Martin Lawrence Biography

Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence (born April 16, 1965) is an African-American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand-up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably in the films House Party, Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House. Lawrence has had numerous film roles and his own highly-rated television series "Martin (TV series)," which aired on the Fox network from 1992 to 1998.

Early life

Lawrence, the second of six children, was born in Frankfurt am Main, on April 16, 1965, to American parents. He was named after civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and U.S. President John F. Kennedy. His father John Lawrence served in the U.S. military. After his parents divorced when he was eight years old, Lawrence rarely saw his father, who worked as a police officer. His mother Chlora Lawrence (née Bailey, July 24, 1930 " August 28, 2008) began working several jobs to support her family. During his teen years Lawrence excelled at boxing. He lived in Maryland, and attended Thomas G. Pullen School of Creative and Performing Arts (Landover, Maryland), Fairmont Heights High School (Fairmont Heights, Maryland), Eleanor Roosevelt High School, and Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Maryland, becoming a Mid-Atlantic Golden Gloves boxing contender. He seriously considered a professional career until he suffered an eye injury that prompted him to reconsider.

Career

Lawrence moved to Denver, Colorado and found his way to the legendary Kings Wood comedy club. Shortly after appearing at the Wood, he won a performance spot on Star Search. He did well on the show and made it to the final round, but didn't win. However, executives at Columbia TriStar Television saw Martin's performance and offered him the role of "Maurice" on the television sitcom What's Happening Now!!; this was his first acting job. Upon cancellation of that show, Lawrence found bit parts in various films and television series. His breakthrough role was as Cee in the Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing. Other roles followed in films such as the House Party series, Talkin' Dirty After Dark, and the Eddie Murphy vehicle Boomerang. During this period, entertainment mogul Russell Simmons selected him to host the groundbreaking series Def Comedy Jam on HBO. Def Comedy Jam gave many comedians (including Chris Tucker, Dave Chappelle, Mike Epps, Bernie Mac and Cedric the Entertainer) mainstream exposure.

During his stint with Def Comedy Jam, Lawrence appeared in his own hit series, Martin, which aired on Fox TV. The show ran from 1992 to 1997 and was an enormous success. Martin was the flagship of Fox's Thursday-night line-up, which drew millions of viewers away from NBC's "Must See TV" line-up. He hosted Saturday Night Live on February 19, 1994, where he made crude remarks about women's genitalia and personal hygiene; the monologue was completely edited out of NBC reruns and syndicated versions, and Lawrence was banned from the show for life. Martin's ratings continued to skyrocket so much that Fox became more of a contender against NBC and came closer to being considered among the top television networks.

After Martin ended its run in 1997, Lawrence found ample work in comedy films. He often starred as the second lead opposite actors including Eddie Murphy and Tim Robbins. Many of his films were blockbusters at the box office, including Nothing to Lose, Life, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House. He also starred in critical- and box-office failures including, What's the Worst That Could Happen?, Black Knight and National Security. Regardless, his salary steadily increased to over $10 million per film role. He continues to work in film, with such films as Big Momma's House 2, which opened at #1 at North American box office and grossed almost $28 million its first weekend, and Wild Hogs (2007), in which he plays a bored suburbanite seeking adventure on the open road in a biker comedy alongside John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy.

In 2006, Lawrence appeared on Inside the Actors Studio, during which Lawrence briefly brought back to life some of the characters he'd portrayed on Martin.

In 2008, Lawrence starred in Disney's College Road Trip co-starring with Raven-Symoné. This was his first G-rated film. Even so, it is not his first time appearing in a children's film; he supplied a voice for Open Season (2006) opposite Ashton Kutcher.

At the 2009 BET Awards he appeared in a spoof movie trailer with Jamie Foxx for a fictional movie, The Skank Robbers, that featured their respective television characters Sheneneh Jenkins and Ugly Wanda. In 2010, Fox announced that it was producing a film based on the sketch, featuring Foxx, Lawrence, and actress Halle Berry.

In 2011, Lawrence reprised his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner in Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, the third film in the Big Momma's House series.

In January 2013, it was announced that Lawrence and Kelsey Grammer are considering pairing up to star in a comedy for Lionsgate TV. The series will likely follow the same production model as Charlie Sheen's Anger Management, which is also produced by Lionsgate TV. That show was recently given a hardy back-90 pickup following its initial 10-episode order. In March 2013, it was announced that television producers/writers Robert Boyett and Robert Horn are on board, writing and executive producing. They have worked on the popular hit sitcoms Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, Full House, and Designing Women. The as-yet-untitled sitcom pairs the two actors as Chicago lawyers from "vastly different backgrounds who unexpectedly meet in court on the worst day of their lives," according to a network description. The show is expected to debut in 2014.

Personal life

Relationships and family

Lawrence was engaged to actress Lark Voorhies in 1993. He married Patricia Southall, a former Miss Virginia USA, in 1995. Lawrence and Southall have one child together, daughter Jasmin Page (born January 15, 1996). They divorced in 1997. In 1997, Lawrence began a relationship with Shamicka Gibbs. They married on July 10, 2010 at Lawrence's Beverly Hills home. Actors Eddie Murphy and Denzel Washington were among the 120 wedding guests; R&B chanteuse Shanice serenaded the couple with the Minnie Riperton classic "Lovin' You." Lawrence and Gibbs have two daughters: Iyanna Faith (born November 9, 2000) and Amara Trinity (born August 20, 2002). Lawrence filed for divorce from Gibbs on April 25, 2012, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for joint legal and physical custody of the children.

