Christopher Julius Rock III (born
February 7,
1965)
[Note: Reliable sources differ on his year of birth. In his book, Rock This!, Rock gives his birth date as February 7, 1966. But Rock stated he was 42 years old on his February 2007 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.] is an
American comedian,
actor,
screenwriter,
television producer,
film producer and
director. He was voted by
Comedy Central as the fifth greatest stand-up comedian of all time.
Early life
Rock was born in
Andrews, South Carolina. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to
Crown Heights, Brooklyn,
New York. A few years later, they relocated and settled in the
working-class area of
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
His mother, Rosalie (
née Tingman), was a teacher and social worker with the mentally handicapped; his father, Julius Rock, was a former truck driver and newspaper deliveryman.
Julius died in 1988 after
ulcer surgery.
His younger brothers
Tony and Kenny
[Kenny Rock at the Internet Movie Database] are also in the entertainment business. His older brother, Charles, died in 2006 due to a long struggle with
alcoholism.
Rock has said that he was influenced by the performing style of his paternal grandfather, Allen Rock, a
preacher.
