Eddie Griffin
| Eddie Griffin | |
|---|---|
 Griffin in 2008 | |
| Birth name | Edward Rubin Griffin |
| Born | July 15, 1968 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, film, television |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Genres | Improvisational comedy, observational comedy, blue comedy, satire |
| Subject(s) | African-American culture, recreational drug use, human sexuality, race relations, politics, racism, religion, everyday life |
| Spouse | Carla Griffin
(m. 1984; div. 1997)Rochelle Griffin
(m. 2002; div. 2009)Nia Rivers
(m. 2011; div. 2012)Ko Lee (m. 2017) |
| Children | 11 |
| Website | eddiegriffin |
Edward Rubin Griffin (born July 15, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for portraying Eddie Sherman in the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, the title character in the 2002 comedy film Undercover Brother, and Tiberius Jefferson "T.J." Hicks in Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999) and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005). He also portrayed Orpheus in Scary Movie 3 (2003) and voiced Richard Pryor on Black Dynamite (2012–2015). He is also known for his role as Pope Sweet Jesus in the movie Norbit (2007). Griffin was ranked at number 62 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.[1]
Early life[edit]
Griffin was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and was raised by his single mother, Doris Thomas, a phone company operator.[2] His family were Jehovah's Witnesses.[3] In 1984, at 16 years old, he moved to Compton, California, to live with his cousins. He later became a father and enlisted in the U.S. Navy but was discharged within months for using marijuana. After six months in jail on an assault conviction following a fight, he made ends meet dancing and painting houses.
Career[edit]
At a comedy club open-mic night in 1989, Griffin hopped onstage on a bet and earned a standing ovation with family stories. He talked his way into stand-up gigs around town and in L.A. One popular bit was his gay version of tough-guy comic Andrew Dice Clay, who later hired Griffin to open for him.[4]
Once he achieved a fair amount of success in standup, Griffin became legendary at The Comedy Store for stopping in to do guest sets on open mic nights and staying up on stage long enough to tire the audience out for the hapless budding comic who had to follow him.
Griffin has appeared in films such as The Meteor Man (1993), The Walking Dead (1995) “David E. Talbert: A Fool & His Money” (1997), Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), Double Take (2001), Undercover Brother (2002), John Q (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005), Norbit (2007), and Urban Justice (2007).
Griffin has appeared on television shows such as Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000) and Chappelle's Show in the skit "World Series of Dice" as Grits n' Gravy. Griffin performed on two tracks from Dr. Dre's 1999 album, 2001, and the intro track from The D.O.C.'s 1996 album Helter Skelter. He has also appeared on commercials for Miller Beer's Man Laws.
In 2011, Comedy Central released Griffin's stand-up comedy special You Can Tell 'Em I Said It on DVD. In December 2019, his stand-up comedy special, E-Niggma, was released on Showtime.
Personal life[edit]
Griffin and his mother got into an argument at his 20th birthday party when she accused him of stealing jewelry from her, which Griffin denied doing. Afterward, Griffin did not see his mother for four years until he moved back to Los Angeles, California, in March 1992, to be closer with his family when his mother was injured in a car accident.[5]
Griffin has been married four times. He married his first wife, Carla in 1984 when he was 16 years old. They divorced in 1997.[6] He married his second wife, Rochelle, in 2002 and divorced in 2009.[6] On September 8, 2011, he married his third wife, Nia Rivers. However, they filed for divorce after one month of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. They were officially divorced six months later in 2012.[7][8] He married his fourth wife, Ko Lee Griffin, on July 27, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada.[9]
In March 2007,[10] Griffin participated in a charity race at Irwindale Speedway to promote the film Redline, using a Ferrari Enzo owned by Daniel Sadek. During a practice run, Griffin accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brake and lost control of the Enzo, crashing hard into a concrete barrier.[10] He walked away unscratched, but the $1.5 million supercar was badly damaged.[10] Griffin later criticized reporters who suggested the crash was a publicity stunt.[11]
