TRACY MORGAN
Date of Birth: November 10, 1968
Perhaps best known for his role as the clueless and crazy Tracy Jordan on the hit NBC series, 30 Rock, Tracy Morgan has made a name for himself as an inventive and entertaining comedian. However, the talented actor admits to having used comedy as a way to overcome some tragedies in his life.
Born in the Bronx, New York, Tracy grew up in the housing projects with his family and was abandoned by his father who had developed a drug habit. Tracy married his high school sweetheart, Sabina (they have since divorced), in 1985 and together they have three sons, Tracy Jr., Malcolm and Gitrid.
While living on welfare and trying to support his wife and sons in his early 20s, Tracy's comedic talent was picked up on by the locals and he was invited to open shows for DJs. He then made his way to Harlem's Uptown Comedy Club and eventually became part of the national comedy circuit. He got his first national exposure on shows like Def Comedy Jam, appeared on different television programs and was cast as "Hustle Man" in Martin Lawrence's sitcom, Martin.
In 1996 he became a cast member of Saturday Night Live and during the seven years he was on the show he invented some of its most memorable characters, including Brian Fellow's Safari Planet, Bert the bailiff from Judge Judy, Dominican Lou from the Bronx and Astronaut Jones. Tracy is known for his wide range of impersonations, such as Maya Angelou, Star Jones, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tito Jackson, Earl Woods (Tiger Wood's father), Busta Rhymes, Mike Tyson and Mr. T, to name a few.
But Tracy did have some unfortunate setbacks over the next couple of years. His NBC sitcom about a working class family, The Tracy Morgan Show, only lasted four months in 2003 and he had to deal with a drinking problem picked up during his time on SNL. However, in 2005 things turned brighter for the star when his former SNL cast member, Tina Fey, offered him a lead role alongside Alec Baldwin in 30 Rock.
Tracy has his own share of official accolades, including a 2009 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for 30 Rock. He is an author as well, having written his autobiography, "I Am the New Black," in 2009. Tracy also stars alongside Bruce Willis in the feature film Cop Out (2010), in which they play NYPD partners.