Born: 28 August 1969 (Age: 41)
Where: Hermosa Beach, California, USA
Height: 5' 4"
Awards: 1 Golden Globe Nomination.
People have the wrong idea about Jack Black. They see him as a comedian struggling to make it in a serious thespian world, a fledgling Jim Carrey or Robin Williams. But look a little closer. Both Carrey and Williams, like any number of comics-turned-actors, first brought their practised comic personalities to the screen (take The Mask or Good Morning Vietnam) and then attempted to expand into "proper" acting. Or rather they've attempted to DEFLATE into proper acting as they've tried to rid themselves of those huge, hyper-active funny-man personas.
Jack Black, on the other hand, is an actor first and foremost. Though ostensibly he made it in the world of comedy with his semi-parodic heavy metal duo Tenacious D, then carried that character into his first headlining hit, School Of Rock, he actually began as a member of Tim Robbins' Actors' Gang, and served his apprenticeship in myriad cameos. Tenacious D was just a sideline, raised to huge popularity by Black's onscreen success. His character in the band is simply that - another character - just like his bolshy, elitist music shop worker in High Fidelity, his uber-stoner in Orange County and even his metal-obsessed imposter-teacher in School Of Rock. He's funny, that's for sure, but he's never been merely a comedian. And the proof of that lies in the fact that, as he rose towards cinematic success, his main competitor - well, it was hardly a competition as the guy took nearly every part Black desired - was Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Black was born on the 28th of August, 1969, and spent his early life at Hermosa Beach, in Torrance, south-west Los Angeles. His father and mother Judy were both satellite engineers (that is, rocket scientists) and Jack would be their only child together. They did, though, bring other kids to the party, his mum having three from a previous marriage and his dad a further one (he'd have another once he and Judy were divorced). This didn't make it easy for Jack who found himself forever battling for attention against these already cemented loyalties. He was an interloper in his own home. And there were other complications. This being the Seventies in Los Angeles, the parents believed that one should not say No to one's children, making life ever more volatile. Beyond this, there was what Black later described as weird family stuff, not wife-swapping exactly, but swinging. "It was funny", he said "and not funny ha-ha".
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