During the sexual assault allegations on Bill Cosby, Griffin suggested that Cosby was the victim of a conspiracy to destroy his image and claimed, without specification, that several other prominent African-American men had been victims of similar conspiracies.[12] Griffin has also been called out by the Sikh community for referring to an elderly Sikh man as "Osama Bin Laden" in the aftermath of 9/11, not understanding the difference between Sikhs and Muslims and also thinking that stereotyping Muslim Americans for the sake of "comedy" was appropriate given all the hate crimes both the Muslim and Sikh communities endured after 9/11.[13]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Dice Rules | Gas Station Attendant | |
| The Last Boy Scout | Club DJ | ||
| 1992 | Brain Donors | Messenger | |
| 1993 | Coneheads | Customer | |
| The Meteor Man | Michael Anderson | ||
| 1994 | The Legend of Dolemite | Himself | |
| House Party 3 | Guest at Kid's Bachelor Party | ||
| Jason's Lyric | Rat | ||
| 1995 | The Walking Dead | Pvt. Hoover Brache | |
| 1998 | Armageddon | Bike Messenger | |
| 1999 | Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo | Tiberius Jefferson "T.J." Hicks | |
| The Mod Squad | Sonny | ||
| Foolish | Miles "Foolish" Waise | ||
| 2000 | All Jokes Aside | Himself | |
| Picking Up the Pieces | Sediento | ||
| 2001 | Double Take | Freddy Tiffany | |
| 2002 | John Q. | Lester Matthews | |
| The New Guy | Luther | ||
| Undercover Brother | Anton Jackson/Undercover Brother | ||
| Pinocchio | The Cat | Voice role; English version | |
| 2003 | Dysfunktional Family | Himself | |
| Scary Movie 3 | Orpheus | ||
| 2004 | My Baby's Daddy | Lonnie | |
| Blast | Lamont Dixon | ||
| Pryor Offenses | Richard Pryor | TV movie | |
| 2005 | The Wendell Baker Story | McTeague | |
| Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo | Tiberius Jefferson "T.J." Hicks | ||
| 2006 | Date Movie | Frank Jones | |
| Irish Jam | Jimmy Winston "Da Jam" McDevitt | ||
| Who Made the Potatoe Salad? | Malik | ||
| The Year Without a Santa Claus | Jingle | TV movie | |
| 2007 | Norbit | Pope Sweet Jesus | |
| Redline | Infamous | ||
| Urban Justice | Armand Tucker | Video | |
| 2008 | Beethoven's Big Break | Stanley Mitchell | Video |
| 2012 | ATypical Love | Sweet Jimmy | |
| Highway | Redneck Trucker | ||
| 2013 | How Sweet It Is | Ronnie | |
| 2014 | The Slimbones | K-Kutta | |
| Going to America | Fumnanya | ||
| 2015 | American Hero | Lucille | |
| 2017 | All About the Money | Christopher Jefferson Johnson | |
| 2018 | A Star Is Born | Pastor | |
| 2020 | The Comeback Trail | Devon | |
| Bad President | The Devil |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | One Night Stand | Himself | Episode: "Eddie Griffin" |
| Just for Laughs | Himself | Episode: "Episode #7.0" | |
| Def Comedy Jam | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.8" | |
| 1993 | Roc | Al | Episode: "Labor Intensive" |
| 1994 | HBO Comedy Half-Hour | Himself | Episode: "Eddie Griffin" |
| 1996–2000 | Malcolm & Eddie | Eddie Sherman | Main Cast |
| 1999 | Hollywood Squares | Himself/Panelist | Recurring Guest |
| 2003 | Punk'd | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.1" |
| The Osbournes | Himself | Episode: "The Osbourne Family Christmas Special" | |
| 2004 | Celebrity Blackjack | Himself | Episode: "Tournament 1, Game 3" |
| Chappelle's Show | Grits N' Gravy | Episode: "World Series Of Dice & Mooney On Movies" | |
| 2005 | Independent Lens | Himself/Narrator | Episode: "Parliament Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove" |
| Reel Comedy | Himself | Episode: "Deuce Bigalow European Gigolo" | |
| Comedy Central Roast | Himself/Roaster | Episode: "Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson" | |
| 2008 | Black Poker Stars Invitational | Himself | Main Guest |
| 2009 | Eddie Griffin: Going For Broke | Himself | Main Cast |
| 2011 | Comedy All-Stars | Himself | Episode: "Eddie Griffin" |
| 2012 | Black Dynamite | Richard Pryor (voice) | Episode: "Taxes and Death or Get Him to the Sunset Strip" |
| 2014 | The Boondocks | Himself (voice) | Episode: "Good Times" |
| 2017 | The Comedy Get Down | Himself | Main Cast |
| 2020 | This Is Stand-Up | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.2" |
| The Comedy Store | Himself | Recurring Guest | |
| 2020–22 | Woke | 40 Oz. Bottles (voice) | Recurring Cast |
