42 Facts About Tommy Chong

Thomas B Kin Chong was born on May 24,1938 and is a Canadian-American comedian, actor, musician and activist.

Tommy Chong became a naturalized United States citizen in the late 1980s.

Thomas B Kin Chong was born on May 24,1938, in Edmonton, Alberta.

Tommy Chong's mother was a Canadian of Scottish and Irish ancestry, and his father was a Chinese man who immigrated in the 1930s.

Tommy Chong bought a $500 house in Dog Patch and raised his family on $50 a week.

Together with bandmember Bobby Taylor, Tommy Chong opened a Vancouver nightclub in 1963.

Tommy Chong later referred to the young Michael Jackson as a "cute little guy".

Tommy Chong was fired by Chris Clark and Motown producer Johnny Bristol for arriving late to the gig.

Tommy Chong gave me $5,000 as the severance and to me that was a fortune.

Tommy Chong intended that he, Taylor, and Henderson would constitute the group, while other members would be classified as sidemen and session artists.

Tommy Chong directed four of the duo's films, while co-writing and starring in all seven with Cheech.

Tommy Chong developed an unsold pilot for CBS called The Martinez Family, which was redeveloped as the 1988 sitcom Trial and Error.

Tommy Chong did not act regularly until filling the recurring role as the fun-loving, aging hippie "Leo" on That '70s Show.

Tommy Chong was absent during the fifth and sixth seasons of the show as he was serving a brief jail sentence; upon his release, he returned to the series for its final two seasons.

Tommy Chong was originally going to voice the character of Shenzi, the hyena in the Disney film The Lion King.

On September 4,2014, Tommy Chong was announced as one of the celebrities participating on the 19th season of Dancing with the Stars.

Tommy Chong is the oldest contestant to have made it to the semi-finals of the show.

In November 2017, Tommy Chong guest-starred as himself in an episode of the Trailer Park Boys spinoff Out of the Park: USA.

On January 9,2019, Tommy Chong competed in season one of The Masked Singer as "Pineapple" where he sang "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor.

In 2003, Tommy Chong became caught up in two American investigations, code-named Operation Pipe Dreams and Operation Headhunter, which tried to trace drug traffic and users through businesses selling drug paraphernalia, mostly bongs.

Tommy Chong admitted to distributing 7,500 bongs and water pipes on the Internet through Nice Dreams.

Tommy Chong agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute drug paraphernalia in exchange for non-prosecution of his wife, Shelby, and his son, Paris.

Tommy Chong cooperated with the government and was the first of the Operation Pipe Dreams defendants to plead guilty.

At Chong's sentencing, Assistant US Attorney for Western Pennsylvania Mary McKeen Houghton said in her arguments that Tommy Chong "used his public image to promote this crime" and marketed his products to children.

Tommy Chong served his sentence at the Taft Correctional Institution from October 8,2003, to July 7,2004.

Tommy Chong was a cellmate of "The Wolf of Wall Street" Jordan Belfort, who credits him for encouraging Belfort to write his memoirs.

Tommy Chong's time in prison was a main point in his book, "The I Chong".

Tommy Chong was never charged with his crimes in relation to the investigation, as part of a plea bargain.

When questioned on the sentencing, US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan noted that Tommy Chong had never gone to trial and made a plea bargain.

In December 2004, Tommy Chong was to appear in an off-Broadway show entitled The Marijuana-Logues, a parody of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues.

Such exposure would cause Tommy Chong to violate the terms of his parole.

In 2006, Tommy Chong published a memoir about his experiences in jail and his exploration of meditation, called The I Tommy Chong: Meditations from the Joint.

Tommy Chong was running as a Republican candidate for the United States House of Representatives.

Tommy Chong appeared with his long-time comedy partner, Cheech Marin, in a 2000 South Park episode called "Cherokee Hair Tampons".

Around this same time, Cheech and Tommy Chong appeared together on the Internet-based, pro-marijuana show, Getting Doug with High.

In 1960, Tommy Chong married Maxine Sneed, the older sister of drummer Floyd Sneed, in Canada.

Tommy Chong is a marijuana activist and supports legalizing the plant's use.

Tommy Chong is a regular contributor to Cannabis Culture Magazine and sits on the NORML advisory board.

Tommy Chong announced on June 9,2012, that he was battling prostate cancer.

Tommy Chong described the cancer "as a slow stage one [that I've] had for a long time".

Tommy Chong said that he had been drug free for about three years, during which time he began having prostate-related problems.

Tommy Chong opined that stress could have been a cause of his condition.