Arsenio Hall
Arsenio Hall (born on
February 12,
1955 in
Cleveland, Ohio) is an
American comedian,
talk show host, and
actor.
The son of a
Baptist minister, Arsenio was a magician as a child. He attended
Ohio University in
Athens, OH where he was on the
speech team with future actress
Nancy Cartwright and future
news anchor Leon Harris. He then transferred to
Kent State University. He later moved to
Los Angeles to pursue a career in
stand-up comedy. During this time, he became good friends with
Eddie Murphy. In
1988, he costarred in the comedy film
Coming to America with
Murphy.
Unknown to many, Arsenio was the voice of
Winston Zeddemore in the cartoon,
The Real Ghostbusters from 1986-1987.
On
January 2,
1989, he began hosting
The Arsenio Hall Show, which lasted until
May 27,
1994. His show was known for the audience's shouting "Whoop Whoop Whoop" while pumping their fists. Hall had incorporated this chant used by fans of the Cleveland Browns football team who would sit in a special section of Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, and were known as "The Dawg Pound". He also had a rivalry with
Jay Leno after the latter was named host of
The Tonight Show, during which Arsenio said that he would "kick Jay's ass" in the ratings game. The two have since patched up their differences and Arsenio has made numerous appearances on
The Tonight Show. He was also noted for having his hair cut into a
Hi-top fade during this period.
Also in 1989, Arsenio released an album on MCA, Large and In Charge, under the moniker of "Chunky A". Chunky A was supposed to be Arsenio's overweight "little brother". The album had one minor hit "Owww!" and featured guest rappers
Ice-T and
KRS-1 and guest musicians
Cameo.
The title of the
C&C Music Factory dance single "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm..." was inspired by Hall's
monologue routines. He was also the target of many jokes by
Keenen Ivory Wayans, who portrayed him on his
sketch comedy show
In Living Color.
After
The Arsenio Hall Show ended, Hall made only infrequent appearances on television (including a short-lived
1997 sitcom called
Arsenio) before starring in
Martial Law with
Sammo Hung from
1999â€"
2000 and hosting the revival of
Star Search in
2003.
Arsenio made a cameo appearance as himself in
Chappelle's Show in
March 2004, when Dave is imagining "what Arsenio is doing right now" in a dinner scene. It shows Arsenio at a wine party eating some cheese and saying, "Damn! That's some good-ass cheese!" After which, Arsenio starts punching and slapping people for not telling him about the apparently delicious cheese.
The Naked Brothers Band (2005) .... Himself
The Proud Family Movie (2005) (TV) (voice) .... Dr. Carver/Bobby Proud
Martial Law (1998) TV Series .... Terrell Parker (1999â€"2000)
Arsenio (1997) TV Series .... Michael Atwood
Blankman (1994) .... Himself
Time Out: The Truth About HIV, AIDS, and You (1992) .... Host
Harlem Nights (1989) .... Crying Man
The Arsenio Hall Show (1989) TV Series .... Host
Comic Relief III (1989) (TV) .... Himself
Paula Abdul: Straight Up (1989) (V) .... Himself
Coming to America (1988) .... Semmi/Extremely Ugly Girl/Morris/Reverend Brown
The Late Show (1986) TV Series .... Himself/Host (1987)
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) .... Apartment Victim
Uptown Comedy Express (1987) (TV) .... Himself
The Real Ghostbusters (1986) TV Series (voice) .... Winston Zeddemore (1986â€"1987)
Solid Gold (1980) TV Series .... Himself (1986â€"1987)
New Love, American Style (1985) TV Series
The Motown Revue Starring Smokey Robinson (1985) TV Series
Thicke of the Night (1983) TV Series .... Himself (1984)
Star Search (2003 and 2005) TV Series .... Host
The 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour (1983) TV Series .... Host
Large and In Charge, 1989, MCA, ASIN B000008EAV
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