Anthony Rock (born June 30, 1974[1]) is an American actor and stand-up comedian, the younger brother of comedian Chris Rock. He is best known for playing Uncle Ryan on Everybody Hates Chris (2008–2009), and television producer Dirk Black on the UPN/The CW series All of Us (2003–2007). Rock also appeared in many films including What Goes Around Comes Around (2012) and Redemption of a Dog (2012).
Tony Rock | |
|---|---|
 Rock in 2018 | |
| Born | Anthony Rock June 30, 1974 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, stand-up comedian |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Relatives | Chris Rock (brother) |
Rock was a co-star on CBS's comedy Living Biblically, co-starring with Jay Ferguson, Lindsey Kraft, Camryn Manheim, and Sara Gilbert.
Biography
editRock was born in Brooklyn, New York.[2] The son of Rosalie (née Tingman)[3] and Julius Rock (d. 1988), he grew up on Decatur Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of New York City.[3] He has six brothers and one sister.[2]
In the early 2000s, Rock hosted a short-lived game show entitled Can You Tell? for the Oxygen network. He was also a correspondent for BattleBots on Comedy Central for the show's fifth season.
Rock has appeared on radio and television shows including The Howard Stern Show and The D'Angelo Show.[4] He performed in New York with Mark Curry and John Henton to highlight the Apollo Theater.[citation needed] He co-starred as Dirk Black on the UPN/The CW sitcom All of Us. Rock has often worked as a back-up to his brother Chris, and appeared on the latter's sitcom Everybody Hates Chris in the recurring role of the title character's uncle Ryan. Chris's fictitious brother Drew from the show is loosely based on Tony. Rock has hosted The Funny Spot on TV One.[citation needed]
Rock starred in his own sketch comedy TV series, The Tony Rock Project, which was broadcast on MyNetworkTV from 2008 to 2009.[5] On February 19, 2010, Comedy Central aired Tony Rock's feature on season 14 of Comedy Central Presents. His episode was the first original of the 2010 season.[6]
In 2012, Rock appeared in Think Like a Man, a feature film based on Steve Harvey's 2009 book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. In the same year Rock appeared in David E. Talbert's What Goes Around Comes Around and began hosting Apollo Live on BET.[7]
In 2022, he appeared on the Netflix baking competition Is It Cake? as a judge. In early April 2022, a video surfaced online of Rock performing a stand-up show while reacting to the Oscars incident where his brother Chris Rock was physically assaulted on stage by Will Smith after he had made comments on Smith's wife's bald appearance.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Homie Spumoni | Dana | |
| 2007 | Life Support | Ness | TV movie |
| Three Can Play That Game | Gizzard | ||
| 2012 | Think Like a Man | Xavier | |
| What Goes Around Comes Around | Ricky | Video | |
| C'mon Man | Jeff Woods | ||
| Redemption of a Dog | Chris | ||
| 2017 | The Cheaters Club | Terrence | |
| Killing Hasselhoff | Himself | ||
| 2018 | Couples' Night | Rob |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Test | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "The Vanity Test" |
| 2002 | Kings of Black Comedy | Himself | Episode: "Keeping It Real... Funny" |
| USO Comedy Tour | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.105" | |
| BattleBots | Himself/Correspondent | Main Correspondent: Season 5 | |
| 2003 | Showtime at the Apollo | Himself | Episode: "Nivea/Tony Rock/Jamie Simone Nash" |
| 2003-04 | Can You Tell? | Himself/Host | Main Host |
| 2003-07 | All of Us | Dirk Black | Main Cast |
| 2006 | BET's Top 25 Countdown | Himself | Episode: "Moments in Black History" |
| 2008 | The Funny Spot | Himself/Host | Main Host |
| 2008-09 | Everybody Hates Chris | Uncle Ryan | Recurring Cast: Season 3-4 |
| The Tony Rock Project | Himself | Main Cast | |
| 2009-19 | Laugh Factory | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 2010 | Comedy Central Presents | Himself | Episode: "Tony Rock" |
| Supreme Court of Comedy | Himself | Episode: "Tony Rock vs. Harland Williams" | |
| 2011 | The Celibate Nympho Chronicles: The Web Series | Jason | Episode: "100 Days with No D" |
| 2012 | Russell Simmons Presents: The Ruckus | Himself | Episode: "Dov Davidoff/Damn Fool/Tony Rock" |
| Don't Sleep! Hosted by T. J. Holmes | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "Affirmative Action" | |
| Big Morning Buzz Live | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "Flo Rida/Drew Lachey/Rick Springfield" | |
| Apollo Live | Himself/Host | Main Host | |
| Let's Stay Together | Larry | Episode: "An Even More Indecent Proposal" | |
| Single Ladies | Bobby Mornay | Episode: "Deuces" | |
| 2013 | Gotham Comedy Live | Himself | Episode: "Tony Rock" |
| Walk This Way | Himself | Episode: "No Laughing Matter" | |
| 2014 | Mind of a Man | Himself/Panelist | Recurring Panelist |
| 2015 | Red Eye | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "August 20, 2015" |
| Reed Between the Lines | Julius Darren | Recurring Cast: Season 2 | |
| 2015-16 | Real Husbands of Hollywood | Himself | Guest Cast: Season 4-5 |
| 2015-17 | Mann & Wife | Michael Hobbs | Main Cast |
| 2016 | Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta | Himself | Episode: "Funny Business" |
| 2017 | The Game of Dating | Himself/Host | Main Host |
| Apollo Night LA | Himself/Host | Episode: "ANLA 184" | |
| All Def Comedy | Himself/Host | Main Host | |
| 2018 | The Real | Himself/Guest Co-Host | Episode: "Episode #4.116" |
| Black Card Revoked | Himself/Host | Main Host | |
| Hip Hop Squares | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "Episode #5.7" & "#5.10" | |
| This Week at the Comedy Cellar | Himself | Episode: "November 25 - November 30, 2018" | |
| Living Biblically | Vince | Main Cast | |
| 2019 | Beat Bobby Flay | Himself/Celebrity Judge | Episode: "Pump It Up" |
| Match Game | Himself/Celebrity Panelist | Episode: "Episode #4.8" | |
| The Cool Kids | Tony | Episode: "Vegas, Baby!" | |
| 2019-20 | Lights Out with David Spade | Himself/Panelist | Recurring Panelist |
| 2020 | The Comedy Store | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 2022 | Phat Tuesdays: The Era Of Hip Hop Comedy | Himself | Main Guest |
| Is It Cake? | Himself/Judge | Episode: "Garage Mirage" |
References
edit- ^ Mike Rose, cleveland com (2024-06-30). "Famous birthdays list for today, June 30, 2024 includes celebrities Vincent D'Onofrio, Lizzy Caplan". cleveland. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
- ^ a b "Bio". Tony Rock official website. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- ^ a b Oppenheim, Gabe (August 9, 2008). "Tony Rock, Standing Up To His Name". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
Rock, 34...
- ^ "On This Day In Comedy... In 1974 Comedian And Actor Tony Rock Was Born!". The Humor Mill. 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
- ^ MyNetworkTV Prepares to Rock Out, Broadcasting & Cable, June 5, 2008.
- ^ List of Comedy Central Presents episodes
- ^ "Tony Rock". BET. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2014.