Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence[Stated in interview on Inside the Actors Studio] (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor,
comedian,
director, and
producer. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a
Hollywood career as a leading actor. Lawrence has acted in numerous movie roles and starred in his own television series,
Martin, which ran from 1992 to 1997.
Biography
Early life
Lawrence was given his first name after
Martin Luther King Jr. and his middle name after that of
John F. Kennedy.
He was born in
Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, where his
African American father, John Lawrence, served in the US military.
. After his parents divorced in 1973,
Lawrence rarely saw his father, who worked as a police officer.
[Martin Lawrence Biography (1965-)] His mother, Chlora, worked several jobs to support her family. He is believed to be a cousin of actors
Charlie Murphy &
Eddie Murphy, and he has a sibling named
Rae Procter.
During his teen years, Lawrence excelled at
boxing.
While living in Maryland, he attended Thomas G. Pullen School of Creative and Performing Arts (Landover, Maryland),
Fairmont Heights High School (
Capitol Heights, Maryland),
Eleanor Roosevelt High School and also
Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Maryland, becoming a Mid-Atlantic
Golden Gloves boxing contender.
Career
Lawrence moved to Los Angeles and found his way to the legendary
Kings Wood comedy club. Shortly after appearing at the Wood, he won a performance spot on
Star Search, a popular show in the United States.
He did well on the show and made it to the final round before ultimately losing. However, executives at
Columbia TriStar Television saw Martin's performance and offered him an appearance on the television
sitcom What's Happening Now!!; this was his first acting job.
Following
What's Happening Now!!, Lawrence had bit parts in various films and television roles before entertainment mogul
Russell Simmons personally selected him to host the groundbreaking series
Def Comedy Jam on
HBO.
Def Comedy Jam gave many comedians (including
Chris Tucker,
Dave Chapelle,
Bernie Mac and
Cedric The Entertainer) mainstream exposure. In 1990, before Def Comedy Jam, Martin received a career breakthrough in film when he appeared in the movie-comedy,
House Party along side
Christopher "Play" Martin and
Christopher "Kid" Reid (popular duo
Kid n' Play.) In
House Party, Martin's character is "Bilal", the neighborhood DJ, who DJs at the party "Play" throws at his house while his parents are out of town.
Tisha Campbell also plays along side Martin in House Party, House Party 2 & 3, and ultimately co-stars opposite Martin in his hit sitcom,
Martin.
