Cedric Antonio Kyles
(born April 24, 1964), best known by his stage name, Cedric the Entertainer,
is an American actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known as the co-star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show
, as Eddie in the Barbershop
films, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy
.
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CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER TICKETS
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Personal life
Cedric was born in
Jefferson City, Missouri, the son of Rosetta, a reading specialist, and Kitrell Kyles, an employee of
AT&T.
[1] His younger sister, Sharita Kyles Wilson, is married and resides in Columbia, MO.
He was raised in Caruthersville, Missouri, but after Jr High School he moved to
Berkeley, Missouri. Cedric is a 1982 graduate of
Berkeley High School in
Berkeley, Missouri. He continues his involvement with his high school by awarding a scholarship each year to a graduating senior through his Cedric the Entertainer Charitable Foundation Inc. The foundation's motto is, "Reaching Out...Giving Back." Cedric majored in Mass Communication at
Southeast Missouri State University and worked as a State Farm insurance claims adjuster, and substitute High School teacher before becoming a full-time comedian. He is also a member of
Kappa Alpha Psi. He is married to Lorna Wells and they have two children, Croix and Lucky Rose, and an older daughter Tiara from a previous relationship.
Career
In 1992, he made his first
TV appearance on
It's Showtime at the Apollo
. Soon after, he appeared on
HBO's
Def Comedy Jam
and
BET's ComicView
, which he would later host for the 1993-94 season. Cedric was one of the Grand Prize Winners of the
Miller Lite Comedy Search along with fellow comedian,
Bernie Mac. In 1994, Cedric also won the
Richard Pryor Comic of the Year Award from
BET.
In 1996, Cedric moved into acting, playing
Steve Harvey's friend, Cedric Jackie Robinson, on his
sitcom,
The Steve Harvey Show
. His acting career grew and he began appearing in
movies, including
Dr. Dolittle 2
,
Barbershop
,
Barbershop 2
,
Ride
,
Serving Sara
,
Johnson Family Vacation
,
Intolerable Cruelty
,
Man of the House
,
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
,
Madagascar
and
Be Cool
. Cedric was the subject of controversy when his
Barbershop
character made unsavory remarks regarding
Martin Luther King and
Rosa Parks. These comments were spoken in character, were part of the script, and he has never apologized for them. In the 2005 animated film
Madagascar
, Cedric voiced Maurice the
aye-aye. In October 2005, Cedric joined the
Champ Car auto racing series as a part owner. Cedric appeared in the movie
Charlotte's Web
as the voice of Golly the gander. While his acting career grew, Cedric continued stand-up and traveled the country as one of the
Kings of Comedy
headliners, with
Steve Harvey,
D.L. Hughley and
Bernie Mac. The act was later made into a film by
Spike Lee called
The Original Kings of Comedy
. Cedric briefly had his own sketch comedy show called
Cedric the Entertainer Presents
, but it never caught on and was canceled after one season. The show had been renewed for a second season, but
Fox canceled it before the season began. He then appeared in the 2003
Sony PlayStation 2 video game
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004. His most recent
HBO Comedy Special was titled
Cedric "The Entertainer": Taking You Higher
. Two of the background dancers from the special were Kamilah Barrett and Sandra Colton, who were also finalists in
Fox's
So You Think You Can Dance
.
Cedric recently appeared in the film
Code Name: The Cleaner
, a comedy in which he plays Jake, a janitor with amnesia who may be a secret undercover government agent involved in an illegal arms conspiracy. The film flopped, grossing under $10,000,000 out of its $20,000,000 budget. He then most recently starred in the 2008 films
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
and the box-office hit
Street Kings
.
Cedric appeared as the lead comedian at the White House Correspondence Dinner but jokingly remarked that he was unprepared because he thought that he would follow a humorous speech by President George W. Bush but instead followed First Lady Laura Bush, who he commented was very funny.
Cedric the Entertainer was inducted to the
St. Louis Walk of Fame on June 7, 2008. His star is located at 6166 Delmar.
[2]
In March 2000 Cedric filmed his Directorial Debut with
Chicago Pulaski Jones, produced and funded indepently by his company Bird and a Bear Entertainment with Producer Eric C. Rhone.
Cedric was recently seen in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's "
American Buffalo," the story of three small-time crooks that come to blows during a plot to steal a valuable coin collection.
[3]
Filmography
- Ride
(1998)
- Big Momma's House
(2000)
- The Original Kings of Comedy
(2000)
- Kingdom Come
(2001)
- Serving Sara
(2002)
- Ice Age (film)
(2002) (voice)
- Intolerable Cruelty
(2003)
- Barbershop 2: Back in Business
(2004)
- Johnson Family Vacation
(2004)
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
(2004)
- Be Cool
(2005)
- Madagascar
(2005) (voice)
- Man of the House
(2005)
- The Honeymooners
(2005)
- Charlotte's Web
(2006) (voice)
- Code Name:The Cleaner
(2007)
- Talk to Me
(2007)
- Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
(2008)
- Street Kings
(2008)
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
(2008) (voice)
- Cadillac Records
(2008)
Television
- It's Showtime at the Apollo
(1987-present) - Himself
- Def Comedy Jam
(1992-1997) - Himself
- Comic View
(1992-present) - Himself
- The Steve Harvey Show
(1996-2002) - Cedric J. Robinson
- Cedric the Entertainer Presents
(2002) - Himself
- The Proud Family
(Voice) (2001-2004) - Uncle Bobby Proud
- Un-broke: What You Need To Know About Money
(2009 television special) - Himself
See also
- All Jokes Aside Documentary
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References
- Cedric The Entertainer Biography (1964?-)
- St. Louis Walk of Fame Induction page
- Playbill 19 Aug 2008