Eddie Griffin
{{short description|American actor and comedian (born 1968)}}
{{Other people||Edward Griffin (disambiguation){{!}}Edward Griffin}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox comedian
|image=EddieGriffin_2008.jpg
|caption=Griffin in 2008
|birth_name=Edward Rubin Griffin
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|mf=y|1968|7|15}}
|birth_place=Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
|active=1989–present
|medium=Stand-up, film, television
|genre=Improvisational comedy, observational comedy, blue comedy, satire
|subject= African-American culture, recreational drug use, human sexuality, race relations, politics, racism, religion, everyday life
|spouse = {{plainlist|
- {{marriage|Carla Griffin|1984|1997|reason=divorced}}
- {{marriage|Rochelle Griffin|2002|2009|reason=divorced}}
- {{marriage|Nia Rivers|2011|2012|reason=divorced}}
- {{marriage|Ko Lee|2017}}
}}
|children = 11
|website = {{url|eddiegriffin.com}}
}}
Edward Rubin Griffin (born July 15, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for portraying Eddie Sherman in the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie, the title character in the 2002 comedy film Undercover Brother, and Tiberius Jefferson "T.J." Hicks in Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999) and Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005). He also portrayed Lester Matthews in John Q. (2002), Orpheus in Scary Movie 3 (2003), Pope Sweet Jesus in Norbit (2007), and voiced Richard Pryor on Black Dynamite (2012–2015). Griffin was ranked at number 62 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.{{IMDb title|0429332|title=Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time}}
Early life
Griffin was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and was raised by his single mother, Doris Thomas, a phone company operator.{{cite web|title=Eddie Griffin finds his material in his funky, troubled family|url=http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/stories/040303/ins_0403030006.shtml|access-date=October 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327212315/http://peninsulaclarion.com/stories/040303/ins_0403030006.shtml|archive-date=March 27, 2018|url-status=dead}} His family were Jehovah's Witnesses.{{cite web|last1=Griffin|first1=Eddie|title=Eddie Griffin on Jehovah Witnesses and the Benefits of Polygamy. Standup Comedy From The Vault|date=April 6, 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx9pp2xZz5A|publisher=The Vault|access-date=April 7, 2018}} In 1984, at 16 years old, he moved to Compton, California, to live with his cousins. He later became a father and enlisted in the U.S. Navy but was discharged within months for using marijuana. After six months in jail on an assault conviction following a fight, he made ends meet dancing and painting houses.
Career
At a comedy club open-mic night in 1989, Griffin hopped onstage on a bet and earned a standing ovation with family stories. He talked his way into stand-up gigs around town and in L.A. One popular bit was his gay version of tough-guy comic Andrew Dice Clay, who later hired Griffin to open for him.{{cite web| url = https://people.com/archive/verve-griffin-vol-59-no-15/| title = Verve Griffin {{!}} PEOPLE.com}}
Once he achieved a fair amount of success in standup, Griffin became legendary at The Comedy Store for stopping in to do guest sets on open mic nights and staying up on stage long enough to tire the audience out for the hapless budding comic who had to follow him.
Griffin has appeared in films such as The Meteor Man (1993), The Walking Dead (1995) “David E. Talbert: A Fool & His Money” (1997), Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), Double Take (2001), Undercover Brother (2002), John Q (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005), Norbit (2007), and Urban Justice (2007).
Griffin has appeared on television shows such as Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000) and Chappelle's Show in the skit "World Series of Dice" as Grits n' Gravy. Griffin performed on two tracks from Dr. Dre's 1999 album, 2001, and the intro track from The D.O.C.'s 1996 album Helter Skelter. He has also appeared on commercials for Miller Beer's Man Laws.
In 2011, Comedy Central released Griffin's stand-up comedy special You Can Tell 'Em I Said It on DVD. In December 2019, his stand-up comedy special, E-Niggma, was released on Showtime.
