26 Facts About Martin Lawrence

Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence was born on April 16,1965 and is an American actor and comedian.

Martin Lawrence came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor.

The fourth of six children, Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence was born on April 16,1965, in Frankfurt, West Germany.

When Lawrence was seven, his father left the military, and the family moved from West Germany back to the United States, settling in the Washington DC area in the town of Landover, Maryland.

Martin Lawrence's mother had moved herself and her six children into the troubled King Square housing projects where he would attend Dodge Park Elementary.

Small for his size growing up in the projects, Martin Lawrence often engaged in street fights with other kids.

Martin Lawrence stated that it was his mother and older brothers who kept him out of jail where most of his childhood friends ended up.

Comedian Ritch Shydner saw his act and suggested Martin Lawrence make connections in New York.

Martin Lawrence ended up moving to New York City and found his way to the comedy club The Improv.

Shortly after appearing at The Improv, Martin Lawrence won a performance spot on Star Search.

Martin Lawrence did well on the show and made it to the final round, but did not win.

Martin Lawrence was the flagship of Fox's Thursday night line-up, which drew millions of viewers away from NBC's "Must See TV" line-up.

Martin Lawrence hosted Saturday Night Live on February 19,1994, where he made crude remarks about women's genitalia and personal hygiene; the offensive portion of the monologue was edited out of NBC reruns and syndicated versions and Lawrence was banned from NBC for a period of time until he received an apology from the President of NBC at the time Warren Littlefield.

Martin Lawrence's ratings continued to skyrocket so much that Fox became more of a contender against NBC and came closer to being considered among the top television networks.

Martin Lawrence often starred as the second lead opposite actors including Eddie Murphy, Danny DeVito, and Tim Robbins.

Martin Lawrence starred in critical and box office failures, including Black Knight and National Security.

Martin Lawrence continued to work in film, with such films as Big Momma's House 2, which opened at No 1 at North American box office and grossed almost $28 million its first weekend, and Wild Hogs, in which he played a bored suburbanite seeking adventure on the open road in a biker comedy alongside John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H Macy.

In 2006, Lawrence appeared on Inside the Actors Studio, during which Lawrence briefly brought back to life some of the characters he had portrayed on Martin.

Martin Lawrence appeared in Open Season as the voice of Boog, one of the main characters of the film, which starred Ashton Kutcher, Debra Messing, and Gary Sinise.

In 2008, Martin Lawrence starred in his first G-rated film, Walt Disney Pictures' College Road Trip, in which he co-starred with Raven-Symone.

In 2011, Martin Lawrence reprised his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner in Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, the third film in the Big Momma series.

In 2020, Martin Lawrence reprised his role as Detective Marcus Burnett in the third installment of the Bad Boys franchise, Bad Boys for Life, again alongside Will Smith.

Martin Lawrence starred in his first dramatic role in 2022's Mindcage alongside Melissa Roxburgh and John Malkovich.

Martin Lawrence married Miss Virginia USA, Patricia Southall, in 1995.

In July 1995, while on the set filming A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Martin Lawrence lashed out in a violent rage and was then hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

In March 1997, Martin Lawrence was arrested after punching a man in a Hollywood nightclub.