J. B. Smoove
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J. B. Smoove | |
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![]() Smoove in April 2014 | |
Born | Jerry Angelo Brooks December 16, 1965 |
Occupation(s) | Actor, writer, comedian, voice actor |
Years active | 1993–present |
Spouse |
Shahidah Omar (m. 2007) |
Children | 1 |
Jerry Angelo Brooks[1][2] (born December 16, 1965),[1][3] better known as J. B. Smoove, is an American actor, writer, comedian, and voice actor. He began his career on Def Comedy Jam in the early 1990s. He is best known for his recurring role as Leon on the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Smoove joined the Season 2 cast of the Fox sitcom 'Til Death in 2008, and was promoted to the main cast for Season 3. He also starred on the CBS sitcom The Millers from 2013-2015. He currently portrays a fictionalized version of himself on the BET improv-comedy reality television parody Real Husbands of Hollywood.
Early life
Smoove was born December 16, 1965 in Plymouth, North Carolina,[4] and grew up in Mount Vernon, New York.[2] He attended Norfolk State University in Virginia. He shortened his name, Jerry Brooks, to "J.B." and added "Smoove" as his last name when he began performing stand-up comedy. J.B. Smoove worked at a custom T-shirt shop (Mrs G's T's) where he printed T-shirts and model trains while developing material for his comedy routine.
Career
Smoove has had recurring roles on Everybody Hates Chris and Saturday Night Live. On SNL, he worked as a writer (and had bit roles in sketches, including playing Jimmy "JJ" Walker in a parody of the 1970s sitcom Good Times) and was a recipient of the 2007 Writers Guild of America award for Best Comedy/Variety Series (Including Talk).
Smoove's film credits include With or Without You, Pootie Tang, Mr. Deeds, Date Night, Hall Pass, The Sitter, We Bought a Zoo, The Dictator, A Haunted House, and Clear History.
He had a major role for seasons two and three on the Fox network sitcom 'Til Death with Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher. In June 2008, he taped several episodes of The Gong Show with Dave Attell as one of the celebrity judges. Smoove was also a cast member on the short-lived sketch comedy program Cedric the Entertainer Presents. Smoove hosted the standup comedy series Russell Simmons Presents: Stand-Up at The El Rey on Comedy Central in July 2010 and also appeared on an episode of The Simpsons titled Angry Dad: The Movie in February 2011. Also in 2011, he starred in the American Dad! episode "The Worst Stan" and appeared in an episode of Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil called "Dude, Where's My Wade." Smoove has been a regular cast member on the HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm since its sixth season in 2007, playing Leon Black.
In 2012, his first televised comedy special, JB Smoove: That's How I Dooz It, premiered on Comedy Central. The DVD of the special was released April 3, 2012. In 2013, Smoove voiced Hackus in The Smurfs 2. Smoove appeared in Movie 43 in the segment "The Proposition" alongside Anna Faris and Chris Pratt. He was the substitute co-host of the New York City morning talk show Good Day New York with Rosanna Scotto on April 9, 2012. He had a cameo as a grave digger in the episode of Louie entitled "Barney/Never". He also played a supporting role in Season 4, Episode 7 "The Vapora Sport" in the American sitcom The League on FX. He plays "Wheelchair Guy", with whom the main characters have recurring comedic run-ins.[5] He also plays one of the "Replacers" for Call Of Duty: Black Ops II. He's also in the show Real Husbands of Hollywood. He hosts a talk show on the MSG Network called "Four Courses With J.B. Smoove". He provides the voice of Dr. Ray D'Angelo Harris, host of the Chakra Attack radio show in the video game Grand Theft Auto V. Smoove appeared in the 2013 film Dealin' with Idiots as "Coach Ted." In 2013, Smoove became a regular cast member of the CBS comedy The Millers, playing the character "Ray".
