Chris Tucker Biography

Chris Tucker was born on August 31, 1971, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Norris Tucker Sr. and Mary Louis (ne’e Bryant). He was raised in Decatur, Georgia, along with his five siblings. Tucker is the youngest son of his parents and he has a native American ancestry.

He made his film debut with the 1994 movie ‘House Party 111’ where he performed for 90 seconds as the outrageous party promoter ‘Johnny Booze’. Tucker was highly praised by critics for the role and also received standing ovation at press screenings in the film’s public promotions.

Tucker gained recognition for his role as ‘Smokey’ in the comedy film ‘Friday’ starring Ice Cube. The film was about a day in the life of a misbehaving and carefree drug dealer named Smokey who is a constant habitual marijuana smoker.

In 1995, Chris was offered the role of ‘Skip’ a heroin addict, a college drop-out and an ex-US Marine Corps in the Albert and Allen Hughes directed crime thriller film ‘Dead Presidents’. He added humour to the film and the critics found his dialogue delivery to be similar to Richard Pryoresque style. The film was well received by audiences and critics and it was a moderate hit.

Chris appeared as the funny cross-dressed Disc Jockey ‘Ruby Rhod’ who shows-off about hosting an endless TV show in the 1997 science-fiction film ‘The Fifth Element’ co-starring Bruce Willis. This film received positive response from critics and became a financial success. Tucker wearing a yellow wig and leopard print gowns made the audience laugh out loud enacting a character that was hilarious, sexually promiscuous and really loud.

Tucker took a break from films for five years rejecting several offers. He, however, returned to stand-up comedy in 2011, and acting in 2012, with the film ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ in the role of Danny McDaniels, an easy going man involved in a legal dispute with the mental hospital where he is admitted.

Tucker was immensely praised for his acting and was one of the winners of the ‘Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast’. He was one of the recipients of the ‘Best Cast Ensemble’, ‘Capri Ensemble Cast’ Awards in 2012 and ‘Gold Derby Award- Ensemble Cast’ in 2013 for this film.