Biography
Early life
Lawrence was born in Frankfurt, Germany, where his father, John Lawrence, served in the US military. When Lawrence was six, his family relocated to Landover, Maryland; two years later his father left the family. His mother, Chlora, worked as a cashier at various department stores to support Martin and his siblings.
During his teen years, Martin excelled at boxing. While living in Maryland, he attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School and became a Mid-Atlantic Golden Gloves boxing contender. Although he was reputedly a good boxer, comedy is where Martin found his greatest success, even early in life. In school, Martin would poke fun at others during breaks and recess, and teachers would routinely let Lawrence have a few minutes of class time to tell jokes and make classmates laugh. It was a teacher who suggested that Lawrence give his comedic talents a shot on stage, at a local comedy club during open mic night. He took on the challenge and was successful.
Career
Lawrence moved to California and found his way to the legendary Kings Wood comedy club. Shortly after appearing at the Wood, he won a performance spot on the nationally televised Kid Stars, a popular show in the United States. He did well on the show and made it to the final round before ultimately losing. However, executives at Columbia TriStar Television saw Martin's performance and offered him an appearance on the television sitcom What's Happening Now!!; this was his first acting job in New York. Following What's Happening Now, Martin had bit parts in various films and television roles before entertainment mogul Russell Simmons personally selected him to host the groundbreaking series Def Comedy Jam on HBO. Def Comedy Jam gave many comedians (including Chris Tucker, Steve Harvey and Cedric The Entertainer) their start and it offered Martin his largest audience to date.
Around the same time he was cast in the Def Comedy Jam role, Martin appeared in his own sitcom, the hit series Martin, which aired on Fox. The show ran from 1992 to 1997 and was considered a success. Lawrence also hosted Saturday Night Live on February 19, 1994, and as a result was banned from the show for life. After Martin ended its run, Lawrence worked on many film projects. He starred or co-starred in many movies along side such talents as Eddie Murphy, Will Smith and Tim Robbins. Many of his films were blockbusters (including Bad Boys (1995) and Big Momma's House (2000) and his salary increased dramatically to over $10 million per role. He continues to work in film, with his new movie Big Momma's House 2 (2006) opening #1 at the North American box office in late January, grossing almost $28 million its first weekend.
Private life
Although Martin was once engaged to actress Lark Voorhies, he married Patricia Southall, a former Miss Virginia, on January 7, 1995. They have a daughter, Jasmine, but were divorced in 1996. The divorce led to many personal problems in Lawrence's life. In August, 1996, he was arrested at Burbank Airport for carrying a loaded gun in his suitcase. On March 28, 1997, he was again arrested outside a Hollywood nightclub, after a man claimed Lawrence punched him. While directing A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, he reportedly had violent outbursts and took drugs on the set. Martin's Martin co-star Tisha Campbell sued him for sexual harassment and left the show during its final season. He went into a coma after collapsing from heat exhaustion while jogging in August 1999 but eventually recovered in the hospital.
Selected filmography
2006 - Big Momma's House 2 - Malcolm Turner
2005 - Rebound - Roy McCormick/Preacher Don
2003 - Bad Boys II - Detective Marcus Burnett
2003 - National Security - Earl Montgomery
2002 - Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat - Himself
2001 - Black Knight - Jamal Walker/Skywalker
2001 - What's the Worst That Could Happen? - Kevin Caffery
2000 - Big Momma's House - Malcolm Turner
1999 - Blue Streak - Miles Logan
1999 - Life - Claude Banks
1997 - Nothing to Lose - Terrance Paul Davidson
1996 - A Thin Line Between Love and Hate - Narrator/Darnell 'Deeny/'D'/D.W.' Wright
1995 - Bad Boys - Det. Marcus Burnett
1994 - You So Crazy! - Himself
1992 - Boomerang - Tyler
1991 - Talkin' Dirty After Dark - Terry
1990 - House Party - Bilal
Awards and nominations
BET Comedy Award - Icon Comedy Award (2005)
Blockbuster Entertainment Award
nominated for Favorite Actor (2001) for the movie Big Momma's House
nominated with Eddie Murphy for Favorite Comedy Team (2000) for the movie Life
NAACP Image Award
nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1997) for the series Martin
won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1996) for the series Martin
won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1995) for the series Martin
Kids' Choice Award
nominated for Favorite Movie Actor (2001) for the movie Big Momma's House
nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1996) for the series Martin
nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1995) for the series Martin
MTV Movie Award
nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Team (2003) for the movie Bad Boys II
nominated for the movie Big Momma's House
nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Duo (1996) for the movie Bad Boys
ShoWest - Male Star of Tomorrow (1995)
Teen Choice Award - nominated for Wipeout Scene of the Summer (2000) for the movie Big Momma's House
Interviews
interview, 2005, BlackNews
interview, 7/03, BlackFilm
interview, 2003, BBC
interview, 2002, UGO
interview: January 25, 2006 on the Tavis Smiley show
