Chris divides his time between Bel Air, Los Angeles and Atlanta, Georgia.

Tucker is good friends with fellow Rush Hour star Jackie Chan, and was also close friends with the singer Michael Jackson, introducing and dancing with him at his 30th Anniversary Special, and appearing in Jackson's video "You Rock My World" from his 2001 album Invincible and attending Jackson's memorial service. Tucker's career is also influenced by Jackson, as he is seen dancing and singing to Jackson's song "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" in a scene in Rush Hour 2. A friend of Bill Clinton, Tucker has traveled with the former President overseas, though he endorsed Barack Obama rather than Hillary Clinton in the 2008 primaries.^[14][15]

Tucker participated in a PBS documentary on the genetic makeup of African Americans. He found he has African, European, and Native American ancestry.^[16] 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.^[17][18][19] He also managed to trace his family tree back to the 1830s.^[20] Tucker was shown traveling to Angola, the birthplace of his ancestors, with the program's host, Henry Louis Gates.^[21]

Arrest[link]

On April 19, 2005,^[22] Tucker was arrested in McDuffie County, Georgia, for reckless driving and fleeing to elude arrest after he did not pull over immediately.^[22] Sheriffs claimed he was driving 109 mph on Interstate 20 in his 2005 Bentley Continental GT. Tucker claimed he was in a hurry because he was late for church.^[22]

Michael Jackson trial[link]

In May 2005, during the Michael Jackson trial, Tucker, as well as Macaulay Culkin and Jay Leno, was called as a witness. All were examined by Thomas Mesereau, and all were favorable to the defense. Tucker knew the Arvizo family and claimed they took advantage of him. He testified that he warned Michael Jackson about the family.^[23]

Foreclosure[link]

Tucker bought a 10,000-square-foot waterfront home on Lake Apopka in the Bella Collina community in 2007 for $6 million but owed more than $4.4 million to SunTrust Bank (as of October 2011), according to foreclosure papers filed in Circuit Court in Lake County in 2011.^[24]

Filmography[link]

Films

Television

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Chris Tucker at the Internet Movie Database
• Chris Tucker on Twitter
• Chris Tucker on Facebook