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Jack Black
Black in November 2007
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Jacob Black
Born	August 28, 1969 (1969-08-28) (age 40) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Genres	Heavy metal, comedy rock, hard rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, percussion
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Epic, Sony BMG
Associated acts	Tenacious D, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal
Website	www.tenaciousd.com

Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He makes up one half of the comedy and heavy metal music duo Tenacious D. The group has two albums and a full-length film. His acting career is extensive, starring primarily as bumbling, cocky, but internally self-conscious outsiders in comedy films. He is a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedians who have appeared together in several Hollywood films, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe award. He has also won an MTV Movie Award, and a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Acting career 3 Music career 4 Personal life 5 Comedic style 6 Internet 7 Filmography 7.1 Film 7.2 Television 8 References 9 External links

Early life

Black was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of two satellite engineers, Judith (née Cohen), who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope,¹ and Thomas William Black. Black's mother is Jewish and his father converted to Judaism;²³ Black was thus raised as Jewish.⁴ On The Tonight Show he said his surname may have come from the Scottish occupational name Blacksmith.⁵ Black's parents divorced when he was 10. At the time, Black had a Bull Mastiff/Rottweiler mix named Chico, who died of parvovirus soon after his parents divorced. Black moved to Culver City with his father and frequently visited his mother’s home. As a child, Black appeared in a commercial for the Activision game Pitfall! in 1982,⁶ which was later shown during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live and again on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. When Black entered high school, his parents suggested that he should transfer to the Poseidon School, a private secondary school engineered specifically for students struggling in the traditional school system.⁷ Black eagerly accepted the proposition, afraid that he would only be bullied if he remained in public school. He also attended the Crossroads School, where he excelled in drama. Black later attended UCLA but dropped out during his sophomore year to pursue a career in the entertainment business, at which point his father discontinued his financial support. Fellow UCLA veteran Tim Robbins later cast Black in Bob Roberts. He also had recurring roles on the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show.

Acting career

Black's acting career began with prime time TV. He played roles on several shows such as: The Golden Palace (Taxi Driver), Life Goes On (skinhead), Northern Exposure (Kevin Wilkins, prom king), HBO's Mr. Show, and Picket Fences (Curtis Williams). In a season 3 episode of The X-Files, titled "D.P.O.", Black played Bart 'Zero' Liquori, friend to Darren, a teen who could cause lightning strikes, played by Giovanni Ribisi. Black appeared in an un-aired pilot episode for a show directed by Ben Stiller called Heat Vision and Jack where he played an ex-astronaut pursued by actor Ron Silver. He was accompanied by his friend who had merged with a motorcycle, voiced by Owen Wilson.

Black later took on small roles in Airborne, Demolition Man, Waterworld, The Fan, The NeverEnding Story III, The Cable Guy, Bob Roberts, Mars Attacks!, The Jackal, Bye Bye Love, Jesus' Son, Dead Man Walking, Saving Silverman, Enemy of the State, and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. In 2000, Black appeared in High Fidelity as a wild employee in John Cusack's record store, a role which Black himself considered his breakout.

His career soon led to leading roles in films such as Shallow Hal, Orange County, School of Rock, Envy, King Kong, Nacho Libre, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, Be Kind Rewind, Kung Fu Panda, and Tropic Thunder.

He guest-starred on The Office along with Cloris Leachman and Jessica Alba in a movie within the show.

Jack Black has appeared numerous times on the "untelevised TV network" short film festival Channel101, starring in the shows Computerman, Timebelt, and Laserfart. He also provided an introduction for the un-aired sketch comedy, Awesometown, donning a Colonial-era military uniform. In the introduction, he claims to be George Washington (and takes credit for the accomplishments of other American Presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln), and gives viewers a general idea as to what they should expect from the show. Black has also guest starred in the Adult Swim show Tom Goes to the Mayor as a bear trap store owner.

