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Mark Curry (American actor)

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Mark Curry
Curry in 2008
Born
Marcus G. Curry

(1961-06-01) June 1, 1961 (age 63)[1][2]
Oakland, California, U.S.[3]
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • host
Years active1990–present
Known forMark Cooper – Hangin' with Mr. Cooper[4]

Marcus G. Curry (born June 1, 1961),[5] known professionally as Mark Curry, is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is best known for his role as Mark Cooper, ex–basketball player turned teacher on the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper which originally aired from 1992 to 1997.[6] Curry also served as one of the various hosts of the syndicated series It's Showtime at the Apollo during the early 1990s.[7] Curry co-starred in all three seasons of See Dad Run, Nick at Nite's first original live-action family comedy series, from 2012 to 2015.

Early life and education

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Born in Oakland, California, Curry is the youngest of nine. Curry attended St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, California, and California State University, East Bay[8] in Hayward, California. As a child, Curry was a participant at the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC), a local youth organization.[9]

Career

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Curry's first role was in the 1991 feature film Talkin' Dirty After Dark where he appeared alongside Martin Lawrence.[10]

Curry's first major role was on the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper which made its debut in September 1992. On the show he played the lead role of Mark Cooper, an NBA player-turned-substitute teacher/gym coach. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was eventually on air for five seasons with over a hundred episodes.[11]

In 1994 Curry guest starred on the sitcom Living Single.[12] In 1997, he made another guest appearance on the sitcom Martin.[13] Curry was later featured on two episodes of The Jamie Foxx Show as eccentric driving instructor Sergeant Easy.[14][15]

Curry also made cameos in the 1997 feature film Switchback and 1998 feature film Armageddon.[16][17]

In 2000, Curry had a recurring role on The Drew Carey Show as Robert Soulard, Drew Carey's boss.[18][19][20][21][22][23] That year he also hosted the Comedy Central game show Don't Forget Your Toothbrush and made a guest appearance on the sitcom For Your Love with his Hangin' with Mr. Cooper co-star, Holly Robinson Peete.[24][25]

Curry went on to play the lead role of scientist Norton Ballard in the Disney Channel Original Movie The Poof Point. The movie reunited Curry with Hangin' with Mr. Cooper co-star Dawnn Lewis, who played his onscreen wife Marigold.[26]

Curry was the host of the PAX-TV show Animal Tails and BET's Coming to the Stage in 2003. In 2004, he appeared on Celebrity Mole Yucatan. He came in second place to Dennis Rodman.

In 2005, Curry was featured on an episode of Less than Perfect[27] and guest starred as Max Cooper on two episodes of Fat Actress.[28][29] Curry made another guest appearance on a 2008 episode of the sitcom House of Payne.[30] On November 30, 2008, Curry performed a stand-up comedy routine on The Comedy Festival Laffapalooza Special which was hosted by Tracy Morgan.[31]

From 2009 to 2011, Curry hosted Jamie Foxx's FoxxHole Live every Monday in the Conga Room in Los Angeles, which was heard on satellite radio stations Sirius 106/XM 149. In 2012, Curry joined Sommore, Earthquake, Bruce Bruce, and Tony Rock on the Royal Comedy Tour.

He later appeared on two episodes of The Secret Life of the American Teenager.[32][33] Curry also starred in Nick at Nite's first-ever original live-action family sitcom, See Dad Run, which debuted in 2012, as Marcus, who's a friend of Scott Baio's character. See Dad Run eventually ran for three seasons on the network.[34]

In 2014, Curry joined Sommore's Standing Ovation Comedy Tour along with Bill Bellamy, Tommy Davidson, and others. That same year, Bounce TV launched the sitcom One Love, starring Curry and Sheryl Lee Ralph. In 2018, Curry was a special guest on the Katt Williams 11:11 Tour. Since 2018, Curry has also regularly performed stand-up comedy at the Hollywood Improv.

Music

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Curry was featured in the music video for Too Short's "I Ain't Trippin'".[35] He also appeared in the music video of Bow Wow's "Take Ya Home", where he played a father trying to get his daughter a doll of the rapper.[36]

He appeared in the 2002 song "Oakland Raiders" by Oakland rap group Luniz. Delivering a humorous monologue as the song faded out, Curry asserted his status as a pimp and stated his fondness for big dank. Most recently he can be seen in the 2015 music video "Pulled Up" by Young Dolph featuring 2 Chainz and Juicy J; a tribute to the movie "Coming to America."

Personal life

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On May 17, 2007, an Aerosol spray dispenser that had fallen behind a water heater exploded, and Curry, who was doing laundry at the time, was burned on more than 20% of his body, including his arm, back, and side.[37] He spent many months recuperating at his home. According to an Associated Press interview posted on CNN.com on February 17, 2008,[38] Curry went on The Montel Williams Show to discuss his recovery,[39] and mentioned he considered suicide after waking from a three-day, medically induced coma, but decided against it with the help of friends and fellow comedians, such as Sinbad and Bill Cosby.[40]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1991 Talkin' Dirty After Dark Antonio
1995 Panther Lombard
1997 The Fanatics Fly Walker
Switchback Robbie
1998 Armageddon Stu the Cabbie
2000 A Man Is Mostly Water Jeff
2001 Motorcrossed Bob Arness TV Movie
The Poof Point Norton Ballard TV Movie
2009 Psychic Hollywood: The Search for Truth Himself TV Movie
2011 Poolboy: Drowning Out The Fury Captain O'Malley
2021 Dreams from the Edge Bubba Short

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1988–91 It's Showtime at the Apollo Himself Recurring Guest
1990 An Evening at the Improv Himself Episode: "Episode #5.14" & "#6.14"
1991 One Night Stand Himself Episode: "Mark Curry"
Paramount City Himself Episode: "Episode #2.7"
1992–94 It's Showtime at the Apollo Himself/Host Recurring Host: season 5-7
1992–97 Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Mark Cooper Main Cast
1994 Living Single Tony Ross Episode: "A Tale of Two Tattles"
1995 Soul Train Himself/Guest Host Episode: "CeCe Winans/Ini Kamoze/Mokenstef"
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child The Giant (voice) Episode: "The Valiant Little Tailor"
1997 Mad TV Himself/Host Episode: "Episode #2.18"
Martin Ronnie Cochran Episode: "Power to the People's Court"
1997–98 The Jamie Foxx Show Sergeant Easy Episode: "Traffic School Daze" & "I'm Too Sexy for This Shot"
1998 Hollywood Squares Himself/Panelist Recurring Panelist
1999 Comedy Central Presents Himself Episode: "Mark Curry"
2000 Intimate Portrait Himself Episode: "Holly Robinson Peete"
Don't Forget Your Toothbrush Himself/Host Main Host
The Drew Carey Show Robert Soulard Recurring Cast: Season 5
For Your Love Dr. Collins Episode: "The Pregnant Pause"
2002–03 Pyramid Himself/Celebrity Contestant Recurring Guest
2003 Coming to the Stage Himself/Host Main Host
2003–04 Animal Tails Himself/Host Main Host
2004 Hollywood Squares Himself/Panelist Recurring Panelist
The Mole Himself Main Cast: Season 4
2005 Less than Perfect Morpheus Episode: "Get Away"
Fat Actress Max Cooper Episode: "Big Butts" & "Hold This"
2006 In the Mix Himself Episode: "The 'Grammy' Goes to Camp: You're a Star & Kids Are Helping Kids"
Def Comedy Jam Himself Episode: "Episode #7.9"
2007 Back to the Grind Himself Episode: "Betty White and Mark Curry"
2008 Tyler Perry's House of Payne - Episode: "Reunited and... It Don't Feel Good"
2009 Black to the Future Himself Episode: "Hour 4: The 00s"
2010 Life After Himself Episode: "Mark Curry"
2011 Celebrity Ghost Stories Himself Episode: "Beverley Mitchell/Mark Curry/Donovan Leitch/Phyllis Diller"
2011–12 The Secret Life of the American Teenager Principal Nash Episode: "And Circumstance" & "Defiance"
2012–14 See Dad Run Marcus Barnes Main Cast
2014 Unsung Himself Episode: "Too $hort"
Gotham Comedy Live Himself/Host Episode: "Mark Curry"
One Love Pastor William Winters Main Cast
2015 Instant Mom Minister Episode: "Don't Worry, Be Maggie"
Black Jesus Big Tray Episode: "Janky Cable"
2019–21 Family Reunion Principal Glass Guest: Season 1, Recurring Cast: Season 3
2020 In the Cut Wade Recurring Cast: Season 6-7
2023 Blindspotting Himself Episode: "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles"