Personal life
Griffin and his mother got into an argument at his 20th birthday party when she accused him of stealing jewelry from her, which Griffin denied doing. Afterward, Griffin did not see his mother for four years until he moved back to Los Angeles, California, in March 1992, to be closer with his family when his mother was injured in a car accident.{{cite web |title =New Material Drives Comedian Eddie Griffin's New Special, Stand-up Tour |url =http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110317/A_ENTERTAIN/103170303/-1/NEWSMAP |access-date =March 30, 2011}}
Griffin has been married four times. He married his first wife, Carla in 1984 when he was 16 years old. They divorced in 1997.{{cite web |url=http://people.com/archive/verve-griffin-vol-59-no-15/ |title=Verve Griffin |first=Samantha |last=Miller |website=People |date=April 21, 2003 |access-date=May 7, 2018}} He married his second wife, Rochelle, in 2002 and divorced in 2009. On September 8, 2011, he married his third wife, Nia Rivers. However, they filed for divorce after one month of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. They were officially divorced six months later in 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.tmz.com/2011/09/12/eddie-griffin-wedding-married-nia-rivers-shawpri-las-vegas-walk-in-sin-city-elope-undercover-brother/?adid=hero3 |title=Eddie Griffin - The Walk-In VEGAS Wedding!!!! |publisher=TMZ.com |date=August 28, 2011 |access-date=January 29, 2012}}{{cite web | url=http://www.tmz.com/2012/03/24/eddie-griffin-divorced/ | title=Eddie Griffin FINALLY DIVORCED After 6 Months of Marriage | publisher=TMZ | date=March 24, 2012 | access-date=October 16, 2014}} He married his fourth wife, Ko Lee Griffin, on July 27, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada.{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CAAwdwzDxLK/?igshid=1icb1yjjd89n7 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/eddiegriffin/2306056160707285706 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |url-access=subscription| title=Eddie Griffin on Instagram | date=2020-05-10 | website=Instagram | access-date=2020-09-05 }}{{cbignore}}
In March 2007,{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/eddie-griffin-wrecks-15-million-ferrari/ | work=CBS News | title=Eddie Griffin Wrecks $1.5 Million Ferrari | date=March 27, 2007}} Griffin participated in a charity race at Irwindale Speedway to promote the film Redline, using a Ferrari Enzo owned by Daniel Sadek. During a practice run, Griffin accidentally hit the gas pedal instead of the brake and lost control of the Enzo, crashing hard into a concrete barrier. He walked away unscratched, but the $1.5 million supercar was badly damaged. Griffin later criticized reporters who suggested the crash was a publicity stunt.{{cite web |url=http://people.com/celebrity/eddie-griffin-car-wreck-injuries-no-hoax/ |title=Eddie Griffin: Car Wreck, Injuries No Hoax |website=People.com |first1=Pete |last1=Norman |first2=Kimberly |last2=Pfeiffer |date=March 30, 2007 |access-date=April 27, 2018}}
During the sexual assault allegations on Bill Cosby, Griffin suggested that Cosby was the victim of a conspiracy to destroy his image and claimed, without specification, that several other prominent African-American men had been victims of similar conspiracies.{{Citation |last=Howard |first=Adam|date=December 31, 2015 |title= Eddie Griffin defends Cosby, alleges 'systematic effort to destroy' black male stars |publisher=MSNBC |url=http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/comedian-eddie-griffin-defends-cosby-sites-systematic-effort-destroy-black-male-entertainers |access-date=December 31, 2015 }} Griffin has also been called out by the Sikh community for referring to an elderly Sikh man as "Osama Bin Laden" in the aftermath of 9/11, not understanding the difference between Sikhs and Muslims and also thinking that stereotyping Muslim Americans for the sake of "comedy" was appropriate given all the hate crimes both the Muslim and Sikh communities endured after 9/11.{{cite web| url = https://pluralism.org/news/sikhs-raise-concerns-over-new-film |title = Sikhs Raise Concerns Over New Film {{!}} The Pluralism Project}}
