Dave Chappelle
:
David 'Dave' Chappelle (born
August 24,
1973 in
Washington, D.C.) is an
American comedian,
satirist, and
actor.
Chappelle became enraptured by
stand-up comedy as an elementary school student at Woodlin Elementary School in
Silver Spring, Maryland, and at middle school in
Yellow Springs, Ohio. His inspiration came from his favorite comedians and idols, such as
Richard Pryor. His father, William, was a professor of voice and music at
Antioch College in Yellow Springs. At 14, Chappelle gathered the courage to perform on stage at the famed
Apollo Theater in
Harlem, New York. Chappelle was
booed off stage, but described this experience on
Inside the Actors Studio as an enlightening experience that gave him courage to continue on. After his parents' divorce, Chappelle moved to
Washington, D.C., with his mother, Yvonne Seon (a
Unitarian Universalist minister). He spent summers with his father in Yellow Springs and graduated from
Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a renowned performing arts high school in
Washington, D.C., where he majored in literary and
theatre arts.
In 1992, Chappelle made his first TV appearance on
Def Comedy Jam. In the next year Dave made his first appearance as an actor in
Robin Hood: Men in Tights as Ahchoo, and then in
Undercover Blues as Ozzie. From 1994 to 1997 Chappelle's career consisted of TV appearances, small stand-up comedy gigs, and low-budget films. During this time, he was given his first shot at a television show,
The Dave Chappelle Project but the
pilot was not picked up. Chappelle appeared in the much-
hyped but short-lived sitcom
Buddies on
ABC. He had a role in the 1996 remake of
The Nutty Professor.
In 1998, Chappelle's career and life hit a turning point following a starring role in the comedy film
Half Baked, which Chappelle co-wrote with
Neal Brennan and produced (uncredited). The film follows the adventures of a gang of
potheads and has since become a
cult classic. Also in 1998, Chappelle converted to the
Muslim faith. He told
Time magazine in a May 2005 interview, "I don't normally talk about my religion publicly because I don't want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing. And I believe it is a beautiful religion if you learn it the right way." [
1]
Chappelle continued to do TV appearances, stand-up gigs, and films. In 2000, Chappelle again entered the public consciousness with his
HBO stand-up special,
Killin' Them Softly.
 |
Dave Chappelle. |
In 2003, Chappelle debuted his own weekly television show on
Comedy Central,
Chappelle's Show. The show parodies many aspects of American culture, including
racial stereotypes and slurs, including Chappelle's
African-American heritage. This, combined with Chappelle's pointed social and political commentary, quickly helped garner the show critical and commercial success. By the end of the second season, it was one of the highest-rated shows on
basic cable, and second only to
South Park on Comedy Central. Additionally, the
DVD set of the first season became the best-selling DVD of a television show to date. Due to the show's popularity, Comedy Central's parent company
Viacom reportedly offered Chappelle a $55 million contract (giving Chappelle a share of DVD sales) to continue production of
Chappelle's Show for two more years while allowing him to do side projects.
In 2004, Chappelle was the subject of the
Michel Gondry-directed documentary
Dave Chappelle's Block Party which chronicles a Chappelle-hosted event, in September of that year, in the
Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of
Brooklyn,
New York City. The highlight of the event was the reunion of popular '90s rap group
The Fugees. Chappelle toured several cities in February and March
2006 to promote the film under the moniker "Block Party All-Stars featuring Dave Chappelle." The movie was released on
March 3,
2006.
The sudden popularity of Chappelle's television show and his widespread fame created new dilemmas for Chappelle. For example, one of his most widely-known segments from the show, the
Rick James sketch, finds Chappelle portraying late funk musician
Rick James. In the sketch, Chappelle shouts, "I'm Rick James, Bitch!" The phrase met the public's attention and quickly became a part of
popular culture. Soon, to Chappelle's chagrin, the phrase was shouted at him by fans wherever he went, often in front of his wife and children. At an appearance at
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Chappelle stopped the show to deal with an audience member who would not stop repeating the Rick James phrase. After the crowd repeatedly called out the phrase during a show at
Memorial Auditorium in
Sacramento, CA, Chappelle admonished the crowd and walked off the stage.