Black hosted the 2006 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards on April 1, 2006 and hosted it again on March 29, 2008. He also appeared on the MTV video music awards on August 31, 2006. He is a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedy actors who frequently work together, which also includes Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Carell. Jack Black has made five appearances on Saturday Night Live: three times as a host, once as a musical guest (with Kyle Gass as Tenacious D), and another appearance with Tenacious D, not as a host or musical guest. He produced and appeared on VH1's internet video show Acceptable.TV.⁸

Black has voice acted for The Simpsons episode "Husbands and Knives", which aired 18 November 2007, voicing the friendly owner of the rival comic book store, Milo. Black appeared in a Who Wants To Be A Millionaire celebrity edition along with Denis Leary, Jimmy Kimmel and others and walked away with US$125,000 in October 2001.⁹ On December 14, Jack Black hosted the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards. He voiced the main character, roadie Eddie Riggs, in the rock-themed action-adventure video game, Brütal Legend. At the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards, he was awarded Best Voice for the voice of Eddie Riggs in Brütal Legend.

Music career

Black is the lead singer for the rock comedy band Tenacious D. They have released two albums, a self-titled debut, and the follow up, The Pick of Destiny, from which one of their songs "The Metal" was used in the music video game "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" and "Master Exploder" also went on to be used in music video game Rock Band 2 along with their album 'Tribute'. These two songs feature in the film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. The film, directed by Tenacious D veteran Liam Lynch, features recurring characters such as Lee the superfan and Sasquatch. Tim Robbins cameos as does Dave Grohl as Satan. Ben Stiller also makes an appearance as a worker at Guitar Center, and also another appearance in the music video for "Tribute".

Tenacious D helped the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation¹⁰ to raise awareness and funds in San Diego on June 16, 2007. Tenacious D can be seen performing in the Pauly Shore film Bio-Dome where the duo are performing their song "The Five Needs" at a "Save the Environment" party. Black was also a guest star on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show entitled "Ellen the Musical", alongside Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and teenage singer-actress Olivia Olson. On the show, besides singing, he discussed his then-upcoming film Nacho Libre with the host.

Black has also appeared on Dave Grohl's Probot album, providing vocals for the hidden song "I Am The Warlock", and Lynch's Fake Songs album, providing vocals for the song "Rock and Roll Whore". Black performed a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in the last sequence of High Fidelity. He lent his musical abilities to the Queens of the Stone Age song "Burn the Witch" with rhythmic stomps and claps, some performed with his eyes closed. He also provided vocals for The Lonely Island's track "Sax Man" from the album Incredibad.

Black has appeared in music videos of Beck "Sexx Laws"; Foo Fighters "Learn To Fly", "Low", and "The One"; The Eagles of Death Metal's "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"; Sum 41's "Things I Want"; and Weezer's "Photograph."

Personal life

Regarding exercise, Black has been quoted as saying that Ultimate is the only form of exercise that he doesn't hate. Black dated actress and comedian Laura Kightlinger from 1997 until 2005. In January 2006, he became engaged to Tanya Haden (daughter of the jazz double bassist Charlie Haden, and sister of violinist and singer Petra Haden). Haden herself is an accomplished cellist. Both attended Crossroads school and met again 15 years after graduating, at a friend's birthday party. Black proposed marriage around Christmas 2005. They married on March 14, 2006, in Big Sur, California.¹¹ Their son, Samuel "Sammy" Jason Black, was born on June 10, 2006, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.¹² On May 23, 2008, Black and his wife had their second child, Thomas David Black.¹³

Comedic style

Black's comedic style combines many key elements from both sides of the traditional double act. Black typically begins a skit in which he presents an earnest introduction to a premise or subject that quickly reveals itself to be flawed or fundamentally ludicrous. Black then switches completely to a far-extreme caricature of human emotion.