References

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  1. ^ Historical Dictionary of African American Television - Mark Curry (1961-2024)
  2. ^ Hollywood - Mark Curry
  3. ^ TV Guide - Mark Curry
  4. ^ Upscale: The Successful Black Magazine - 1994
  5. ^ Who's Who Among African-Americans - Mark Curry
  6. ^ The A to Z of African-American Television - Curry, Mark
  7. ^ King, Susan (July 12, 1996). "Q & A with MARK CURRY". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  8. ^ "Mark Curry Biography". Archived from the original on 2010-05-01. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
  9. ^ "EOYDC: A Beacon for Oakland Youth - Oakland Magazine - July-August 2009 - Oakland, California". www.oaklandmagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
  10. ^ "Talkin' Dirty After Dark". imdb.com.
  11. ^ "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper". imdb.com.
  12. ^ "Living Single: A Tale of Two Tattles". imdb.com.
  13. ^ "Martin: Power to the People's Court (February 1997)". imdb.com.
  14. ^ "The Jamie Foxx Show: Traffic School Daze (November 1997)". imdb.com.
  15. ^ "The Jamie Foxx Show: I'm Too Sexy for This Shot (May 1998)". imdb.com.
  16. ^ "Switchback". imdb.com.
  17. ^ "Armageddon (1998)". imdb.com.
  18. ^ "The Drew Carey Show: Drew and the Racial Tension Play (January 2, 2000)". imdb.com.
  19. ^ "The Drew Carey Show: Kate Works For Drew (January 12, 2000)". imdb.com.
  20. ^ "The Drew Carey Show: Mimi Moves In (February 2, 2000)". imdb.com.
  21. ^ "The Drew Carey Show: Drew Goes To Hell (February 23, 2000)". imdb.com.
  22. ^ "The Drew Carey Show: What's Wrong With This Episode III (March 1, 2000)". imdb.com.
  23. ^ "The Drew Carey Show: Mr Wick Returns (April 2000)". imdb.com.
  24. ^ "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush". imdb.com.
  25. ^ "For Your Love: The Pregnant Pause (2000)". imdb.com.
  26. ^ "The Poof Point". imdb.com.
  27. ^ "Less Than Perfect: Getaway (February 15, 2005)". imdb.com.
  28. ^ "Fat Actress: Big Butts (March 7, 2005)". imdb.com.
  29. ^ "Fat Actress: Hold This (April 18, 2005)". imdb.com.
  30. ^ "House of Payne: Reunited and...It Don't Feel Good". imdb.com.
  31. ^ "The Comedy Festival listing". Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  32. ^ "The Secret Life Of The American Teenager: And Circumstance (September 5, 2011)". imdb.com.
  33. ^ "The Secret Life Of The American Teenager: Defiance (April 2, 2012)". imdb.com.
  34. ^ "See Dad Run". imdb.com.
  35. ^ "Too Short: I Ain't Trippin". youtube.com. 27 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.
  36. ^ "Bow Wow: Take Ya Home". youtube.com. 27 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.
  37. ^ Johnson, Kevin. "Comedian Mark Curry works on his craft out of the limelight". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  38. ^ "Article – National News". 2008-04-20. Archived from the original on 2008-04-20. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  39. ^ Interview, p. PA35, at Google Books
  40. ^ "Mark Curry: Laughs kept him from suicide". USA Today.com. 2007-02-14. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
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