Lawrence owns a farm near Purcellville, Virginia. For many years, he owned a large mansion in the exclusive Beverly Park community, but sold it in June 2012 following his divorce.

Legal and health problems

In July 1995, while on the set filming A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Lawrence lashed out in a violent rage and was then hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

On May 8, 1996, he became increasingly erratic and was arrested after he brandished a pistol in the middle of an intersection on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles, screaming, "They're trying to kill me!" He was again hospitalized, with his public-relations agent citing exhaustion and dehydration as the reasons for this episode. On August 19, 1996, he was arrested at Burbank Airport for carrying a loaded gun in his suitcase. In March 1997, Lawrence was arrested again after punching a man in a Hollywood nightclub.

In 1997, Lawrence's Martin co-star Tisha Campbell-Martin filed a lawsuit against Lawrence and the show's producers for sexual harassment and verbal and physical assaults. HBO Studios settled the lawsuit out of court so the show's final season could be completed. Campbell-Martin agreed to complete the season on the condition that she not appear in any scenes with Lawrence for the duration. No criminal charges were ever filed and the accusations were never brought to court.

During August 1999, Lawrence slipped into a three-day coma after collapsing from heat exhaustion while jogging in 100-degree heat while wearing several layers of heavy clothing. He recovered in the hospital after nearly dying due to a body temperature of 107°F (41.7°C), his breathing assisted by a respirator.

Television

• What's Happening Now!! (cast member from 1987"1988) " Maurice Warfield
• A Little Bit Strange (1989) (unsold pilot) - Sydney Masterson
• Kid 'n Play - Wiz, Hurbie
• Hammer, Slammer, & Slade (1990) - Willie
• Private Times (1991) (unsold pilot)
• Def Comedy Jam (host from 1992"1993)
• Martin (1992"1997) " Martin Payne
• Love That Girl! (2010-2011) (executive producer) - Uncle Gerald
• Untitled Martin Lawrence / CBS Sitcom (2012) (unsold pilot) - Ray Barker
• Untitled Kelsey Grammer & Martin Lawrence FX Sitcom - pre-production

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
1989	Do the Right Thing	Cee
1990	House Party	Bilal
1991	Talkin' Dirty After Dark	Terry Wilson
1991	House Party 2	Bilal
1992	Boomerang	Tyler Hawkins
1994	You So Crazy	Himself	Stand-up special Executive producer and writer
1995	Bad Boys	Det. Marcus Burnett
1996	A Thin Line Between Love and Hate	Narrator/Darnell Wright	Also director, executive producer, music supervisor, and writer
1997	Nothing to Lose	Terrance Paul Davidson
1999	Life	Claude Banks
1999	Blue Streak	Miles Logan/Detective Malone
1999	Girl's Best Friend by Jay-Z	Miles Logan as "The Pizza Man" / Himself	Music video
2000	Big Momma's House	Malcolm Turner/Big Momma	Also executive producer
2001	What's the Worst That Could Happen?	Kevin Caffrey
2001	Black Knight	Jamal Walker/Skywalker
2002	Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat	Himself	Also executive producer Stand-up special
2003	National Security	Earl Montgomery	Also executive producer
2003	Bad Boys II	Det. Marcus Burnett
2005	Rebound	Roy McCormick/Preacher Don	Also executive producer
2006	Big Momma's House 2	Malcolm Turner/Big Momma
2006	Open Season	Boog	Voice only Animation debut
2007	Wild Hogs	Bobby Davis
2008	Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins	Dr. R.J. Stevens/Roscoe Steven Jenkins, Jr.
2008	College Road Trip	Chief James Porter
2010	Death at a Funeral	Ryan Barnes
2011	Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son	Malcolm Turner/Big Momma

Albums

Years	Album	Chart positions
		US	US Hip-Hop
1993	Martin Lawrence Live Talkin' Shit	76	10
1995	Funk It	"	35

Awards and nominations

• Blockbuster Entertainment Award
  • nominated with Eddie Murphy for Favorite Comedy Team (2000) for the movie Life
  • nominated for Favorite Actor (2001) for the movie Big Momma's House
• NAACP Image Award
  • won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1995) for the series Martin
  • won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1996) for the series Martin
  • nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1997) for the series Martin
• Kids' Choice Award
  • nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1995) for the series Martin
  • nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1996) for the series Martin
  • nominated for Favorite Movie Actor (2001) for the movie Big Momma's House
• MTV Movie Award
  • nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Duo (1999) for the movie Bad Boys
  • nominated for the movie Big Momma's House
  • nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Team (2003) for the movie Bad Boys II
• ShoWest " Male Star of Tomorrow (1995)
• Teen Choice Award " nominated for Wipeout Scene of the Summer (2000) for the movie Big Momma's House
• BET Comedy Award " won Icon Comedy Award (2005)