Eddie Griffin

Infobox actor


imagesize =
caption = Griffin on January 2, 2008
birthname = Eddie Griffin, Jr.
birthdate = birth date and age|1968|7|15
birthplace = Kansas City, Missouri
othername =
yearsactive =
spouse =
homepage =
academyawards =
emmyawards =
tonyawards =

Eddie Griffin (born July 15, 1968) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his sitcom, Malcolm & Eddie, along with co-star, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and his role in the 2002 comedy film, "Undercover Brother" as the film’s title character. He also made headlines in 2007 for crashing a Ferrari Enzo.

Biography

Early life

Griffin was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Doris Thomas and Eddie Griffin, Sr. He has two siblings, Luther and Wilbert. He attended East High School in Kansas City, Missouri, where he was voted class clown three years in a row. His favorite teacher was Mr. Davis, who is currently a teacher at FLA. After marrying at age sixteen, he divorced a year later. Griffin's oldest child, Eddie Jr. (III), was born in 1986. Shortly after his divorce, Eddie joined the Navy but was discharged after a urine test returned positive for drug abuse. Griffin served 6 months in a county jail after getting into a fight at a parade.

Eddie then worked as a choreographer for a dance crew that performed half-time shows for the Kansas City Chiefs. One fateful night, his cousin took him to a comedy club and dared him to get on stage during open mic night. He was originally supposed to be on stage for 3 minutes, but instead performed off-the-cuff for 45 minutes successfully.

Career

Griffin has starred in several movies including "The Meteor Man" (1993), ' (1999), "Double Take" (2001), "Undercover Brother" (2002), "John Q" (2002), "Scary Movie 3" (2003), ' (2005) and "Norbit" (2007). Eddie was set to star alongside Steven Seagal in "Once Upon A Time In The Hood" a thriller set in New Mexico. He also starred in the UPN television series "Malcolm & Eddie" (1996–2000). In addition to his acting credits, he also performed on two tracks from Dr. Dre's 1999 album, "2001". He also has appeared on commercials for Miller Beer's Man Laws. Griffin is well-known for his comedic routine of imitating Michael Jackson being on crack cocaine.

He is generally considered a talented stand-up comic, displaying a flamboyant, cinematic style. He was ranked at number 62 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429332/ Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time] ]

Personal life

Griffin crashed a rare Ferrari Enzo while practicing for a charity racing event on March 26, 2007. [ [http://www.toxicjunction.com/get.asp?i=V2207 Eddie Griffin crashes $1.5M Ferrari Enzo] March 27, 2007] Following the event, Griffin left the car unharmed and joked about his inability to drive (referring to himself in the third person with pseudonym "Undercover Brother" as he also does in the film). The Enzo belonged to film producer Daniel Sadek, writer and producer of the film "Redline", a film Griffin is in, which bears the car on its promotional poster. On the show World's Dumbest Drivers he got voted number 1 (the dumbest driver) for doing this.

Griffin has joint-custody of his son, Eddie III., with his ex-wife.

As of August 2008, he mentions during his standup act that he has eight children: Five boys and three girls.

Griffin was proven to be the father of an Autistic Canadian boy in early 2004. [ [http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Artists/G/Griffin_Eddie/2004/01/14/758742.html Yes, he is the daddy] ]

During a 2007 event sponsored by "Black Enterprise" magazine, Eddie Griffin was ejected by Earl Graves, owner/publisher of "Black Enterprise". Griffin had begun to deliver a speech which was heavily included with the word nigger. Mr. Graves stormed the stage and removed Griffin stating "We ... will not allow our culture to go backwards ... We will pay Mr. Griffin all that we owe him but we will not allow him to finish the show if that's the way he's going to talk." [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2164136,00.html Report on Black Enterprise event] Sept 7, 2007]

Filmography

*"The Last Boy Scout" (1991)
*"Brain Donors" (1992)
*"The Meteor Man" (1993)
*"House Party 3" (1994)
*"Jason's Lyric" (1994)
*"The Walking Dead" (1995)
*"Armageddon" (1998)
*"" (1999)
*"The Mod Squad" (1999)
*"Foolish" (1999)
*"All Jokes Aside" (2000) (documentary)
*"Picking Up the Pieces" (2000)
*"Double Take" (2001)
*"John Q" (2002)
*"The New Guy" (2002)
*"Undercover Brother" (2002)
*"Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio" (2002)... as The Cat (English voice)
*"Dysfunktional Family" (2003) (documentary)
*"Scary Movie 3" (2003)
*"Blast" (2004)
*"My Baby's Daddy" (2004)
*"The Wendell Baker Story" (2005)
*"" (2005)
*"Date Movie" (2006)
*"Irish Jam" (2006)
*"Norbit" (2007)
*"Redline" (2007)
*"I'm Rick James" (2007) (documentary)
*"Urban Justice" (2007)
*"Freedom of Speech" (2007)
*"Redline" (2008)

Television work

*"Malcolm & Eddie" (1996–2000)
*"The Year Without a Santa Claus" (2006)

Discography

"The Message"
*Released: March 9, 1999
*Label: Warner Bros|Wea
*Billboard 200 chart position:
*R&B/Hip-Hop chart position:

"Message in the Hat"
*Released: July 27, 1993
*Label: Sony
*Billboard 200 chart position:
*R&B/Hip-Hop chart position:

Album appearances

*1996 "Intro" (from D.O.C. album "Helter Skelter")
*1998 "DP Gangsta" (from Snoop Dogg & C-Murder) album "Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told")
*1999 "Bar One" (with Traci Nelson and Ms. Roq) (from Dr. Dre album "2001")
*1999 "Ed-ucation" (from Dr. Dre album "2001")
*2002 "Bitch Ass Niggaz" (from Xzibit album "Man vs. Machine (album)")
*2003 "I Thought U Knew" (with Crooked I, Eastwood & The Dramatics) album "Dysfunktional Family") (Various artists)
*2003 "Dys-Funk-Tional" (from Spider Loc & Eddie Griffin) album "Dysfunktional Family") (Various artists)

ee also

*"All Jokes Aside" Documentary

References

* [http://www.marksfriggin.com/news01/1-8-01.htm Howard Stern Radio Show, January 8, 2001]

External links

*imdb name|id=0341176|name=Eddie Griffin
* [http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=[e-mail] Eddie's Crash in the Enzo Ferrari]
* [http://www.tmz.com/2007/03/27/was-this-crash-a-hoax/ Was Griffin's Crash a Hoax?]
* [http://www.eddiegriffin.tv Eddie's official fan club]