Lewis Niles Black was born August 30, 1948, in Washington DC, but grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. Raised in a Jewish family, he graduated from Springbrook High School. Black’s father Sam was a mechanical engineer turned artist, and his mother, Jeannette, taught mathematics in an all-black high school in Washington DC.
Black’s undergraduate education was completed at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and he later obtained his Masters in Fine Arts at Yale School of Drama. Not long after he graduated in 1977, Black worked as a playwright and associate artistic director at the West Bank Café Downstairs Theatre Bar. Black had plenty of time to hone and perfect his standup routine while serving as emcee before each play began.
A series of management changes in the early 90s eventually spurred Black to leave. Encouraged by the positive reception of his standup performances, Black sought work as a comedian for both film and television.
From 1990 to 1991, Black landed a five episode gig on the television sitcom The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd. In a slightly unconventional move, Black next showed up in the romantic comedy The Night We Never Met in 1993, with Matthew Broderick, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Naomi Campbell. In this same year, he also had a bit part in the quirky film Joey Breaker, featuring Gina Gershon and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Black bounced around the television scene until 1995 when he was invited to perform on HBO Comedy Showcase. Other comedians included Ray Romano, Wanda Sykes, and Mark Curry. Using this exposure, Black earned more roles until his major break in 1998, starring in a thirty minute Comedy Central Presents episode.
This can be considered the gateway into his most commercial and noteworthy success. From 1999 to 2006, Black appeared as himself on the spoof news program The Daily Show. Together with Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Steve Carell, the show became a phenomenal success.
As Black’s success grew, so did the number of available projects. He starred in two more Comedy Central Presents episodes in 2000 and 2002, as well as the TV special Lewis Black: Red, White, and Screwed in 2006.
He also released his autobiography, Nothing’s Sacred, in 2005.
On the big screen, Black can be seen opposite Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Laura Linney, Jeff Goldblum, and Tina Fey in the star-studded Man of the Year.
YUDDY