His would-be straight-man Gass often functions to trigger these outbursts. Tenacious D’s subject matter illustrates this technique. In "Tribute", Tenacious D tells a story in which they claim to have performed "The Greatest Song in the World" for a "Shiny Demon" who would otherwise "EAT THEIR SOULS". In "Inward Singing", Black does not merely discover a new vocal technique, he discovers what he refers to as "the most powerful tool in singing technology since yodeling". Black's skits also use the catchphrase "more cushion for the pushin'", a self-mocking reference to his abdominal body fat.

Internet

In December 2008, Black appeared in a video on funnyordie.com as Jesus in a musical on Prop 8 titled "Prop 8 The Musical".¹⁴ The video was shot in Santa Monica, CA, at Santa Monica Community College and was the brainchild of five time Oscar nominee Marc Shaiman and directed by Adam Shankman.

The video features a host of other celebrities including Neil Patrick Harris, John C. Reilly, Allison Janney, Kathy Najimy, Craig Robinson, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, Rashida Jones, Lake Bell, Sarah Chalke, Margaret Cho, Jenifer Lewis, and Nicole Parker.

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1992	Bob Roberts	Roger Davis
1993	Airborne	Augie
	Demolition Man	Wasteland Scrap
1994	The NeverEnding Story III	Slip, Leader of the Nasties
1995	Bye Bye Love	DJ at Party
	Dead Man Walking	Craig Poncelet
	Waterworld	Pilot
1996	Bio-Dome	Tenacious D
	The Cable Guy	Rick
	The Fan	Broadcast Technician
	Mars Attacks!	Billy Glenn Norris
1997	Bongwater	Devlin
	Crossworlds	Steve
	The Jackal	Ian Lamont
1998	Enemy of the State	Fiedler
	I Still Know What You Did Last Summer	Titus Telesco
	Johnny Skidmarks	Jerry
1999	Cradle Will Rock	Sid
	Jesus' Son	Georgie
	The Love Letter	Fisherman	uncredited
2000	High Fidelity	Barry	Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor- Comedy/ Romance Nominated- American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated- MTV Movie Award for Best Music Moment Nominated- MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Male Performance Nominated- Online Film Critic Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
2001	Frank's Book	Performance Hipster	short film
	Saving Silverman	J.D. McNugent
	Shallow Hal	Hal Larson	Nominated- Teen Choice Award for Film- Choice Actor, Comedy
2002	Ice Age	Zeke	voice
	Orange County	Lance Brumder
	Run Ronnie Run	Lead Chimney Sweep	DVD Exclusive Award for Best Original Song in a DVD Premiere
2003	Melvin Goes to Dinner	Mental Patient	uncredited Phoenix Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble Acting Nominated- DVD Exclusive Award for Best Supporting Actor in a DVD Premiere
	School of Rock	Dewey Finn	MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance Nominated- Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture- Musical/ Comedy Nominated- MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team Nominated- Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy Nominated- Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor- Comedy Nominated- Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liar
2004	Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy	Motorcyclist	uncredited (cameo)
	Envy	Nick Vanderpark	Nominated- People's Choice Award for Favorite Funny Male Star
	Laser Fart	The Elegant Hunter	Video
	Shark Tale	Lenny	Voice only
2005	King Kong	Carl Denham	Nominated- Teen Choice Award for Movies- Choice Sleazebag
	King Kong: The Offical Game of the Movie	Carl Denham	voice Video game
2006	Danny Roane: First Time Director	Jack Black
	The Holiday	Miles
	Nacho Libre	Nacho	Nominated- Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Male Movie Star Nominated- MTV Movie Award for Best Fight Nominated- Teen choice Award for Movies- Choice Actor: Comedy Nominated- Teen Choice Award for Movies- Choice Chemistry Nominated- Teen Choice Award for Movie- Choice Rumble
	Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny	Jack "Jables" Black
2007	Margot at the Wedding	Malcolm	Nominated- Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
	Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story	Paul McCartney	Uncredited
2008	Be Kind Rewind	Jerry Gerber
	Kung Fu Panda	Po	Voice only Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie Nominated- Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Animated Character in a Motion Picture
	Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five	Po	Voice Video
	Prop 8: The Musical	Jesus Christ	Viral video short
	Tropic Thunder	Jeff "Fats" Portnoy
	Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness	Jeff Portnoy	Video
2009	Brütal Legend	Eddie Riggs	Voice Video game
	Year One	Zed
2010	The Big Year	unknown	in development
	Gulliver's Travels	Gulliver	"post production"
2011	Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom	Po	Voice only "pre-production"
	Master of Space and Time	unknown	"In development"

