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 moved to the working-class area of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn where they settled.[5] His mother, Rosalie (née Tingman), was a teacher and social worker with the mentally handicapped, and his father, Julius Rock, was a former truck driver and newspaper deliveryman.[9] Julius died in 1988 after ulcer surgery.[10] Rock has five younger siblings, Andre, Tony, Brian (a minister), Kenny, Andi, and a half-sibling, Jordan. Rock has said that he was influenced by the performing style of his paternal grandfather, Allen Rock, a preacher.[5][11] His brothers Tony and Kenny are also in the entertainment business.
Rock began doing stand-up comedy in 1985 in New York City's Catch a Rising Star.[5] Rock slowly rose up the ranks of the comedy circuit in addition to earning bit roles in the film I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and the TV series Miami Vice. Upon seeing his act at a nightclub, Eddie Murphy befriended and mentored the aspiring comic. Murphy gave Rock his first film role in Beverly Hills Cop II.
Rock became a cast member of the popular sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live in 1990. He and other new cast members Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, and David Spade became known as the Bad Boys of SNL. In 1991, he released his first comedy album Born Suspect and won acclaim for his dramatic role as a crack addict in the film New Jack City. His tenure on SNL gave Rock national exposure, but he was rarely used on the show, save for his recurring Nat X character. A frustrated Rock left the show in 1993 and joined the predominately African-American sketch show In Living Color. But the show was no longer popular and was cancelled months later. Rock then decided to concentrate on a film career. He wrote and starred in the mockumentary CB4 but the film was not a success. Acting jobs became scarce, and Rock abandoned Hollywood to concentrate on stand-up comedy.
Face value £42.50
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