Mark Christopher Lawrence

Mark Christopher Lawrence
Lawrence at the 2011 Comic Con in San Diego.
Born	(1964-05-22) May 22, 1964 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Character actor, stand-up comedian, voice-over artist
Years active	1988-present
Website	markchristopherlawrence.com

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".

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
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, Head Cook
	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
2007–2012	Chuck	Big Mike
2009	Halloween II	Deputy Fred King
2010	Speed-Dating	Dr. Petesmith
2013	Amazing America with Sarah Palin	Co-Host
2016	Pitch	Russell

External links

• Official website
• Mark Christopher Lawrence at AllMovie
• Mark Christopher Lawrence at IMDb
• Mark Christopher Lawrence at TV Guide