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	Our Shining Moments	Teenage Boy	TV Movie
1993	The Golden Palace	Taxi Driver	episode "Seems Like Old Times: Part 2"
	Life Goes On	Skinhead	episode "Incident on Main"
	Marked for Murder	Car Thief	TV Movie
	Northern Exposure	Kevin Wilkins	episode "A River Doesn't Run Through It"
1994	Blind Justice	Private	TV movie
	The Innocent	Marty Prago	TV movie
1995	All-American Girl	Tommy	episode "A Night at the Oprah"
	Pride & Joy	Man	episode "Brenda's Secret"
	The Single Guy	Randy	episode "Sister"
	Touched By An Angel	Monte	episode "Angels on the Air"
	The X-Files	Bart 'Zero' Liqouri	episode "D.P.O."
1995-1996	Mr. Show with Bob and David	Various	4 episodes
	Picket Fences	Curtis Williams	2 episodes
1997-2000	Tenacious D	JB	6
1999	Heat Vision and Jack	Jack	TV pilot
2001	Space Ghost Coast to Coast	Himself	episode "Sweet for Brak"
2002	2002 MTV Movie Awards	Host
	The Andy Dick Show	J.D.	episode "Flipped"
	Clone High	Pusher/Larry Hardcore	episode "Raisin The Stakes"
	Crank Yankers	Tenacious D	episode "#1.3"
	Jack Black: Spider-Man	Spider-Man	MTV Movie Awards segment
	Lord of the Piercing	Jack the Elf	MTV Movie Awards segment Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition easter egg
	MADtv	Tenacious D	episode "#7.22"
	Panic Room with Will Ferrell	Himself	MTV Movie Awards segment
2003	Player$	Tenacious D	episode "Tenacious D a la Mode"
	Will & Grace	Dr. Isaac Hershberg	episode "Nice in White Satin"
2003-2004	Computerman	Computerman	6 episodes
	Time Belt	Computerman	2 episodes
2004	Cracking Up	Brian	episode "Scared Straight"
	Tom Goes to the Mayor	Trapper JB	episode "Bear Traps"
2005	Awesometown	George Washington	TV movie
2007	The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show	Jables	episode "Break-Up"
	The Simpsons	Milo	episode "Husbands and Knives"
2009	The Office	Sam	episode "Stress Relief"
2010	Community	Buddy	episode "Investigative Journalism"

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jack Black

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jack Black

• Jack Black at the Internet Movie Database
• Jack Black at Allmovie
• Margot at the Wedding
• Suicide Girls interview
• The Observer interview (November 2005)
• Jack Black in King Kong
• CityBeat interview
• Jack Black's Blender Magazine Cover Shoot & Interview

Preceded by Kirsten Dunst and Jimmy Fallon	MTV Movie Awards host 2002 (with Sarah Michelle Gellar)	Succeeded by Seann William Scott and Justin Timberlake
Preceded by Sean Combs	MTV Video Music Awards host 2006	Succeeded by no host

Persondata
NAME	Black, Jack
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Black, Thomas Jacob
SHORT DESCRIPTION	American actor, comedian and musician
DATE OF BIRTH	August 28, 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH	Santa Monica, California, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH