Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), best known by his stage name
Cedric the Entertainer, is an
American actor and
comedian. He is perhaps best known as the co-star of the
WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, as Eddie in the
Barbershop films, and as one of the four comedians featured in the
Spike Lee film
The Original Kings of Comedy.
Personal life
Cedric was born in
Jefferson City, Missouri, the son of Rosetta, a reading specialist, and Kitrell Kyles, an employee of
AT&T.
[Cedric The Entertainer Biography (1964?-)] His younger sister, Sharita Kyles Wilson, is married and resides in Columbia, MO.
He was raised in Caruthersville, Missouri, but after junior high school he moved to
Berkeley, Missouri. Cedric is a 1982 graduate of
Berkeley High School in Berkeley, Missouri. He continues his involvement with his high school by awarding a scholarship each year to a graduating senior through his Cedric the Entertainer Charitable Foundation Inc. The foundation's motto is, "Reaching Out...Giving Back." Cedric majored in Mass Communication at
Southeast Missouri State University and worked as a State Farm insurance claims adjuster, and substitute High School teacher before becoming a full-time comedian. He is also a member of
Kappa Alpha Psi. He is married to Lorna Wells and they have two children, Croix and Lucky Rose, and an older daughter Tiara from a previous relationship.
Career
In 1992, he made his first
TV appearance on
It's Showtime at the Apollo. Soon after, he appeared on
HBO's
Def Comedy Jam and
BET's ComicView, which he would later host for the 1993-94 season. Cedric was one of the Grand Prize Winners of the
Miller Lite Comedy Search along with fellow comedian,
Bernie Mac. In 1994, Cedric also won the
Richard Pryor Comic of the Year Award from BET.
In 1996, Cedric moved into acting, playing
Steve Harvey's friend, Cedric Jackie Robinson, on his
sitcom,
The Steve Harvey Show. His acting career grew and he began appearing in
movies, including
Dr. Dolittle 2,
Barbershop,
Barbershop 2: Back in Business,
Ride,
Serving Sara,
Johnson Family Vacation,
Intolerable Cruelty,
Man of the House,
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events,
Madagascar and
Be Cool. Cedric was the subject of controversy when his
Barbershop character made unsavory remarks regarding
Martin Luther King and
Rosa Parks. These comments were spoken in character, were part of the script, and he has never apologized for them. In the 2005 animated film
Madagascar, Cedric voiced Maurice the
aye-aye. In October 2005, Cedric joined the
Champ Car auto racing series as a part owner. Cedric appeared in the movie
Charlotte's Web as the voice of Golly the gander. While his acting career grew, Cedric continued stand-up and traveled the country as one of the
Kings of Comedy headliners, with
Steve Harvey,
D.L. Hughley and
Bernie Mac. The act was later made into a film by
Spike Lee called
The Original Kings of Comedy. Cedric briefly had his own sketch comedy show called
Cedric the Entertainer Presents, but it never caught on and was canceled after one season. The show had been renewed for a second season, but
Fox canceled it before the season began. He then appeared in the 2003
PlayStation 2 video game
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004. His most recent
HBO Comedy Special was titled
Cedric "The Entertainer": Taking You Higher. Two of the background dancers from the special were Kamilah Barrett and Sandra Colton, who were also finalists in
Fox's
So You Think You Can Dance.
Cedric appeared in the 2007 film
Code Name: The Cleaner, a comedy in which he plays Jake, a janitor with amnesia who may be a secret undercover government agent involved in an illegal arms conspiracy. The film flopped, grossing under $10,000,000 out of its $20,000,000 budget. He then starred in the 2008 films
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins and the box-office hit
Street Kings.
[]]]
Cedric appeared as the lead comedian at the White House Correspondence Dinner but jokingly remarked that he was unprepared because he thought that he would follow a humorous speech by President George W. Bush but instead followed First Lady Laura Bush, who he commented was very funny.
Cedric the Entertainer was inducted to the
St. Louis Walk of Fame on June 7, 2008. His star is located at 6166 Delmar.
[St. Louis Walk of Fame Induction page]
Cedric the Entertainer was the special guest host for
WWE Raw on September 21, 2009 in Little Rock Arkansas . During the show, he participated in a wrestling match, defeating
Chavo Guerrero by pinfall. The match also featured
guest referee,
Santino Marella. Cedric also got help with an unknown wrestler dubbed The Sledge Hammer and
Hornswoggle.
[Raw results: 09/21/09 - Gerweck.net]
In March 2000 Cedric filmed his Directorial Debut with
Chicago Pulaski Jones, produced and funded indepently by his company Bird and a Bear Entertainment with Producer Eric C. Rhone.
Cedric was recently seen in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's "
American Buffalo," the story of three small-time crooks that come to blows during a plot to steal a valuable coin collection.
[Playbill 19 Aug 2008]
Filmography
Television
See also
start box
end box
