Jack Black

Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and producer.
His acting career has been extensive, starring primarily in comedy films. He is best known for his roles in Wonka, Shallow Hal, School of Rock, King Kong, Nacho Libre, Tropic Thunder, The Holiday, Bernie and the Kung Fu Panda films. Black is considered a member of the so-called Frat Pack, a loose grouping of comic actors who have appeared together from an early age in various Hollywood films. He has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. He is the lead vocalist of the comedic rock group Tenacious D, which he formed in 1994 with friend Kyle Gass.
==Acting career==
===Early roles===
Black first acted in a television commercial at age 13 for the video game Pitfall!. Black's adult career began with acting on prime time television. He played roles on shows including Life Goes On, Northern Exposure, Mr. Show, Picket Fences, The Golden Palace and The X-Files. Black appeared in the unaired TV pilot Heat Vision and Jack, directed by Ben Stiller, in which he played an ex-astronaut pursued by actor Ron Silver. He was accompanied by his friend who had merged with a motorcycle, voiced by Owen Wilson.
Black later took on small roles in Airborne (1993), Demolition Man, Waterworld, The Fan, The Cable Guy, Mars Attacks!, Tim Robbins' Dead Man Walking, The Jackal, Enemy of the State, and others. He had a small role in True Romance as a security guard, but the scene was deleted.
===Leading roles===
In 2000, Black appeared in High Fidelity as a wild employee in John Cusack's record store, a role he considers his breakout. He soon gained leading roles in films such as Shallow Hal, Nacho Libre, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, Year One, and Gulliver's Travels. He received particular praise for his starring role in the well-received School of Rock, earning critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Musical Or Comedy.
He starred in one of his few dramatic roles as the obsessed filmmaker Carl Denham in Peter Jackson's 2005 remake of King Kong, a performance he based on Orson Welles. He voiced the title role in Kung Fu Panda, which grossed $20.3 million on its opening day, June 6, 2008, and Kung Fu Panda 2; this is his favorite role and he praises the tutoring of co-star and two-time Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman. His next film, The Big Year, a competitive birdwatching comedy co-starring Owen Wilson, Steve Martin, and JoBeth Williams, was released in October 2011.
The media classifies Black as one of the Frat Pack, a group of comedy actors who frequently work together. It includes Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Carell.
Jack garnered a second Golden Globe Award nomination, this time in the category Best Actor in a Comedy, for his 2011 starring role in Richard Linklater's black comedy Bernie, as real-life murderer Bernie Tiede, a funeral director in a small East Texas town, who befriends and eventually murders a rich widow, played by Shirley MacLaine. Black's subdued portrayal, authentic East Texas accent and musical talent – he sings several gospel hymns as well as "Seventy-six Trombones" — had Roger Ebert describing Black's work as "one of the performances of the year."
