Kevin Hart

Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian, actor and television host. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hart began his career by winning several amateur comedy competitions at clubs throughout New England, culminating in his first real break in 2001 when he was cast by Judd Apatow for a recurring role on the TV series Undeclared. The series lasted only one season, but he soon landed other roles in films such as Paper Soldiers (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Soul Plane (2004), In the Mix (2005), and Little Fockers (2010).

Hart's comedic reputation continued to grow with the release of his first stand-up album, I'm a Grown Little Man (2008), and performances in the films Think Like a Man (2012), Grudge Match (2013), Ride Along (2014) and its sequel Ride Along 2 (2016), About Last Night (2014), Get Hard (2015), Central Intelligence (2016), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), and  Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017).

He also released four more comedy albums, Seriously Funny in 2010, Laugh at My Pain in 2011, Let Me Explain in 2013, and What Now? in 2016. In 2015, Time Magazine named Hart one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list. He starred as himself in the lead role of Real Husbands of Hollywood.

Early life
Hart was born on July 6, 1979 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was raised by his single mother, Nancy Hart, and has one older brother, Robert. His father, Henry Witherspoon, a cocaine addict, was in and out of jail throughout most of Kevin's childhood, and Kevin used humor as a way to cope with his troubled family life.

After graduating from George Washington High School, Hart briefly attended the Community College of Philadelphia and moved to New York City. He then moved to Brockton, Massachusetts, and found work as a shoe salesman. He began pursuing a career in stand-up comedy after performing at an amateur night at a club in Philadelphia.

Stand-up
Hart's first gig was at The Laff House in Philadelphia under the name of Lil Kev, which did not go well. His career suffered a slow start, as he was booed off stage several times, once even having a piece of chicken thrown at him. After those initial unsuccessful shows, Hart began entering comedy competitions throughout Massachusetts, and his fortunes soon turned for the better.

It took time for Hart to develop a unique comedic style. After an early period of attempting to imitate comedians like Chris Tucker, he found his own rhythm by delving into his insecurities and life experiences. "Because of what I do, it has to be an open book," he has said. "But right now this is a book that is being written."

Hart's comedy tours began in 2009 with his act titled "I'm a Grown Little Man," followed by "Seriously Funny" in 2010, "Laugh at My Pain" in 2011, and "Let Me Explain" in 2013, the later two of which were also released as features in movie theaters. Hart grossed over $15 million from "Laugh at My Pain", making it one of the year's top-selling comedy tours. Hart also has a game available through iTunes called "Little Jumpman." His Facebook page, Twitter account, and YouTube channel are all connected to and accessible through this app. Most overseas fans of Hart discovered him on YouTube, as well.

It was announced in October 2013 that ABC will be making a 30-minute pilot based on Hart's stand-up act. Hart does not plan to star in the sitcom, but does plan on having a recurring role.

On April 9, 2015, Hart embarked on a comedy world tour titled the What Now? Tour at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, which concluded on August 7, 2016 at the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia.

Film and television roles
Hart came to prominence from his guest appearance in Undeclared. He made his film debut in the film Paper Soldiers. Hart then gained further recognition from his other films such as the Scary Movie franchise, Soul Plane, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Death at a Funeral, and Little Fockers.

He played Doug in the film The Five-Year Engagement (2012) and appeared in Think Like a Man which was a box office success. He also appeared in the sequel. He had a cameo as himself in This Is the End. In 2013, Hart played a boxing promoter in Grudge Match and appeared in Exit Strategy as Mannequin Head Man. He also appeared in 35 and Ticking.

In 2014, Hart starred as Ben in Ride Along, opposite Ice Cube. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, but was a major box office success. Hart returned in the sequel, Ride Along 2, which was released on January 15, 2016.