In October 2024, Griffin stated that he would likely vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 United States presidential election. He said, referring to Kamala Harris, "Everybody I talk to don't like you. Ain't nobody gonna vote for you."Hall, Alexander, "[https://www.foxnews.com/media/actor-comedian-eddie-griffin-says-he-may-going-trump-instead-liar-kamala-harris Actor-comedian Eddie Griffin says he may be 'going with Trump' instead of 'liar' Kamala Harris]", Fox News, 11 October 2024
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| rowspan=2| 1991
| Gas Station Attendant | |
| The Last Boy Scout
| Club DJ | |
| 1992
| Messenger | |
| rowspan=2| 1993
| Customer | |
| The Meteor Man
| Michael Anderson | |
| rowspan=3| 1994
| The Legend of Dolemite | Himself | |
| House Party 3
| Guest at Kid's Bachelor Party | |
| Jason's Lyric
| Rat | |
| 1995
| Pvt. Hoover Brache | |
| 1998
| Bike Messenger | |
| rowspan=3| 1999
| Tiberius Jefferson "T.J." Hicks | |
| The Mod Squad
| Sonny | |
| Foolish
| Miles "Foolish" Waise | |
| rowspan=2| 2000
| Himself | |
| Picking Up the Pieces
| Sediento | |
| 2001
| Freddy Tiffany | |
| rowspan=4| 2002
| John Q. | Lester Matthews | |
| The New Guy
| Luther | |
| Undercover Brother
| Anton Jackson/Undercover Brother | |
| Pinocchio
| The Cat (voice) | |
| rowspan=2| 2003
| Himself | |
| Scary Movie 3
| Orpheus | |
| rowspan=3| 2004
| Lonnie | |
| Blast
| Lamont Dixon | |
| Pryor Offenses
| TV movie |
| rowspan=2| 2005
| McTeague | |
| Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo
| Tiberius Jefferson "T.J." Hicks | |
| rowspan=4| 2006
| Frank Jones | |
| Irish Jam
| Jimmy Winston "Da Jam" McDevitt | |
| Who Made the Potatoe Salad?
| Malik | |
| The Year Without a Santa Claus
| Jingle | TV movie |
| rowspan=3| 2007
| Norbit | Pope Sweet Jesus | |
| Redline
| Infamous | |
| Urban Justice
| Armand Tucker | Video |
| 2008
| Stanley Mitchell | Video |
| rowspan=2| 2012
| ATypical Love | Sweet Jimmy | |
| Highway
| Redneck Trucker | |
| 2013
| How Sweet It Is | Ronnie | |
| rowspan=2| 2014
| The Slimbones | K-Kutta | |
| Going to America
| Fumnanya | |
| 2015
| Lucille | |
| 2017
| Christopher Jefferson Johnson | |
| 2018
| Pastor | |
| rowspan=2| 2020
| Devon | |
| Bad President
| |
| 2023
| Detective Moses T. Swan | |
| 2025
| Raging Midlife | El Duque | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| rowspan=3| 1992
| Himself | Episode: "Eddie Griffin" |
| Just for Laughs
| Himself | Episode: "Episode #7.0" |
| Def Comedy Jam
| Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.8" |
| 1993
| Roc | Al | Episode: "Labor Intensive" |
| 1994
| Himself | Episode: "Eddie Griffin" |
| 1996–2000
| Eddie Sherman | Main Cast |
| 1999
| Himself/Panelist | Recurring Guest |
| rowspan=2| 2003
| Punk'd | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.1" |
| The Osbournes
| Himself | Episode: "The Osbourne Family Christmas Special" |
| rowspan=2| 2004
| Himself | Episode: "Tournament 1, Game 3" |
| Chappelle's Show
| Grits N' Gravy | Episode: "World Series Of Dice & Mooney On Movies" |
| rowspan=3| 2005
| Himself/Narrator | Episode: "Parliament Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove" |
| Reel Comedy
| Himself | Episode: "Deuce Bigalow European Gigolo" |
| Comedy Central Roast
| Himself/Roaster | Episode: "Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson" |
| 2008
| Black Poker Stars Invitational | Himself | Main Guest |
| 2009
| Eddie Griffin: Going for Broke | Himself | Main Cast |
| 2011
| Comedy All-Stars | Himself | Episode: "Eddie Griffin" |
| 2012
| Richard Pryor (voice) | Episode: "Taxes and Death or Get Him to the Sunset Strip" |
| 2014
| Himself (voice) | Episode: "Good Times" |
| 2017
| Himself | Main Cast |