| 2021 | Dark Humor | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 2022–23 | Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars | Himself/Host | Main Host |
Music video appearances[edit]
| Year | Artist | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Snoop Dogg featuring Daz Dillinger, Heney Loc & Jewell | "Gin & Juice" |
| 1997 | Mariah Carey | "Honey" |
| Puff Daddy featuring Mase | "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" | |
| 1999 | Magic, Master P & Mo B. Dick (musician) | "Foolish (Master P song)" |
| 2001 | Lil' Bow Wow featuring Fundisha | "Take Ya Home" |
Comedy specials[edit]
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Eddie Griffin: Voodoo Child |
| 2003 | Eddie Griffin: Dysfunktional Family |
| 2008 | Eddie Griffin: Freedom of Speech |
| 2011 | Eddie Griffin: You Can Tell 'Em I Said It! |
| 2018 | Eddie Griffin: Undeniable |
| 2019 | Eddie Griffin: E-Niggma' |
Documentary[edit]
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2007 | I'm Rick James |
Discography[edit]
Live albums[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Message in The Hat |
|
| The Message |
|
| Freedom Of Speech |
|
| You Can Tell 'Em I Said It |
|
Soundtrack albums[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | |||
| Foolish (with various artists) |
|
32 | 10 |
|
Album appearances[edit]
- 1996 "Intro" (from The D.O.C. album Helter Skelter)
- 1998 "DP Gangsta" (from Snoop Dogg & C-Murder album Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told)
- 1999 "Bar One" (with Traci Nelson and Ms. Roq) (from Dr. Dre album 2001)
- 1999 "Ed-ucation" (from Dr. Dre album 2001)
- 2002 "Bitch Ass Niggaz" (from Xzibit album Man vs. Machine)
- 2003 "I Thought U Knew" (with Crooked I, Eastwood & The Dramatics album Dysfunktional Family) (Various artists)
- 2003 "Dys-Funk-Tional" (from Spider Loc & Eddie Griffin album Dysfunktional Family) (Various artists)
- 2008 "Take A Ride Skit" & "Feed The Lions Skit" (from T-Pain album Thr33 Ringz)
Awards[edit]
| Award | Film | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Best Actor | Last Supper | Los Angeles International Film Festival 2014 [14] |
| Best Actor | Last Supper | San Francisco Global Movie Fest 2014 [15] |
References[edit]
- ^ Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time at IMDb
- ^ "Eddie Griffin finds his material in his funky, troubled family". Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ Griffin, Eddie. "Eddie Griffin on Jehovah Witnesses and the Benefits of Polygamy. Standup Comedy From The Vault". The Vault. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- ^ "Verve Griffin | PEOPLE.com".
- ^ "New Material Drives Comedian Eddie Griffin's New Special, Stand-up Tour". Retrieved March 30, 2011.
- ^ a b Miller, Samantha (April 21, 2003). "Verve Griffin". People. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
- ^ "Eddie Griffin - The Walk-In VEGAS Wedding!!!!". TMZ.com. August 28, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- ^ "Eddie Griffin FINALLY DIVORCED After 6 Months of Marriage". TMZ. March 24, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- ^ "Eddie Griffin on Instagram". Instagram. May 10, 2020. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Eddie Griffin Wrecks $1.5 Million Ferrari". CBS News. March 27, 2007.
- ^ Norman, Pete; Pfeiffer, Kimberly (March 30, 2007). "Eddie Griffin: Car Wreck, Injuries No Hoax". People.com. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ Howard, Adam (December 31, 2015), Eddie Griffin defends Cosby, alleges 'systematic effort to destroy' black male stars, MSNBC, retrieved December 31, 2015
- ^ "Sikhs Raise Concerns Over New Film | The Pluralism Project".
- ^ Winners 2014, laufilmfest.com, retrieved December 1, 2014
- ^ Awards 2014, sfmoviefest.com, archived from the original on August 26, 2014, retrieved August 16, 2014
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Eddie Griffin at IMDb
- Eddie Griffin at AllMovie
- Eddie Griffin Going For Broke Official Site @ VH1.com
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1968 births
- Living people
- Male actors from Kansas City, Missouri
- American male film actors
- African-American film producers
- Film producers from Missouri
- African-American stand-up comedians
- American stand-up comedians
- African-American television producers
- American television producers
- African-American male actors
- American male television actors
- Comedians from Kansas City, Missouri
- 20th-century American comedians
- 21st-century American comedians
- 20th-century African-American people
- 21st-century African-American people
- American people convicted of assault