==Filmography==
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1991	Our Shining Moment 	Teenage boy 	Television film
1992	Bob Roberts 	Roger Davis 	
1993	Airborne 	Augie 	
1993	Demolition Man 	Wasteland Scrap 	
1994	The NeverEnding Story III 	Slip 	
1994	The Innocent 	Marty Prago 	
1995	Bye Bye Love 	DJ at party 	
1995	Dead Man Walking 	Craig Poncelet 	
1995	Waterworld 	Pilot 	
1996	Bio-Dome 	Tenacious D 	
1996	The Cable Guy 	Rick Legatos 	
1996	The Fan 	Broadcast technician	
1996	Mars Attacks! 	Billy Glenn Norris 	
1997	Bongwater 	Devlin 	
1997	Crossworlds 	Steve 	
1997	The Jackal 	Ian Lamont 	
1998	Enemy of the State 	Fiedler 	
1998	I Still Know What You Did Last Summer	Titus Telesco 	Uncredited
1998	Johnny Skidmarks 	Jerry 	
1999	Cradle Will Rock 	Sid 	
1999	Jesus' Son 	Georgie 	
1999	The Love Letter 	Fisherman 	Uncredited
2000	High Fidelity 	Barry 	Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor – Comedy/RomanceNominated – American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureNominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Music MomentNominated – MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Male PerformanceNominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor
2001	Frank's Book 	Performance hipster 	Short film
2001	Saving Silverman 	JD McNugent 	
2001	Shallow Hal 	Hal Larson 	Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor - Comedy
2002	Ice Age 	Zeke (voice) 	
2002	Orange County 	Lance Brumder 	
2002	Run Ronnie Run! 	Lead chimney sweep 	DVD Exclusive Award for Best Original Song
2003	Melvin Goes to Dinner 	Mental patient 	Phoenix Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble ActingNominated – DVD Exclusive Award for Best Supporting Actor in a DVD Premiere
2003	School of Rock 	Dewey Finn 	MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated – MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen TeamNominated – New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (3rd place)Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor - ComedyNominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liar
2004	Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy	Motorcyclist 	Cameo
2004	Envy 	Nick Vanderpark 	Nominated – People's Choice Award for Favorite Funny Male Star
2004	Shark Tale 	Lenny (voice) 	
2005	King Kong 	Carl Denham 	Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Movie – Choice Sleazebag
2006	The Holiday 	Miles 	
2006	Nacho Libre 	Nacho 	Also producerNominated – Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Male Movie StarNominated – MTV Movie Award for Best FightNominated – Teen Choice Award for Movie – Choice Actor: ComedyNominated – Teen Choice Award for Movie – Choice ChemistryNominated – Teen Choice Award for Movie – Choice Rumble
2006	Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny 	Jack "Jables" Black 	Also producer and writer
2007	Margot at the Wedding 	Malcolm 	Nominated – Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2007	Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story 	Paul McCartney 	Uncredited
2008	Be Kind Rewind 	Jerry Gerber 	
2008	Kung Fu Panda 	Po (voice) 	Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated MovieNominated – Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Animated Character in a Motion Picture
2008	The Secrets of the Furious Five 	Po (voice) 	Short film
2008	Prop 8: The Musical 	Jesus Christ 	Short film
2008	Tropic Thunder 	Jeff "Fats" Portnoy 	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast
2009	Year One 	Zed 	
2010	Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special 	Po (voice) 	Short film
2010	Gulliver's Travels 	Gulliver 	Also executive producerNominated – Razzie Award for Worst ActorNominated – Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Male Movie Star
2011	Kung Fu Panda 2 	Po (voice) 	Nominated – Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Animated VoiceNominated – Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated MovieNominated – People's Choice Award for Favorite Animation Movie Voice
2011	Bernie 	Bernie Tiede 	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated – Gotham Award for Best Ensemble PerformanceNominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Male LeadNominated – New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (runner-up)Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor in a Comedy
2011	The Big Year 	Brad Harris 	
2011	The Muppets 	Himself 	Uncredited
2014	Sex Tape 	Owner of YouPorn 	Uncredited
2015	The D Train 	Dan Landsman 	Also producer
2015	Goosebumps 	R. L. Stine 	
Post-production
2016	Kung Fu Panda 3 	Po (voice) 	
Post-production
|-
| rowspan="2"|2017
| The Polka King
| Jan Lewan
| Also producer
|-
| Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
| Professor Sheldon "Shelly" Oberon (Bethany Walker)
| Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic PerformanceNominated – MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team (with Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Nick Jonas)
|-
| rowspan="3"|2018
| Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
| Dexter
| 
|-
| The House with a Clock in Its Walls
| Jonathan Barnavelt
|
|-
| Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
| R.L Stine
|
|-
| 2019
| Unexpected Race
| Sheriff
| Post-production
|}
Category:1969 births
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male comedians
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American television writers
Category:Jewish American male actors
Category:Jewish comedians
Category:Living people
Category:Male actors from Santa Monica, California
Category:Writers from Santa Monica, California
Category:American atheists
Category:Jewish American actors
Category:Jewish American musicians
Category:Jewish atheists
Category:1960s births