Martin Lawrence is a German-born American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and director. Lawrence came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He is best known for his hit TV show Martin, which paved the way for black television and created some of the most iconic and beloved characters of all time. He is also known for films including House Party, Boomerang, Bad Boys 1& 2, as well as the most recent Bad Boys for Life, the highest-grossing film of 2020. Other films include Wild Hogs, Nothing to Lose, Blue Streak, Life, Big Momma’s House 1, 2, and 3, and A Thin Line Between Love and Hate.

Beginning his career in comedy, Lawrence started by doing comedy shows in the Washington, D.C., area. Eventually, he ended up moving to New York City and found his way to the legendary Improv Theatre. Shortly after appearing at The Improv, Lawrence won a performance spot on Star Search. He did well on the show and made it to the final round, but did not win.

His loss on the show was actually a win as executives at Columbia Pictures TV saw Martin’s performance and offered him the role of Maurice Warfield in What’s Happening Now!!; this was officially his first acting job. Upon cancellation of that show, Lawrence found bit parts in various films and television series. His breakthrough role was as Cee in Do the Right Thing. Other roles quickly followed in films such as the House Party series, Talkin’ Dirty After Dark, and the Eddie Murphy vehicle Boomerang. During this period he was selected to host the groundbreaking series Def Comedy Jam on HBO. Def Comedy Jam was raw and real; a fan favorite, and a game changer for Lawrence.

During his stint with Def Comedy Jam, Lawrence was approached to do his own series and the MARTIN show was born. The show, which aired on FOX, ran from 1992 to 1997 and was an enormous success. Martin was the flagship of Fox’s Thursday-night line-up, which drew millions of viewers away from NBC’s “Must See TV” line-up. Martin’s ratings continued to skyrocket.

Martin ended its run in 1997, Lawrence’s work in comedy films, gave him the title of one of the most sought-after comedic actors of his time. Many of his films were blockbusters at the box office, including Nothing to Lose, Life, Blue Streak, Big Momma’s House, Black Knight and National Security.

After nearly thirty years, based on fans’ demand, Martin the Reunion was taped with a full cast special that aired on BET.  The Reunion featured all living cast members with special performances by Snoop Dogg as well as Bryan McKnight. The show was one of BETs/ Paramount Plus highest-rated shows of all time.

In 2020, Lawrence reprised his role as Detective Marcus Burnett in the third installment of the Bad Boys franchise, Bad Boys for Life, again alongside Will Smith. The film was considered a financial success, grossing $112 million in its first four days of release.  He reprised his role as Marcus Burnett in 2024 with Bad Boys For Life which saw as many successes as the original 3.

As one of the most successful touring comics of all time, millions around the world have seen Martin’s concert films. “You So Crazy” “Runteldat,” “Doin’ Time In Hollywood” are all some of the most-watched comedy films in television history. Martin is currently on the road for the first time in 8 years doing his headlining tour “Y’all Know What It Is” tour.