The comedian stunned fans and the entertainment industry when he abruptly left during production of the third season of
Chappelle's Show. Chappelle has since stated that he was unhappy with the direction the show had taken, claiming pressure from network executives regarding the show's content. Chappelle left the United States to visit
South Africa. His decision triggered reports of mental or drug problems with the actor, which Chappelle later denied. On
May 11,
2005, news sources reported that Chappelle had checked himself into a psychiatric facility in
South Africa, which Chappelle has since repeatedly denied. On
May 14,
2005,
Time Magazine announced that one of their reporters had interviewed Chappelle in South Africa, and the comedian said no psychiatric treatments were occurring or necessary. Chappelle has stated his reasons for visiting South Africa were to reflect on his life and career.
On
August 3,
2005, co-star
Charlie Murphy gave an interview to
TV Guide stating that he believed that Dave Chappelle was finished with
Chappelle's Show and would not be returning.
By late 2005, Chappelle had returned to his 65-acre farm near Yellow Springs and was performing impromptu shows in
Los Angeles,
San Francisco and
Newport, Kentucky.
Chappelle was interviewed for
Inside the Actors Studio on
December 18,
2005, at
Pace University's
Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts. The show premiered on
February 12,
2006. Chappelle stated that the death of his father had an impact in his decision to go to
South Africa to get away from the stress of stardom, stating that he had not received a chance to mourn his father's death. He also said the rumors that he was in drug or psychiatric treatment only persuaded him to stay in
South Africa.
He was interviewed by
Oprah Winfrey on her show on
February 3,
2006 in his first televised interview since his departure from
Chappelle's Show. He stated in the interview that he "wasn't crazy" but the environment was "incredibly stressful". He continued:
Chappelle also admitted to Oprah that he felt some of his sketches were socially irresponsible. He singled out the "pixie sketch"(in which it implied everyone has a pixie that appears to them and encourages them to act in a way stereotypical for their race) and said during the filming of the
blackface pixie sketch a white crew member was laughing. Chappelle said "it was the first time I felt that someone was not laughing with me but laughing at me."[
2][
3]
During these interviews, Chappelle did not rule out returning to
Chappelle's Show to "finish what we started", but promised that he would not return without changes to the production, such as a better working environment. He also stated he would like to donate half of the DVD sales to charity, and to people that supported him. Chappelle expressed disdain at the possibility of his material from the unfinished third season being aired, saying that to do so would be "a bully move", and that he would not return to the show if Comedy Central were to air the unfinished material. On
July 9,
2006, Comedy Central aired the first episode of
Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes. An uncensored DVD release of the episodes was made available on
July 25,
2006.
According to
IMDB, Dave is set to star in a sports comedy film,
Ballers in 2007.
Chappelle's Show - Season One, 2004
Chappelle's Show - Season Two, 2004
Chappelle's Show - Lost Episodes, July 25, 2006
Dave Chappelle - Killin' Them Softly, 2000
Dave Chappelle - For What It's Worth, 2004
Dave Chappelle's Block Party, 2006
Dave Chappelle's Show The Lost Episodes, 2006
Ballers,
2007Dave Chappelle's Block Party,
2006 as writer and host, directed by
Michel GondryUndercover Brother,
2002 as Conspiracy Brother
Screwed,
2000 as Rusty P. Hayes
Blue Streak,
1999 as Tulley
Half Baked,
1998 as co-writer and Thurgood Jenkins/Sir Smoke-a-lot
200 Cigarettes, 1998 as Disco Cabbie
You've Got Mail, 1998 as Kevin Jackson
Woo, 1998 as Lenny
The Real Blonde,
1997 as Zee
Con Air,
1997 as Joe 'Pinball' Parker
Bowl of Pork 1997 as Black Forrest Gump.
Damn Whitey 1997 as Dave
The Nutty Professor,
1996 as Reggie Warrington
Joe's Apartment 1996 (voice) ... Cockroach
Buddies,
1996 as Dave Carlisle
Getting In,
1994 as Ron
Robin Hood: Men in Tights,
1993 as Ahchoo
Undercover Blues,
1993 as Ozzie
*Chappelle revealed on
Chappelle's Show DVD commentary that he was once drinking buddies with
Slash from
Guns N' Roses, and is a huge fan of the band.