| rowspan=2| 2020
| This Is Stand-Up | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.2" |
| The Comedy Store
| Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 2020–22
| Woke | 40 Oz. Bottles (voice) | Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 |
| 2021
| Dark Humor | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 2022–23
| Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars | Himself/Host | Main Host |
=Music video appearances=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Artist ! Song |
|---|
| 1993
| Snoop Dogg featuring Daz Dillinger, Heney Loc & Jewell | "Gin & Juice" |
| rowspan=2| 1997
| "Honey" |
| Puff Daddy featuring Mase |
| 1999
| Magic, Master P & Mo B. Dick (musician) | "Foolish (Master P song)" |
| 2001
| Lil' Bow Wow featuring Fundisha | "Take Ya Home" |
=Comedy specials=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title |
|---|
| 1997
| Eddie Griffin: Voodoo Child |
| 2003
| Eddie Griffin: Dysfunktional Family |
| 2008
| Eddie Griffin: Freedom of Speech |
| 2011
| Eddie Griffin: You Can Tell 'Em I Said It! |
| 2018
| Eddie Griffin: Undeniable |
| 2019
| Eddie Griffin: E-Niggma |
=Documentary =
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title |
|---|
| 2007 |
Discography
=Live albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:18em;"| Album details |
| scope="row"|The Message in The Hat
|
|
|---|
| scope="row"|The Message
|
|
| scope="row"|Freedom Of Speech
|
|
| scope="row"|You Can Tell 'Em I Said It
|
|
=Soundtrack albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Album details ! scope="col" colspan="2"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Certifications | |
| style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"|US
!style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"|US R&B | |
|---|---|
| align=left|Foolish (with various artists)
|
| 32 | 10
|
|
=Album appearances=
- 1996 "Intro" (from The D.O.C. album Helter Skelter)
- 1998 "DP Gangsta" (from Snoop Dogg & C-Murder album Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told)
- 1999 "Bar One" (with Traci Nelson and Ms. Roq) (from Dr. Dre album 2001)
- 1999 "Ed-ucation" (from Dr. Dre album 2001)
- 2002 "Bitch Ass Niggaz" (from Xzibit album Man vs. Machine)
- 2003 "I Thought U Knew" (with Crooked I, Eastwood & The Dramatics album Dysfunktional Family) (Various artists)
- 2003 "Dys-Funk-Tional" (from Spider Loc & Eddie Griffin album Dysfunktional Family) (Various artists)
- 2008 "Take A Ride Skit" & "Feed The Lions Skit" (from T-Pain album Thr33 Ringz)
Awards
| class="wikitable" |
| Award
!Film !Event |
|---|
| Best Actor
|Los Angeles International Film Festival 2014 {{citation |url=http://laufilmfest.com/Winners.html|title=Winners 2014 |publisher=laufilmfest.com|access-date=December 1, 2014}} |
| Best Actor
|San Francisco Global Movie Fest 2014 {{citation|url=http://sfmoviefest.com/awards/|title=Awards 2014|publisher=sfmoviefest.com|access-date=August 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115319/http://sfmoviefest.com/awards/|archive-date=August 26, 2014|url-status=dead}} |
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{wikiquote}}
- {{official website|eddiegriffin.com}}
- {{IMDb name|341176}}
- [https://archive.today/20130106004412/http://www.eddiegriffin.vh1.com/ Eddie Griffin Going For Broke Official Site @ VH1.com]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Eddie}}
Category:Male actors from Kansas City, Missouri
Category:American male film actors
Category:African-American film producers
Category:Film producers from Missouri
Category:African-American stand-up comedians
Category:American stand-up comedians
Category:African-American television producers
Category:American television producers
Category:African-American male actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Comedians from Kansas City, Missouri
Category:20th-century American comedians
Category:21st-century American comedians
Category:20th-century African-American people