In the summer of 2014, Smoove hosted the eighth season of the NBC reality series Last Comic Standing.[6]
Filmography
Films
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Lesser Prophets | Chucky | |
1998 | Tomorrow Night | Mel the Mailman | |
2001 | Pootie Tang | Trucky | |
2002 | Mr. Deeds | Reuben | |
2003 | With or Without You | Darnell | |
2003 | The Watermelon Heist | Numbers | |
2004 | Gas | Ignatius | |
2009 | Frankenhood | Leon | |
2010 | Hurricane Season | Team Bus Driver | |
2010 | Date Night | Cabbie | |
2011 | Hall Pass | Flats | |
2011 | We Bought a Zoo | Mr. Stevens | |
2011 | The Sitter | Julio | |
2012 | Think Like a Man | Bartender | |
2012 | The Dictator | Funeral Usher | |
2013 | Movie 43 | Larry | Segment "The Proposition" |
2013 | A Haunted House | Kisha's Dad | |
2013 | Dealin' with Idiots | Coach Ted | |
2013 | The Smurfs 2 | Hackus | Voice only |
2013 | Clear History | Jaspar | |
2014 | Search Party | Berk | |
2014 | Top Five | Silk | |
2015 | Hell and Back | Sal the Demon | Voice only |
2016 | Barbershop: The Next Cut | One-Stop |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1993–2003 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Various | |
1995 | Def Comedy Jam | Himself | Writer |
1998 | Law & Order | Levon | Episode: "Bait" |
2002–2003 | Cedric the Entertainer Presents | Various | 17 episodes |
2003 | Ed | Alvin | Episode: "Second Chances" |
2003–2005 | Saturday Night Live | Various | Writer |
2004–2013 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Himself | |
2005 | Ego Trip's Race-O-Rama | Himself | |
2007–present | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Leon Black | 16 episodes |
2007–2008 | Everybody Hates Chris | Manny | 9 episodes |
2007–2011 | Comics Unleashed | Himself | 4 episodes |
2008–2010 | 'Til Death | Kenny Westchester | 26 episodes |
2008–2013 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Himself | |
2008 | Carpoolers | Parking Attendant | Episode: "Wheel of Fortune" |
2008 | The Gong Show with Dave Attell | Himself | 4 episodes |
2008 | Talkshow with Spike Feresten | Himself | |
2009 | The Wanda Sykes Show | Himself | |
2009 | Castle | Norman Jessup | Episode: "Love Me Dead" |
2009–2011 | American Dad! | Airport Security Guard / Tracey Bryant | 4 episodes |
2010 | America's Next Top Model | Himself | Episode: "America's Next Top Vampire" |
2010 | Glenn Martin DDS | Curtis / Uncle Dexter | Episode: "Step Brother" |
2010 | The Bonnie Hunt Show | Himself | |
2010 | Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | Himself | |
2010 | Lopez Tonight | Himself | |
2011 | The Marriage Ref | Himself | |
2011 | The Simpsons | DJ Kwanzaa | Episode: "Angry Dad: The Movie" |
2011 | In the Flow with Affion Crockett | iDaddy | Episode: "Put the Kids to Bed" |
2011–2013 | Conan | Himself | |
2011–2013 | Funny as Hell | Writer, 2 episodes | |
2012 | J.B. Smoove: That's How I Dooz It | Himself | |
2012 | Last Call with Carson Daly | Himself | |
2012 | Watch What Happens: Live | Himself | |
2012–2013 | The Burn with Jeff Ross | Himself | |
2012 | Black Dynamite | That Frog Kurtis | Episode: "Just Beat It or Jackson Five Across Yo' Eyes" |
2012 | Bent | Clem | 6 episodes |
2012 | Louie | Gravedigger #2 | Episode: "Barney/Never" |
2012 | Robot Chicken | Bosco 'B.A.' Baracus / Satan | Episode: "Crushed by a Steamroller on My 53rd Birthday" |
2012 | The League | DeRon | Episode: "The Vapora Sport" |
2012–2014 | The Wendy Williams Show | Himself | |
2013–present | Real Husbands of Hollywood | Himself | 18 episodes |
2013 | Four Courses with J.B. Smoove | Himself | |
2013 | Kroll Show | Basketball Player | Episode: "Dine & Dash" |
2013 | Chicago Fire | Sergeant Pruit | Episode: "Let Her Go" |
2013 | The Arsenio Hall Show | Himself | |
2013 | The Talk | Himself | |
2013 | Katie | Himself | |
2013–2014 | The Millers | Ray | Main cast |
2014 | Chicago P.D. | Sergeant Pruit | Episode: "Stepping Stone" |
2014–2016 | Talking Dead | Himself | 2 episodes |
2014 | Last Comic Standing | Himself | Host |
2014–present | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Anton Zeck/Bebop | |
2015 | Uncle Drew | Angelo | Episode 4[7] |
2016 | Life in Pieces | Darryl | S1 Episode19: "War Pestilience Famine Death" |
Videogames
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2013 | Grand Theft Auto V | Dr. Ray De Angelo Harris |
2016 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Portal Power | Bebop |
References
- ^ a b https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VCSN-Z69
- ^ a b Itzkoff, Dave (2008-01-27). "He Tells It Like It Is, Even to Larry David". New York Times.
- ^ http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/dec/16/birthdays/?mobile
- ^ The New York Times, "J B Smoove". Accessed July 7, 2014.
- ^ The League | Only On FX
- ^ Bibel, Sara (March 20, 2014). "'Last Comic Standing' Season 8 to Premiere Thursday, May 22 on NBC With Judges Roseanne Barr, Keenen Ivory Wayans & Russell Peters". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Retrieved March 20, 2014.
- ^ Uncle Drew | Chapter 4 | Pepsi
External links
- 1965 births
- American male film actors
- African-American stand-up comedians
- American television writers
- Male television writers
- American male voice actors
- African-American male actors
- American male television actors
- Living people
- Male actors from North Carolina
- Male actors from New York
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- Norfolk State University alumni
- People from Mount Vernon, New York
- People from Washington County, North Carolina