*Chappelle has stated that sketch comedy is not his favorite form of comedy, and characterizes the format of his show as somewhat like short films.
*Chappelle lives with his wife Elaine (who is of
Filipino descent[
4]) and two sons (one is named Sulayman[
5]) on a
farm just outside
Yellow Springs, Ohio. When he is not touring or engaged in filming for television or the big screen, he can be seen in the shops and markets of the small
college town.
Chappelle's Show has a large
hip-hop following and has featured such progressive rappers as:
Dead Prez,
Talib Kweli,
The Roots,
Mos Def, and
Kanye West. The show has also spotlighted musical guests such as
Wu-Tang Clan,
Busta Rhymes,
Outkast,
Common,
De La Soul,
Fat Joe,
Anthony Hamilton,
DMX,
Snoop Dogg, and
Erykah Badu.
*Chappelle is a computer and video game enthusiast, including an affinity for
World of Warcraft,
NBA Street,
Street Fighter and
Grand Theft Auto. On
Chappelle's Show, he paid homage to
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in a sketch. He has also done a sketch in which he challenges and beats a child with cancer in the video game
Street Hoops. In the final sketch for the first lost episode, one can hear a lyric mention, "run up in yo spot like CJ from San Andreas".
Chappelle's Show Season One Uncensored! DVD box set is the best-selling TV show on DVD with over 3 million copies sold.[
6]
*Chappelle appeared on
Def Poetry. He performed two poems, titled
Fuck Ashton Kutcher and
How I Got the Lead on "Jeopardy!."*
Richard Pryor said that he passed the torch to Dave Chappelle. [
7]
*Dave Chappelle created an iTunes Celebrity Playlist and selected the
DangerDoom track
Mince Meat for his Block Party Picks. He stated,
"Two very consistently good artists collaborate to make my head nod. Doom, Mouse - Thank You. Wherever you are, nice album."*Dave Chapelle
skateboards as a hobby and says he tries to find
skateparks in the cities he performs in. He has also made an appearance
skateboarding in the
Signature Video Magazine Volume 1. The video features a short clip of Dave skating at Project 58 in
Raleigh, North Carolina. He made another appearance skating on the first episode of
Chappelle's Show during the credits as Clayton.
*He is 6 ft (1.83 m) in height. [
8]
*Once appeared in ads for Right Guard deodorant.
*Dave Chappelle wears a
Clarkson University soccer jacket in an episode of his show.
* Robinson, Simon.
"On the Beach With Dave Chappelle",
Time Magazine. (May 15, 2005)
* Thorsen, Tor.
"Dave Chappelle Loves World of Warcraft",
GameSpot. (June 29, 2005)
* Associated Press.
"Chappelle: Happy to be working clubs",
ABC News. (September 13, 2005)
* Carnes, Jim.
"Dave Chappelle lets rude audience have it, sticks up for Cosby's comment",
Sacramento Bee (indirect link) (June 17, 2004)
Official websites
*
DaveChappelle.com - Chappelle's official website and forums
*
Comedy Central: Chappelle's Show - Comedy Central's official website for Chappelle's Show
*
Chappelle's Block Party - Official website for
Dave Chappelle's Block Party*
Official MySpaceAdditional websites
*
Anderson Cooper Interview*
Fresh Air Interview in 2004*
Save Chappelle - A fan site dedicated to bringing Chappelle back to TV. T-Shirts to show support are available.
*
Chappelle Theory - A theory (verified to be a prank) on Dave Chappelle's decision to halt Season 3
*
"Chappelle's No-Show" - Entertainment Weekly article that originally reported on Chappelle's stay at a mental health facility
*
"Durban Renewal" - a follow-up article including Chappelle's side of the story
*
of a Clown" - Newsweek article about Chappelle's show and his disappearance from it
*
Video Clips From Chappelle's Show*
Chappelle Center - Fan website for Dave Chappelle's Show
*
Dave Chappelle profile at Inside The Actors Studio website
*
"Dave Chappelle's Block Party review" *
"Dave Chappelle Video Clips" Full Stand-up routine in San Francisco, about 1hr long.
*
"Dave Chappelle Funny Video Codes"
