Mark Christopher Lawrence
Mark Christopher Lawrence | |
---|---|
![]() Lawrence at the 2011 Comic Con in San Diego. | |
Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | May 22, 1964
Occupation(s) | Character actor, stand-up comedian, voice-over artist |
Years active | 1988-present |
Career | |
Style | Comedian |
Previous show | San Diego Film Awards |
Website | markchristopherlawrence |
Mark Christopher Lawrence (born May 22, 1964) is an American character actor, stand-up comedian and voice-over artist. He is known for his role as esoteric D.J., Tone Def, in the 1994 satirical rap mockumentary, Fear of a Black Hat. He has co-starred in popular films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Tales From the Hood, Planet of the Apes, Lost Treasure and The Pursuit of Happyness.
Lawrence is best known for his role as Big Mike on the NBC series Chuck. He has made guest appearances on many television programs, most notably Heroes, My Name Is Earl, Crossing Jordan, Dharma & Greg, Malcolm in the Middle, Touched by an Angel, Malcolm & Eddie, Men Behaving Badly, Seinfeld, Murphy Brown, Good Luck Charlie and Martin. He is also featured on the Radio Series Adventures in Odyssey as "Ed Washington".[1]
Early life and education
A native of Compton, California, Lawrence and his two siblings were raised by a single mother. In tenth grade, he became involved with his high school’s debate team—immersing himself in forensics competitions and theater. After winning his school district’s Literary Olympiad competition, Lawrence went on to compete at the state and national levels as a member of the Cerritos Community College forensics squad. There he went on to capture the collegiate Bovero-Tabor Award, awarded to the top junior college speaker in the country. Lawrence gained the attention of the University of Southern California’s debate team coaches, and was awarded a full scholarship to attend the university. While at USC, he traveled the nation competing in tournaments. Meanwhile, he was gaining valuable experience in his craft by moonlighting at the Los Angeles Theater Center. There, a Hollywood talent agent noticed his skill and landed Lawrence his first job in television, a role on Hill Street Blues.
After graduation from USC, he worked with the San Francisco Mime Troupe while also performing standup comedy throughout the United States, Australia, and Canada, opening for major acts, such as Jerry Seinfeld and Rodney Dangerfield. Lawrence's work in live theater led to a Dramalogue Award for his performance in Reza Abdoh’s, Minimanta. He won an NAACP award for his work in Ken Davis' The Glass House in 1990. It was this role which attracted the attention of director, James Cameron, who then cast him as the "burly insane asylum attendant" in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | Caddyshack II | Construction Worker #4 | |
1989 | Listen to Me | Attila | |
1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | Burly Attendant | |
Child's Play 3 | Cop | ||
1993 | Fear of a Black Hat | Tone Def | |
1995 | Crimson Tide | Rono, Chief Culinary Specialist | |
Tales from the Hood | Prison Guard | ||
1997 | That Darn Cat | Rollo | |
Sprung | Brotha #3 | ||
1998 | Senseless | Wig Shop Owner | |
1999 | Molly | Angels' Manager | |
Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story | Fats Domino | ||
2001 | Planet of the Apes | Friend at Leo's Party | |
Two Can Play That Game | Lying Man #4 | ||
K-PAX | Simms | ||
2003 | Lost Treasure | Danny G. | |
2004 | Garfield: The Movie | Christopher Mello | |
Christmas with the Kranks | Wes Trogden | ||
Tiger Cruise | Pop | ||
2005 | Fair Game | Wesley | |
The Island | Construction Worker | ||
2006 | The Pursuit of Happyness | Wayne | |
Weeds (TV series) 02x02 | Mike | ||
2007 | My Name Is Earl | Jack Knox | |
2007–2012 | Chuck | Big Mike | |
2009 | Halloween II | Deputy Fred King | |
2010 | Speed-Dating | Dr. Petesmith | |
2013 | Amazing America with Sarah Palin | Co-Host | |
2015 | Murder? [2] | Jason | 2 episodes |
2016 | Pitch | Russell | |
2017 | Stage Fright | TV film |
References
- ^ "Cast & Crew: Mark Christopher Lawrence". The Odyssey Scoop. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
- ^ "bio" (PDF). mildlyfearsomefilms.com. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 1964 births
- African-American male actors
- African-American comedians
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Male actors from Los Angeles County, California
- Living people
- People from Compton, California
- University of Southern California alumni
- Comedians from California
- 21st-century American comedians