Martin Lawrence Biography
Summary
"Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence" (born April 16, 1965) is an actor, comedian, director and producer. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor.
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 father, John Lawrence, served in the US military. He has three siblings, Robert, Rae and Ursula. When Lawrence was seven, his father left the military and the family moved from Germany back to the United States, settling in Landover, Maryland, in the Washington, D.C., area. After his parents divorced in 1973, Lawrence rarely saw his father, who worked as a police officer. His mother, Chlora, worked several jobs, including as a sales representative and cashier at various department stores, to support her family. During his teen years, Lawrence excelled at boxing. While living in Maryland, he attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School and also Friendly High School, and lived in Apple Grove, becoming a Mid-Atlantic Golden Gloves boxing contender.
Career
Lawrence moved to California 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, Steve Harvey and Cedric The Entertainer) mainstream exposure.
Around the same time he was cast in the "Def Comedy Jam" role, Lawrence appeared in his own hit series, "Martin", which aired on Fox. The show ran from 1992 to 1997 and was considered a success. He also hosted "Saturday Night Live" on February 19, 1994, where he made crude remarks on women's genitalia and personal hygiene. The monologue was later completely edited out of reruns and syndicated versions. As a result, Lawrence was banned from the show for life. After "Martin" ended its run, Lawrence worked on many film projects. He has starred or co-starred in many movies alongside Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, and Tim Robbins. Many of his films were blockbusters (including "Bad Boys" (1995) and Bad boys 2 in 2003"Martin Lawrence Live Runteldat in 2002 and boomerang a film in which he did with Eddie Murphy in 1992 Big Momma's House" (2000), and his salary increased dramatically to over $10 million per role. He continues to work in film, with his recent films including "Big Momma's House 2", which opened #1 at the North American box office and grossed almost $28 million its first weekend, and "Wild Hogs" (2007), where he played a bored suburbanite looking for adventure on the open road in a biker comedy alongside John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy.
News
In 2006, Lawrence appeared on a talk show where he was requested by the studio audience, to act out his famous characters he played on his "Martin" television show. To a great deal of excitement and cheering from the studio audience, Lawrence ( performed) most of his characters again, out of wardrobe and with no lines. The audience became particularly excited when Lawrence acted out his "Momma Payne", "Sheneneh Jenkins", and "Jerome" characters. During the interview, when yet another character was named off for him to act out, Lawrence mentioned how he was surprised at how many characters he used to perform on the show. There were a couple more funny characters of Lawrence's that he didn't act out, such as the abrasive security guard, ( Otis) . Once his "Martin" show ended, Lawrence never brought back any of his characters for another TV series or movie.
Personal life
He married Patricia Southall, a former Miss Virginia winner in January of 1995. They divorced in September 1997. Lawrence has a daughter named Jasmine Page with Patricia who was born on January 15, 1996. Lawrence also has two other daughters born in 2001 and 2003.
While filming "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate", Lawrence had a violent outburst on the set and began taking drugs. He became increasingly erratic and was arrested after he reportedly brandished a pistol and screamed at tourists on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles. He was also arrested at Burbank Airport for carrying a loaded gun in his suitcase. In March of 1997, Lawrence was arrested again after allegedly assaulting a man in a Hollywood nightclub. After racking up several other arrests, he checked into drug rehab and divorced his wife.
In late 1996, Lawrence's "Martin" co-star Tisha Campbell filed a lawsuit against Lawrence and the show's producers, claiming that Lawrence sexually harassed her to the point where she feared for her life. HBO Studios eventually settled the case with Campbell so that they could complete what would be the show's final season.
In August 1999, Lawrence went into a three-day coma after collapsing from heat exhaustion while jogging in 100-degree heat with several layers of heavy clothing. He recovered in the hospital from near death and running a body temperature of a seemingly impossible 107 °F (41.7 °C), his breathing assisted by a respirator.
Filmography
"Do the Right Thing" (1989)
"House Party" (1990)
"Talkin' Dirty After Dark" (1991)
"House Party 2" (1991)
"Boomerang" (1992)
"You So Crazy" (1994)
"Bad Boys" (1995)
"A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" (1996) (also director and writer)
"Nothing to Lose" (1997)
"Life" (1999)
"Blue Streak" (1999)
"Big Momma's House" (2000)
"What's the Worst That Could Happen?" (2001)
"Black Knight" (2001)
"Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat" (2002)
"National Security" (2003)
"Bad Boys II" (2003)
"Rebound" (2005)
"Big Momma's House 2" (2006)
"Open Season", as Boog. (2006)
"Wild Hogs" (2007)
Upcoming
"College Road Trip" (2008)
"Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" (2008) (a.k.a The Better Man)
"Wild Hogs 2" (2009)
"National Security 2 " (2009)
"Bad Boys 3" (TBA)
"Martin " (Coming Soon)
Television
"What's Happening Now!!" (cast member from 1987-1988)
"A Little Bit Strange" (1989) (unsold pilot)
"Hammer, Slammer, & Slade" (1990) (unsold pilot)
"Private Times" (1991) (unsold pilot)
"Martin" (1992-1997)
"Def Comedy Jam" (host from 1992-1993)
Albums
"Martin Lawrence Live Talkin' Sh/t!" (1993)
"Funk It" (1995)
Awards and nominations
Blockbuster Entertainment Award
*nominated with Eddie Murphy for Favorite Comedy Team (2000) for the movie "Life"
*nominated for Favorite Actor (2001) for the movie "Big Momma's House"
NAACP Image Award
*won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1995) for the series "Martin"
*won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1996) for the series "Martin"
*nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1997) for the series "Martin"
Kids' Choice Award
*nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1995) for the series "Martin"
*nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1996) for the series "Martin"
*nominated for Favorite Movie Actor (2001) for the movie "Big Momma's House"
MTV Movie Award
*nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Duo (1996) for the movie "Bad Boys"
*nominated for the movie "Big Momma's House"
*nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Team (2003) for the movie "Bad Boys II"
ShoWest - Male Star of Tomorrow (1995)
Teen Choice Award - nominated for Wipeout Scene of the Summer (2000) for the movie "Big Momma's House"
BET Comedy Award - Icon Comedy Award (2005)
External links
(interview: January 25, 2006) on the Tavis Smiley show
(Martin Lawrence HBO Stand-Up Special Videos)
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Martin Lawrence.
