Cedric the Entertainer

Cedric made his first televised appearance in 1992 when he was on It’s Showtime at the Apollo, a showcasing of amateur and professional comedians and entertainers. He proved funny enough that he landed another televised gig soon after, appearing on Def Comedy Jam and then on Comic View. He would later host Comic View for BET during 1993 and 1994. Cedric proved a good enough comedian to win the Richard Pryor Comic of the Year Award from this same station in 1994.

Cedric took up acting in 1996 when he appeared alongside Steve Harvey in The Steve Harvey Show. He would remain with the show until its end in 2002.

Soon after these appearances Cedric branched out into movies, beginning in 1998 with Ride. He continued to appear regularly in films from then on, generally in comedies though occasionally in dramas and other works as well.

Cedric was the subject of some controversy in 2002 when his on-screen character for the film Barbershop made several comments on Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks that were largely considered inappropriate. All remarks were made in-character, however, and Cedric has never apologized for making them, given that he was playing a fictional character. He would appear again in the same role two years later in Barbershop 2.

Cedric was briefly the subject of his own skit comedy show, and though it was initially renewed for a second season FOX Television pulled the plug shortly before production began on the season.

Cedric latest prominent role came in 2007 when he appeared in the comedy movie The Cleaner. The film was a critical and box office flop, not even earning back half of its initial budget in ticket sales. Since then he has appeared in non-starring roles in Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins and Street Kings. Hide