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Tracy Morgan

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Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan, 2008
OccupationActor/Comedian
Years active1993–present
SpouseSabrina Morgan (1985-2008)

Tracy Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his work on the TV series Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock on which he plays Tracy Jordan.

Early life and career

Morgan was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jimmy Morgan, a musician.[1] After attending De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx, he was discovered in 1984 while doing stand-up at The Apollo.[2] Before Tracy began his career he worked in New York City as a painter working for L&L Painting and Rose Company.

Tracy Morgan began his career on Martin, where he played Hustle Man. The character sold random items he had from the 'hood, always greeting people with his trademark "What's happ'n, chief?" and had a pet chihuahua that he dressed as a rapper. In the 2003 Chris Rock film Head of State, Morgan appeared as a man watching television, often questioning why they are not watching Martin.

Tracy was also a regular cast member on "Uptown Comedy Club", a sketch comedy show filmed in Harlem, New York City which aired from 1992 to 1994 on various channels. He was also on the HBO show Snaps.

Saturday Night Live

Morgan joined the cast of comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1996, where he performed as a regular until 2003. Morgan performed a variety of characters on the program, including Brian Fellow(s), Dominican Lou, Bishop Don "Mack" Donald (from Pimp Chat), Astronaut Jones, African Andy, Benny the Bengal, and Woodrow (a homeless man who lives in the sewer, and, despite his mental illness, is nice to the female celebrities [Britney Spears and Kate Hudson] he invites to his "home"). Morgan is also credited with impressions of Aretha Franklin, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou, Samuel L. Jackson, Louis Armstrong, Mike Tyson, Judge Greg Mathis, Lou Bega, Mr. T, Tito Jackson, Petri Hawkins-Byrd, Star Jones, and Al Sharpton. On March 14, 2009, Morgan returned to SNL as host and reprised his roles of Brian Fellow and Astronaut Jones.

Other work

Morgan had his own show, The Tracy Morgan Show, in 2003, which was canceled after one season.

Morgan also had a stand-up special entitled "One Mic" that was shown on Comedy Central. Morgan was the host of the first Spike Guys' Choice Awards, which aired on June 13 2007. In 2003, he was on an episode of Punk'd in which his car was towed from the valet parking. He can be heard as "Spoonie Luv" on the Comedy Central program Crank Yankers and as Woof in the MTV2 Animated Series Where My Dogs At?.

Morgan acted in commercials for ESPN NFL 2K, ESPN NBA 2K, and ESPN NHL 2K, where he co-starred with Warren Sapp, Ben Wallace and Jeremy Roenick. He appeared in the movie The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler, as a transvestite inmate. Morgan is currently a cast member of the NBC television show 30 Rock, playing the character Tracy Jordan, a caricature of himself.

Morgan has hosted the VH1 Hip Hop Honors for 4 consecutive years.

Morgan hosted the third season of Scare Tactics, the Sci Fi Channel's hidden camera show that "punks" people by using their worst fears against them.

Personal life

Morgan claims to have a number of tattoos, including: a peace sign; a happy and sad face; a cross bearing the names of his wife and three sons; the name of a friend he played football with in high school who was murdered; the words ME, MYSELF, & I on his back; and the word Stove Top tattooed on his penis.[3]

Morgan married his high school sweetheart Sabrina in 1985. The couple filed for divorce in 2007 following Morgan's string of legal and alcohol troubles; after a brief reconciliation, the split was finalized in January 2008. They have three sons together, Malcolm, Gitrid, and Tracy Jr.. In 1996, he was diagnosed with diabetes, but refused to take medication or change his diet. After running a 104-degrees fever on the set of 30 Rock, Morgan decided to finally comply with his doctor's orders. He is now very cautious when it comes to the condition. With his blessing, many of Morgan's own troubles have been incorporated within episodes of 30 Rock.[4]

On February 18, 2009, Morgan's 16th floor Upper West Side apartment caught fire when a faulty lightbulb above his shark tank shorted out and sparked.[5][6] Morgan was home at the time of the fire.[5] The building's internal sprinkler system activated and extinguished most of the fire. However, it took 80 firefighters about 30 minutes to fully extinguish it. No one was injured (including the sharks).[5][6]

Alcohol abuse

On December 2, 2005, Morgan was arrested in Hollywood and charged with D.U.I. as well as possession of a dangerous narcotic. He later pled no contest to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge and disturbing the peace.[7] On November 28, 2006, Morgan was again arrested and charged with DWI, this time in Manhattan.[8]

On May 10, 2007, a female disc jockey in Miami filed a misdemeanor battery complaint against Morgan, saying he groped her in a radio station studio. Morgan's shows for that night and the next night at the Improv Comedy Club in Coconut Grove were cancelled. As of May 10, 2007, police have not yet decided whether to file charges.[9] According to reports from the scene, Morgan smelled of alcohol, a potential violation of his probation for a DUI charge. Morgan had already been scheduled to be fitted with a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM) ankle bracelet on May 25 in Los Angeles, to test his skin for alcohol vapors every 30 minutes for 90 days. On September 19, 2007 Morgan has been ordered to wear the monitoring bracelet for another 80 days as a result of the comedian admitting that he had violated a prior agreement to abstain from alcohol.[10] Repeat violations can result in a jail sentence.[11] While being interviewed by TV Guide prior to the 2009 Golden Globes, Morgan stated that he hadn't "had a drink in over a year".[citation needed]

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Is Tracy Morgan NBC's next breakout star? | Tracy Morgan | Television News | TV | Entertainment Weekly
  2. ^ 20 Things You Don't Know About Tracy Morgan| VH1
  3. ^ Tracy Morgan: Naughty Boy Maxim, January 15, 2009
  4. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (October 28, 2008). "For Tracy Morgan, Every Day Is a Show". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 March 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b c New York Daily News article: "Fire at Tracy Morgan's apartment sparked by faulty bulb in shark tank"
  6. ^ a b MSNBC article: "Tracy Morgan's Pad Scorched by Burning Fish Tank".
  7. ^ `30 Rock' Star Charged With DWI
  8. ^ wcbstv.com - Former 'SNL' Star Arraigned On DWI Charges
  9. ^ http://www.miamiherald.com/776/story/104515.html
  10. ^ SFGate: Daily Dish : Morgan Punished for Violating Probation
  11. ^ E! News - Tracy Morgan a Wanted Man in Florida
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