Tracy Jamal Morgan, born November 10, 1968 is an American actor, comedian and author who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.
Personal life
Morgan claims to have a number of tattoos, including: a peace sign; a happy and sad face; a cross bearing the names of his wife and three sons; the name of a friend he played football with in high school who was murdered; the words ME, MYSELF, & I on his back; and the phrase Stove Top.
Morgan married his high school sweetheart Sabrina in 1985. They have three sons together. Morgan filed for divorce at Bronx Supreme Court on August 7, 2009 after 23 years of marriage, although he and his wife had been already separated for eight years. A friend told the New York Daily News, "Basically they were divorced without the paperwork. Morgan attributes one of his sons with having saved him from his drinking problems.
Career
Morgan began his career on Martin, where he played Hustle Man. The character sold random items he had from the 'hood', always greeting people with his trademark "What's happ'n, chief?" and had a pet dog that he dressed as a rapper. In the 2003 Chris Rock film Head of State, Morgan appeared as a man watching television, often questioning why they are not watching Martin.
Morgan was also a regular cast member on "Uptown Comedy Club", a sketch comedy show filmed in Harlem which aired for two seasons between 1992 to 1994. He was also on the HBO show Snaps.
Saturday Night Live
Morgan joined the cast of comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1996, where he performed as a regular until 2003. He performed a variety of characters on the program, including Brian Fellow, Uncle Jem, Dominican Lou, Bishop Don "Mack" Donald, Astronaut Jones, African Andy, Benny the Bengal, and Woodrow. Morgan is also credited with impressions of Aretha Franklin, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou, Samuel L. Jackson, Louis Armstrong, Mike Tyson, Judge Greg Mathis, Lou Bega, Mr. T, Tito Jackson, Petri Hawkins-Byrd, Star Jones, John Boehner, Plaxico Burress, and Al Sharpton. On March 14, 2009, Morgan returned to SNL as host and reprised his roles of Brian Fellow and Astronaut Jones.
30 Rock
Morgan is currently a cast member of the NBC television show 30 Rock, playing the character Tracy Jordan, a caricature of himself. His work on 30 Rock has been well-received, being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2009 Emmy Awards.
Other work
Morgan had his own show, The Tracy Morgan Show, in 2003, which was canceled after one season.
Morgan also had a stand-up special entitled "One Mic" that was shown on Comedy Central. He also was the host of the first Spike Guys' Choice Awards, which aired on June 13, 2007. In 2003, he was on an episode of Punk'd in which his car was towed from the valet parking. He can be heard as "Spoonie Luv" on the Comedy Central program Crank Yankers and as Woof in the MTV2 Animated Series Where My Dogs At?.
Morgan acted in commercials for ESPN NFL 2K, ESPN NBA 2K, and ESPN NHL 2K, where he co-starred with Warren Sapp, Ben Wallace and Jeremy Roenick. He appeared in the movie The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler, as a transvestite inmate.
Morgan has hosted the VH1 Hip Hop Honors for 2 consecutive years and hosted the third season of Scare Tactics, the Sci Fi Channel's hidden camera show that pranks people by using their worst fears against them.
Morgan voiced Agent Blaster in Disney's G-Force. Morgan will voice a Bulldog in the upcoming Blue Sky Animation Studios film Rio.
Controversy
On January 27, 2011, Morgan appeared on the NBA on TNT pregame coverage of the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks nationally televised basketball game. During the appearance, commentators Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith asked Morgan to choose between Sarah Palin and Tina Fey on who was better looking (Fey portrays Palin on Saturday Night Live and is a coworker of Morgan). Morgan responded with a raunchy remark about Palin which led TNT to apologize for his remarks on live camera.
In June, 2011 Tracy launched into a homophobic tirade during a live show in Nashville. He said that if one of his sons were gay he'd stab him to death.
Early life
Morgan was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, the second of five children of Alicia (née Warden), a homemaker, and James Morgan, Jr., a musician who left the family when Morgan was six.Morgan grew up in the Tompkins Projects in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.[4] After attending De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx, he was discovered in 1984 while doing stand-up at The Apollo.Before Morgan began his career, he worked in New York City as a painter, for L&L Painting and Rose Company.
Health problems
In 1996, he was diagnosed with diabetes, but says he never took it seriously, refusing to take medication or change his diet. After running a 104-degree fever on the set of 30 Rock, Morgan decided to finally comply with his doctor's orders. He is now very cautious when it comes to the condition. With his consent, many of Morgan's own troubles have been incorporated within episodes of 30 Rock.
Around December 10, 2010, Tracy Morgan received a kidney transplant. It was announced on December 22, 2010 that he was resting and will miss "at least two episodes" of "30 Rock" in 2011.
Autobiography
On October 20, 2009, Morgan's autobiography I Am the New Black was released. The book includes stories from his life living in Tompkins Projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, to becoming a dick and a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Tracy appeared on National Public Radio's Fresh Air hosted by Terry Gross, at times tearing up about his former life in a New York ghetto.
Awards/nominations
Emmy Awards
2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated
Image Awards
2008, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated
2007, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated
Filmography
Half Baked (1998)
How High (2001)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
30 Years to Life (2001)
Head of State (2003)
The Longest Yard (2005)
Are We There Yet? (2005)
Little Man (2006)
VH1's Totally Awesome (2006)
Farce of the Penguins (2006)
First Sunday (2008)
Superhero Movie (2008)
Beer for My Horses (2008)
Scare Tactics (2008)
G-Force (2009)
Deep in the Valley (2009)
Nailed (2010)
Cop Out (2010)
Death at a Funeral (2010)
The Other Guys (2010)
Rio (2011)
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