Chris Tucker
Who Chris Tucker is
American stand-up comedian and actor from Atlanta who broke through as a frequent performer on HBO's Def Comedy Jam from 1992. He played Smokey in Friday (1995) and Ruby Rhod in The Fifth Element (1997), and gained international fame as Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour films opposite Jackie Chan. He returned to stand-up in 2011 and released the Netflix special Chris Tucker Live in 2015.
At a glance
- Born
- 1971
- Based in
- Los Angeles, CA / Las Vegas, NV / Atlanta, GA
- Came up through
- Def Comedy Jam
- Stand-up specials
- Chris Tucker Live
- On screen
- Def Comedy Jam, Friday, The Fifth Element and 5 more
On stage
No dated show on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now.
Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →
Specials, shows and podcasts
Stand-up specials
- Chris Tucker Live 2015, Netflix
On screen
- Def Comedy Jam 1992
- Friday Smokey, film, 1995
- The Fifth Element Ruby Rhod, film, 1997
- Jackie Brown Beaumont Livingston, film, 1997
- Rush Hour James Carter, film, 1998; sequels 2001 and 2007
- Silver Linings Playbook Danny McDaniels, film, 2012
- BET Awards 2013 host
- Air Howard White, film, 2023
Where they got their start
- Def Comedy Jam frequent performer, from 1992
Came up the same way
Other comedians in SUCDb who came through Def Comedy Jam:
Comedians like Chris Tucker
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- Faizon Love also in Friday
- Bernie Mac also in Friday
- Craig Robinson also came through Def Comedy Jam
- J. B. Smoove also came through Def Comedy Jam
- Russell Peters also came through Def Comedy Jam
- Adele Givens also came through Def Comedy Jam
- Ali Siddiq also came through Def Comedy Jam
- Aries Spears also came through Def Comedy Jam
Career timeline
- 1971Born
- 1992Def Comedy Jam (1992) On screen
- 1995Friday (Smokey, film, 1995) On screen
- 1997The Fifth Element (Ruby Rhod, film, 1997) On screen
- 1997Jackie Brown (Beaumont Livingston, film, 1997) On screen
- 1998Rush Hour (James Carter, film, 1998; sequels 2001 and 2007) On screen
- 2012Silver Linings Playbook (Danny McDaniels, film, 2012) On screen
- 2013BET Awards 2013 (host) On screen
- 2015Chris Tucker Live (2015, Netflix) Special
- 2023Air (Howard White, film, 2023) On screen
Questions about Chris Tucker
Where is Chris Tucker performing next?
No date is on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now.
What stand-up specials have they released?
Chris Tucker Live.
What TV shows and films are they in?
Def Comedy Jam, Friday, The Fifth Element, Jackie Brown, Rush Hour and Silver Linings Playbook, among 8 credits.
Where did they get their start?
Def Comedy Jam (frequent performer).
Where are they based?
Los Angeles, CA / Las Vegas, NV / Atlanta, GA, as their record gives it.
When were they born?
In 1971.
Who are some comedians like them?
Faizon Love (also in Friday), Bernie Mac (also in Friday), Craig Robinson (also came through Def Comedy Jam), J. B. Smoove (also came through Def Comedy Jam) and Russell Peters (also came through Def Comedy Jam).
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Chris Tucker ↗ Birth year, Atlanta, Def Comedy Jam, films, 2011 return to stand-up, Chris Tucker Live (2015, Netflix), residence split between Los Angeles, Las Vegas and…
Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026