Martin Lawrence

Martin Lawrence began his career performing stand-up comedy in the Washington, D.C., area before moving to New York City, where he appeared at The Improv and competed on Star Search. His first acting role was as Maurice Warfield on the television series What’s Happening Now!! (1987–1988). He appeared in Do the Right Thing (1989), followed by roles in House Party (1990), House Party 2 (1991), Talkin’ Dirty After Dark (1991), and Boomerang (1992). Lawrence hosted HBO’s Def Comedy Jam beginning in 1992. He starred in the Fox sitcom Martin from 1992 to 1997. His film credits during and after that period include Bad Boys (1995), Nothing to Lose (1997), Life (1999), Blue Streak (1999), Big Momma’s House (2000), Black Knight (2001), National Security (2003), Bad Boys II (2003), Big Momma’s House 2 (2006), and Wild Hogs (2007). In 2006, he voiced the character Boog in the animated film Open Season. He starred in College Road Trip (2008) and reprised his role as Malcolm Turner in Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011). Lawrence starred in the television series Partners (2014). He returned as Marcus Burnett in Bad Boys for Life (2020). In 2022, he appeared in the film Mindcage. In 2023, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.