Dave Chappelle

For the photographer, see David LaChapelle.

Dave Chappelle
Chappelle in 2018
Birth nameDavid Khari Webber Chappelle
Born (1973-08-24) August 24, 1973 (age 51)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Medium
  • Stand-up
  • television
  • film
Education
Years active1990–present[1]
Genres
Subject(s)
Spouse
Elaine Erfe
​
(m. 2001)​
Children3
Parent(s)William David Chappelle III
Yvonne Seon
Relative(s)
Signature

David Khari Webber Chappelle (/ʃəˈpɛl/ shə-PEL; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He starred in and co-created the satirical comedy sketch series Chappelle's Show (2003–2006) before quitting in the middle of production during the third season. After a hiatus, Chappelle returned to performing stand-up comedy across the U.S.[2] By 2006, Chappelle was called the "comic genius of America" by Esquire[3] and, in 2013, "the best" by a Billboard writer.[4] In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked him No. 9 in their "50 Best Stand Up Comics of All Time".[5]

Chappelle has appeared in various films, including Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), The Nutty Professor (1996), Con Air (1997), You've Got Mail (1998), Blue Streak (1999), Undercover Brother (2002), Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005), Chi-Raq (2015) and A Star Is Born (2018). His first lead role was in the 1998 comedy film Half Baked, which he co-wrote. Chappelle also starred in the ABC comedy series Buddies (1996). In 2016, he signed a $20-million-per-release comedy-special deal with Netflix and released six stand-up specials under the deal.[6]

He has received numerous accolades, including six Emmy Awards, five Grammy Awards, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2019, which is presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as America's highest comedy honor.[7] Chappelle has received two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for hosting Saturday Night Live in 2016 and 2020.[8] Chappelle received five Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album for The Age of Spin (2018), Equanimity & The Bird Revelation (2019), Sticks & Stones (2019) and The Closer (2021) and What's In A Name? (2022).[9][10]

  1. ^ "Tracy Morgan, Dave Chappelle and more celebrate 25 years of "Def Comedy Jam"". CBS News. September 11, 2017. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  2. ^ Zinoman, Jason (August 15, 2013). "A Comic Quits Quitting". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  3. ^ Powell, Kevin (April 30, 2006). "Heaven Hell Dave Chappelle". Esquire. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  4. ^ "Chappelle's Show: 10 Best Musical Sketches". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  5. ^ Love, Matthew (February 14, 2017). "50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  6. ^ Porter, Rick (August 15, 2019). "Dave Chappelle Sets Fifth Netflix Stand-Up Special". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  7. ^ Blair, Elizabeth; Jarenwattananon, Patrick (May 7, 2019). "Dave Chappelle To Be Awarded Mark Twain Prize For American Humor". NPR. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "2017 Emmy Award Winners". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  9. ^ "Grammys awards 2018: full list of winners". The Guardian. January 29, 2018. Archived from the original on February 17, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  10. ^ Grammy Winners 2020 Archived January 26, 2020, at the Wayback Machine by Zoe Haylock, Vulture.com, January 26, 2020.