Jack Black Biography

Jack Black, Actor

Birthdate: August 28, 1969

Birthplace: Hermosa Beach, California

Sign: Virgo

Born Thomas Jack Black, Jr. in Hermosa Beach, California on August 28, 1969, Black is the son of two satellite engineers, Judith Cohen and Thomas Black, Sr. He moved to Culver City with his father after his parents divorced, but frequently visited his mother. Then his father moved to Bristol, U.K. after the end of his first year of college.

As a child, he had appeared in an Atari Pitfall! commercial. He had a Bull Mastiff and Rottweiler mix named Chico, who died of parvovirus after his parents divorced.

He attended UCLA but dropped out during his second year to pursue a career in entertainment. This wasn't supported by his father, which made him cut his financial assistance. Tim Robbins, his fellow UCLA veteran, had cast him in 1992 film "Bob Roberts," in which Robbins directed and starred in. After that, Black had been given recurring roles on the HBO sketch comedy series "Mr. Show."

His acting career began with television roles. He had played small parts in "The Golden Palace, "Life Goes On," "The X-Files," "Northern Exposure," and "Picket Fences." He then had small parts in movies namely "Airborne," "Demolition Man," "Waterworld," "The Cable Guy," "The Jackel," and "Dead Man Walking," among others. His role in the 2000 film "High Fidelity" had given him a substantially bigger role.

He then began getting leading roles in films such as "Shallow Hal," opposite Gwyneth Paltrow, and "School of Rock." His other films include, the Academy Award-winning "King Kong," "Envy, "Orange County," and "Nacho Libre."

Black had appeared five times on "Saturday Night Live," three times as host, one time as a musical guest (with Kyle Gass as Tenacious D), and as a surprise cameo. He is a member of the Frat Pack, a nickname given to a group of male Hollywood comedians who have appeared together in numerous highest grossing movies since the late 1990s. The Frat Pack includes Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Steve Carrell, and Ben Stiller.

He had been the host of the 2006 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards on April 1, 2006 and the MTV Video Music Awards on August 31, 2006. It was recently announced that he is set to host the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards again this 2008.

Black is the lead singer for Tenacious D, a rock comedy band. They have released two albums, the debut, which is self-titled, and "The Pick of Destiny." Their song "The Metal" from their second album went on to be used in the music video game, "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock." They have recently helped the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, which aims to raise awareness and funds.

Black has been married to cellist Tanya Haden since March 14, 2006. He had proposed to Haden, in 2005 with a $50,000 Neil Lane ring. They have a son together named Samuel Wyatt Black, who was born on June 10, 2006. He has recently announced that they are currently expecting their second child.