In 2013, Hart co-created Real Husbands of Hollywood with Chris Spencer. The show follows Hart along with other married celebrities (each playing a comical fictionalized version of themselves) within the series including: Boris Kodjoe, Nelly, Duane Martin, J.B. Smoove, Nick Cannon, and Robin Thicke. Thicke didn't return for the second season due to his music career, though Hart has stated that the door is open for Thicke to return. The series is intentionally filmed in a style similar to Bravo's The Real Housewives. Episodes often hinge on the "real" Kevin Hart's desperately unsuccessful attempts to climb Hollywood's celebrity social ladder (which always backfire in humiliating ways), and the character's barely-hidden jealousy of his more successful celebrity friends. A sneak peek was shown as a segment during the 2012 BET Awards and the official promo was released in October 2012. Also in 2015, Hart starred in the films Get Hard with Will Ferrell and The Wedding Ringer.In 2018 he appeared in the movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and starred alongside Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas and Bobby Cannavale.

In addition to acting, Hart has also hosted various ceremonies. Hart first hosted the 2011 BET Awards. Hart then hosted the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. His longtime friend Judd Apatow, the director who gave him his first big on-screen break in the TV series Undeclared, was the one who recommended him for the gig. Hart hopes that this will project him further into a side career as an emcee, stating, "Hopefully after MTV, of course we're talking Emmys, Oscars, whatever." He has hosted three episodes of Saturday Night Live. In 2015, Hart hosted the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber. As of October 2016, Hart is in talks to portray Santa Claus in Dashing Through the Snow, a planned 2017 Disney Christmas-themed film.

Music
As Chocolate Droppa, his alias, he signed to Motown Records and released Kevin Hart: What Now? (The Mixtape Presents Chocolate Droppa), the soundtrack to his stand-up film of the same name. He released the singles "Push It On Me" featuring Trey Songz and "Baller Alert" with Migos & T.I.

Modeling
In 2017, Kevin Hart and Tommy John appeared in an underwear commercial for Macy's.

Influences
Hart has cited as comedy inspirations Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Richard Pryor, Patrice O'neal, and Keith Robinson.

Comedic style
Kevin Hart's comedic style, particularly in his stand-up routines are based on his racial, physical, familial and gender role experiences. His stand-up frequently invokes self-deprecation, derived from his experiences as a shorter-than-median (5'2"), black, adult male, with an extended black family, trying to navigate his career and personal paths in life. He frequently talks about his fears of being less than ideally physically gifted, the resulting ways in which they intersect with his masculinity, sexuality, traditional male gender role, as well as the experiences and dynamics of his social interactions, and how he fails to live up to the traditional definitions and notions of them.

Kevin Hart has spoken about both his acceptance of his vulnerability with the issues and the painful experiences with his perceived shortcomings as well as the society and family he belongs to as being the primary sources of his comedic material and humour. In particular, this has included acceptance of both his height and the resulting roles in both his personal and professional life he's often given.

Personal life
Kevin and Torrei Hart filed for divorce in February 2010, citing irreconcilable differences. Hart requested joint custody of their two children, daughter Heaven (0) and son Hendrix (0). The divorce was finalized in November 2011.

Hart's relationship with his father improved after the latter recovered from his addiction. Hart said, "My dad said I was supposed to be on drugs. I was like, 'Dad, shut up,' but then I thought about it, and it was stupid, but it made sense. He was saying that basically he was my example to never go down that road."

Hart also talks about his mother in his stand-up routine, portraying her as a loving, yet intimidating woman. She died from cancer in 2007.

On August 18, 2014, Hart proposed to Eniko Parrish. They married on August 13, 2016 near Santa Barbara, California. Their son Kenzo Kash was born on November 21, 2017. On December 15, 2017, Hart publicly admitted to having cheated on his wife while she was pregnant with their son Kenzo.

Hart earned an estimated $32.5 million in 2017.

Legal issues
Hart was arrested on April 14, 2013 on suspicion of drunk driving after his black Mercedes nearly collided with a tanker truck on a Southern California freeway. Hart failed a field sobriety test and was booked for misdemeanor DUI. On August 5, 2013, Hart was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading no contest to one count of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Discography

 * Seriously Funny (2010)
 * Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain (Soundtrack) (2013)
 * Kevin Hart: What Now? (The Mixtape Presents Chocolate Droppa) (2016)
 * Kevin Hart: What Now? The Comedy Album (2017)