Chris Rock

Chris Rock's no-holds-barred approach to stand-up comedy -- and his extraordinary work ethic -- has earned him comparisons to Richard Pryor and George Carlin, and made him one of the most successful acts in the United States. Brooklyn-raised Rock got his start in New York nightclubs in the late 1980s. He became nationally known thanks to the television comedy shows Saturday Night Live (1989-92) and In Living Color (1993-94), as well as brief appearances in several movies during the '90s (including a dramatic role as a drug addict in the 1991 drama New Jack City). Frequent touring and HBO specials made Rock famous for edgy material on social and political issues, especially racism (Rock, an African-American, has been called an "equal opportunity offender"). A Grammy winner (2000's Bigger and Blacker and 2005's Never Scared), an Emmy winner (1997's Bring the Pain) and an author (1997's Rock This), Rock's also a bit of a movie star, with credits that include CB4 (1993), Bad Company (2001, with Anthony Hopkins) and Head of State (2003, which he also directed). Rock was chosen to host the 2005 Academy Awards show, following in the footsteps of Billy Crystal, Johnny Carson and Bob Hope.