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Kenan Thompson is an American actor and comedian known for his work on Saturday Night Live and various films roles. His film credits include Fat Albert, Barbershop 2 and Snakes on a Plane.
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Play NowKenan Thompson. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 05:35, May 26, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/kenan-thompson-21129991.
Kenan Thompson. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/kenan-thompson-21129991 [Accessed 26 May 2013].
"Kenan Thompson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 26 2013, 05:35 http://www.biography.com/people/kenan-thompson-21129991.
"Kenan Thompson," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/kenan-thompson-21129991 [accessed May 26, 2013].
"Kenan Thompson," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/kenan-thompson-21129991 (accessed May 26, 2013).
Kenan Thompson [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 26] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/kenan-thompson-21129991.
Kenan Thompson, http://www.biography.com/people/kenan-thompson-21129991 (last visited May 26, 2013).
Kenan Thompson. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/kenan-thompson-21129991. Accessed May 26, 2013.
Synopsis
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 10, 1978, Kenan Thompson starred on the kids' shows All That and Kenan and Kel before branching off into film roles. Since 2003, he has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live.
Quotes
"[Bill Cosby is] the first comedian that I knew that I could watch as a kid. Other comedians were too dirty, I couldn't watch them. But Bill Cosby, I could watch him all the time."
"The things I do are fun; it's hard to call it a job, even though I do take it seriously."
Early Life
Born on May 10, 1978, in Atlanta, Georgia, Kenan Thompson is an actor and comedian known widely for his work on Saturday Night Live. As a child, his mother, Elizabeth Ann Thompson, encouraged him to take acting classes. His work was rewarded in his teens when he won a role as a film reviewer for the Turner Broadcasting Station and, at age 16, worked with Emilio Estevez in the 1994 film D2: The Mighty Ducks. That same year, he began appearing on the popular Nickelodeon show All That. In 1996, he and All That co-star Kel Mitchell began starring on a highly successful spin-off, Kenan and Kel, which lasted four seasons and helped earn Thompson a Kids' Choice Award in 1998.
Professional Success
After leaving Nickelodeon, Thompson appeared in a number of films, including Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000), Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003), Barbershop 2 (2004) and Snakes on a Plane (2006). In 2004, he also starred in the film adaptation of Fat Albert, working alongside his childhood idol, Bill Cosby. "That was awesome, that was like a dream come true!" Thompson later said about the experience. "He's the first comedian that I knew that I could watch as a kid. Other comedians were too dirty, I couldn't watch them. But Bill Cosby, I could watch him all the time."
In 2003, Thompson won a role on Saturday Night Live and has appeared on the show for more than eight seasons. Well-known for his impression of Bill Cosby and Whoopi Goldberg, he has joked that he was originally brought on to replace Tracy Morgan.
In late 2012, Thompson was reportedly developing a television comedy with TV producer, Lorne Michaels, in which Thompson would star as a young man who gives up life in the Big Apple and moves to the suburbs to live with his in-laws.
Personal Life
In 2011, Thompson married model Christina Evangeline at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Spending time between Los Angeles and New York, Thompson has remarked that he would like to start his own production company one day: "The things I do are fun; it's hard to call it a job, even though I do take it seriously."
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Cast of Saturday Night Live
View groupLearn more about the cast of Saturday Night Live, including old-timers such as John Belushi, Billy Crystal, Jane Curtin, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy and David Spade, as well as newer stars of the series, including Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis and Seth Meyers.
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Black Comedians
View groupFrom the early comedy of Nipsey Russell, Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby to the contemporary routines of Steve Harvey, Mo'Nique, Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes and Dave Chappelle, black comedians have often used their wit to become the voice and face of the African-American experience. These legendary comedians have also set a very high bar—not only for African Americans, but for all comics trying to make it in show business. Learn more about these famous jokesters, from their early days to their comic beginnings, to their side-splitting performances and more.
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