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Comedian and actor David Khari Webber Chappelle was born on August 24, 1973, in Washington, D.C. Chappelle's parents were both professors: His father, William, taught at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and his mother, Yvonne, worked as a professor at Howard University and then the University of Maryland, while also serving as a Unitarian minister.
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As was the story of many black families of that time, Chappelle's parents separated when Dave was 6 years old, and he subsequently began splitting time between his parents' homes in Wasington and Ohio. It began to mark his personality.
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Dave was inspired by the sitcom 'The Cosby Show' and its star, comedian Bill Cosby, Chappelle decided he, too, wanted to have a career as a comedian. As a high school student at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., Chappelle began a stand-up career.
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Because he was underage, his mother often had to accompany him to clubs as a legal guardian.
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Even at an early age, Chappelle's brand of humor was controversial, leading to frequent heckling—he was even booed offstage during amateur night at New York's famous Apollo Theatre.
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Chappelle decided to forgo college to start a stand-up career in New York City. By the early 1990s, he had begun earning accolades for his work in comedy.
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He made his film debut in Mel Brooks' 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights' (1993) and became the youngest comedian to be featured on the HBO special 'Comic Relief VI' (1994).
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History would soon be made at such a young age. Chappelle also began to make his way into television, scoring the first of the many TV deals he would eventually be offered at age 18. He would later talk about how he became too famous too young...
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Of the pilots that he shot, only one made it to the air: 'Buddies', a Disney-produced ABC series focused on two friends living in New York City. Unfortunately for Chappelle, the series was canceled after just four episodes, but his celebrity continued to grow thereafter.
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Chappelle began making appearances in more films in the '90s with more significant parts. He starred in The Nutty Professor in 1996, alongside Eddie Murphy, and made his way into three popular films in 1998: 'Woo', 'You've Got Mail' and 'Half Baked'. The same year, Chappelle's father died, forcing the comedian to reevaluate his life.
Comedian Dave Chappelle is considered to be the best stand up comic in the world. After decades in the limelight, he has carved a particular niche for himself within the world's stages.
The comedian famously hit the big time in 2003 with the launch of 'Chappelle's Show', before he abruptly walked away from the wildly popular program on the eve of its third season...