Christopher "Chris" Tucker (born August 31, 1972) is an American actor and comedian most widely known for his roles as Smokey in Friday and James Carter in the Rush Hour trilogy.

Early life

Chris Tucker was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Mary and Norris Tucker. His mother was closely involved in church work, and his father was an independent businessman who owned a janitorial service. Tucker was raised in Decatur, Georgia.

After graduating from Columbia High School, Tucker moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy and movies.

Career

Tucker's first major movie role was alongside rapper Ice Cube in the 1995 film Friday. He also starred with Charlie Sheen in 1997's Money Talks and alongside Bruce Willis in The Fifth Element the same year. He later starred in the 1998 martial arts action comedy Rush Hour and its sequels, Rush Hour 2 and Rush Hour 3, in which he played James Carter, an abrasive, wise-cracking detective. Realizing the success of the first Rush Hour film, Tucker held out from studio bosses until they paid his price tag of $20 million for Rush Hour 2;Chris Tucker's profile at the Internet Movie Database the film became an enormous success. The other star, Jackie Chan, received $15 million and gross points.

Despite a flurry of films at the start of his career, Tucker has only made three appearances since 1998, all as Detective James Carter. Tucker's career trajectory is unusual in that, while he has made such a relatively small number of films, he has already become a member of the unofficial "$20 million per film" club, joining such actors as Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise and Will Smith. Tucker signed a two-movie contract with New Line Cinema for 40 million dollars to star in Rush Hour 3 and another unnamed film. He is also to receive 20% of the gross against his salary from the 3rd Rush Hour film.

Tucker did not reprise his role of Smokey in Friday (1995) because he had become a born-again Christian after filming Money Talks (1997). He chose to do the Rush Hour series instead.

On February 13, 2009, Tucker participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend's Celebrity Game. Other celebrities participating include Rapper Master P, NBA Hall of Famer's Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, wide receiver Terrell Owens, and four Harlem Globetrotters.

Personal life

Tucker is friends with fellow star Jackie Chan, as well as singer Michael Jackson, and appeared in Jackson's video "You Rock My World" (2001) and on the intro of the track on the album Invincible. He also appeared at the beginning of the music video for "California Love" by Tupac Shakur. A friend of Bill Clinton, Tucker has travelled with the former President overseas, though he endorsed Barack Obama rather than Hillary Clinton in the 2008 primaries.