Birth Name : Thomas Jacob Black
Nickname : JB Jables
Height :5' 6" (1.68 m)
Mini Biography
Jack Black was born in California, and attended the University of California at Los Angeles. While at UCLA, he was a member of Tim Robbins's acting troupe and it was through this collaboration that led to his 1992 film debut in Bob Roberts (1992). Although he was just a background voice in his first film, Jack's appearances in such television shows as "The X-Files" (1993), his breakthrough performance in High Fidelity (2000), and his rock-comedy band Tenacious D have created an ever-growing cult following.
Actor, musician. Born on August 28, 1969, in Santa Monica, California. One of the more popular character actors of recent years, Black's acerbic wit and high-energy antics have made him a standard bearer for the Generation X demographic.jack black school of rock jack black tropic thunder jack black family jack black vmajack black tenacious d.
Black attended UCLA where he became a member of Tim Robbins' Actors Gang, a Los Angeles-based performance troupe that has spawned the likes of John Cusack. Black would make his film debut with Robbins and later play opposite Cusack in one of his most memorable roles.
In Robbins' political spoof Bob Roberts (1992), Black had a small but critically noted role as a fanatical supporter of presidential hopeful Bob Roberts (played by Robbins himself). In 1994, Black teamed up with friend and fellow actor Kyle Gass to form Tenacious D, a tongue-in-cheek musical ensemble lovingly, if sarcastically dubbed the "Greatest Band on Earth." Throughout the 1990s, Black managed to land a steady stream of bit parts in feature attractions such as Waterworld (1995), Dead Man Walking (1995), The Cable Guy (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), The Jackal (1997), Enemy of the State (1998), and Cradle Will Rock (1999).
But it was in more independently oriented projects that Black's talents were given free rein. His brief turn in HBO's Mr. Show and his critically acclaimed performance as a pill-popping hospital attendant in Jesus' Son (1999) increasingly cemented his reputation as a comic force.
Black's breakthrough came with the 2000 adaptation of the popular Nick Hornby novel High Fidelity. As Barry, a hyper-pretentious record store clerk, Black showcased his knack for brutally acerbic wit. Although only a member of the supporting cast, Black's performance was one of the most memorable attributes of a film that was both commercially and critically successful.
Capitalizing on his newfound notoriety, Black co-starred opposite Gwynneth Paltrow in the romantic comedy Shallow Hal (2001). The film, directed by the Farrelly brothers of There's Something About Mary fame, received mixed reviews. Black followed with Orange County (2002), another big-budget comedy in which he played a prototypical slacker figure. Although the films provided Black with added exposure, they strayed from the type of work that had garnered him a determined cult following.
On May 14, 2008, Black let the news slip that co-star Angelina Jolie was pregnant with twins during a joint interview at the Cannes Film Festival in Franceto promote their animated movie Kung Fu Panda. Since that accidental revelation, Black has expanded his own family. He and his wife Tayna Haden welcomed a son named Thomas Jack. The couple has another child, Samuel, who was born in 2006. Jolie and Black's animated film project, Kung Fu Panda, went on to score big at the box office, earning approximately $60 million in its opening weekend. Later this summer, Black appeared in Tropic Thunder with Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. In 2009, he starred in the comedy Year One with Michael Cera. He also provided the voice of Eddie Rigs in the new video game, Brütal Legend.
Also Credited As:
Thomas Jack Black
* Born:
Thomas Jack Black on August 28, 1969 in Santa Monica, California, USA
* Job Titles:
Actor, Musician, Comedian, Writer
Family
* Father: Thomas Jack Black Sr.. Divorced Black s mother when he was ten
* Mother: Judith Cohen. Worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, which was carried into orbit via the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1990; divorced Black s father when he was ten
* Son: Samuel Jason Black. Born June 10, 2006; mother is Tanya Haden
* Son: Thomas Black.
Significant Others
* Companion: Laura Kightlinger. Dated for a few years; split in 2005
* Wife: Tanya Haden. Met while they were students at Crossroads High School; married March 2006 in Big Sur
Education
* University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles , California
* Crossroads, Santa Monica , California
Milestones
* 1982 Made acting debut in a commercial for the Atari videogame Pitfall at age thirteen (date approximate)
* 1992 Film debut as an obsessed fan of Tim Robbins folk-singing politician Bob Roberts
* 1993 Appeared in the futuristic actioner Demolition Man
* 1993 Made TV-movie debut with a cameo in the NBC crime drama Marked For Murder
* 1994 Formed Tenacious D with guitarist Kyle Gass
* 1994 Was featured in the fantasy sequel The Neverending Story III
* 1995 Reteamed with Tim Robbins with a role in the director s acclaimed death row-set drama Dead Man Walking
* 1996 Along with Kyle Gass, appeared as Tenacious D in the inane comedy Bio-Dome
* 1996 Featured in the sci-fi fantasy film Crossworlds, debuted on HBO in 1997
* 1997 Acted in the action thriller The Jackal
* 1998 Featured as a computer whiz in Enemy of the State
* 1998 Had a scene-stealing featured role in the independent thriller Johnny Skidmarks, aired on HBO in lieu of theatrical release
* 1999 Featured in the acclaimed independent Jesus Son
* 1999 Had a comedic turn alongside Gass as bumbling aspiring performers in Tim Robbins Cradle Will Rock
* 1999 Was creator, executive producer, writer and star of a three-episode series of comedy specials featuring the comedy rock band Tenacious D (HBO)
* 2000 Had a memorable supporting role as an obnoxious record store clerk in the feature High Fidelity
* 2000 Signed to star in the comedy Saving Silverman ; reportedly earning $1 million
* 2001 Had leading role opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal
* 2001 Released self debut album, Tenacious D with band member Kyle Gass
* 2003 Starred in the comedy School of Rock ; earned a golden globe nomination for best actor in a comedy or musical
* 2004 Co-starred with Ben Stiller in the comedy Envy, directed by Barry Levinson
* 2004 Voiced Lenny in the animated feature Shark Tale
* 2005 Cast as Carl Denham, an adventurer filmmaker in Peter Jackson s King Kong a remake of 1933 classic
* 2006 Cast as a mexican cook who hits the wrestling circuit in Nacho Libre, a comedy directed by Jared Hess
* 2006 Played rare romantic lead opposite Kate Winslet in director Nancy Meyers romantic comedy The Holiday
* 2006 Produced (also co-wrote and starred) Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny, a film about his rock comedy band with Kyle Gass; also released the album, The Pick of Destiny
* 2007 Portrayed Jennifer Jason Leigh s fiancé in Margot at the Wedding directed by Noah Baumbach
* 2008 Co-starred in the Ben Stiller directed action comedy Tropic Thunder
* 2008 Co-starred with Mos Def in Michel Gondry s eccentric comedy Be Kind Rewind
* 2008 Voiced the lead character in the animated feature, Kung Fu Panda
* 2009 Co-starred with Michael Cera in the biblical comedy Year One ; directed by Harold Ramis
* 2010 Produced and starred in a modern-day remake of Gulliver s Travels
