Kenan Thompson
| Keenan Thompson | |
|---|---|
 Thompson in November 2007 | |
| Born | May 10, 1978 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Medium | television, film |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Genres | Character comedy, Situation Comedy |
Kenan Thompson (born on May 10, 1978) is an American actor and comedian who is currently a cast member of Saturday Night Live. He is also known for his titular role in Fat Albert, his role as a former cast member of All That, and for his starring role as Kenan Rockmore in the sitcom Kenan & Kel. He resides in Los Angeles. He ranks at #88 on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars. He is also a voice actor, starring in Lebron and Kobe Nike commercials with David Alan Grier.
Biography
Early life
Kenan was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Fletcher and Elizabeth Ann Thompson and brother of Marquise Chatman .[1] He began acting at age 5, appearing in the school play The Gingerbread Man.[2] One of his earliest roles was as an entertainment reporter for CNN's "Real News for Kids."[3] While Kenan attended Tri-Cities High School, a Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School, he began filming his first movie, D2: The Mighty Ducks.
Film and TV career
Kenan has starred in several films including Good Burger, based on the All That sketch of the same name, and Fat Albert, in which he played the title character. He has also had supporting roles in the movies Heavyweights, D3: The Mighty Ducks, Love Don't Cost a Thing, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, and Snakes on a Plane. Kenan had a recurring role on The Steve Harvey Show as Junior, with co-star Kel Mitchell. Recently, he returned to Nickelodeon for the show The Mighty B! as the voice of Rocky Rhodes.
In 2009, Thompson will become a regular voice actor in the upcoming Fox cartoon series, Sit Down, Shut Up. He will voice acting principal, "Sue Sezno," who, as evidenced by her last name, always says no.[4] The series premiered on April 19, 2009.[4] Jason Bateman, Kristin Chenoweth, Will Forte, Tom Kenny, Nick Kroll, Cheri Oteri, Will Arnett, and Henry Winkler are the other main cast members.[4]Thompson, also provided the voice for the LeBron James puppet in Nike's MVP "Most Valuable Puppets" commercials, which were produced to be shown throughout the 2009 NBA Playoffs.
Filmography
Television
- All That (1994-1999) - cast member
- Kenan & Kel (1996-2000) - Kenan Rockmore
- The Steve Harvey Show (1996-2002) - guest appearance
- Sister, Sister (1997) - guest appearance
- The Amanda Show (1999) - guest appearance
- Oh Yeah! Cartoons (1999-2000) - host
- Felicity (2001) - guest appearance
- Saturday Night Live (2003-present) - cast member
- The Parkers (2003) - guest appearance
- Wild 'N Out (2006) - guest appearance
- Crank Yankers (2007) - guest appearance
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2007 (2007) - guest appearance
- The Mighty B! (2008-Present) - voice
- Sit Down, Shut Up (2009-present) - Sue Sezno
Film
- D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994) - Russ Tyler
- Heavyweights (1995) - Roy
- D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996) - Russ Tyler
- Good Burger (1997) - Dexter Reed
- Cousin Skeeter (1999) - guest appearance
- The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000) - Lewis
- Big Fat Liar (2002) - party guest
- Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003) - Walter Colley
- My Boss's Daughter (2003) - Hans
- Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) - Kenard
- Fat Albert (film) (2004)- Albert
- Snakes on a Plane (2006) - Troy
- Space Chimps (2008) - voice
- Wieners (2008) - Wyatt
Solo Album
- The Good Times Comedy CD (2002)
Saturday Night Live
Kenan Thompson returned to sketch comedy when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2003. He was a feature player until 2005 (spanning the 29th and 30th seasons), and was promoted to repertory player at the beginning of season 31 (the 2005-2006 season). Thompson is the first cast member to be born after the show's premiere in 1975.
Thompson's recurring characters on Saturday Night Live include: Barbara Birmingham (a chain-smoking nanny with outre advice on disciplining children), DJ Dynasty Handbag from MTV4's Deep House Dish, Jake Denmont (Mrs. Denmont's son on Appalachian Emergency Room), Jean K. Jean (a French Def Comedy Jam performer), Lorenzo McIntosh (a convict hired to scare juvenile delinquents that uses movie references), Oscar Rogers (a financial analyst whose only advice for solving the current economic crisis is to "fix it!"), and Virginiaca Hastings.
Thompson's celebrity impersonations include: Al Roker, Al Sharpton, Aretha Franklin, Barry Bonds, Bernie Mac, Bill Cosby (whom Thompson also impersonated on All That), Charles Barkley, Colin Powell, Don King, Emmanuel Lewis, Flava Flav, Fred Berry, Gary Coleman, George Clinton, George Foreman, James Harrison, Jeremiah Wright, Lil' Kim, Louis Armstrong, Maya Angelou, Michael Clark Duncan, Michael Steele, Nipsey Russell, O.J. Simpson, Patti LaBelle, Plaxico Burress, Randy Jackson, Roland Burris, Sammy Sosa, Serena Williams, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Star Jones, Steve Harvey, Wanda Sykes, Whoopi Goldberg, will.i.am, William "The Refrigerator" Perry, and Donovan McNabb's mother, Wilma.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Kenan Thompson Biography (1978-)
- ^ Kenan Thompson Biography - Yahoo! Movies
- ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/4/Kenan-Thompson.html
- ^ a b c "Sit Down, Shut Up". Fox. Retrieved 2009-04-14.