Interviewee: Dave Chapelle
Interviewer: Anderson Cooper
Date: August 11, 2006

Dave Chapelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer and actor. He became known for his popular comedy TV series called “Chapelle’s Show”. He is ranked 43rd the list of 100 greatest stand-up comedians by Comedy Central.

Born on August 24, 1973 in Washington, DC, Dave Chapelle graduated from Washington’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where he studied theatre arts. He then moved to New York to pursue his career as a comedian. His first attempt at comedy performance was at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theatre in front of the infamous Amateur Night audience. Although his performance resulted in him being ridiculed by the audience, the experience gave him the courage to continue his show business aspirations. He started performing in city parks and this greatly helped as he became known in the New York comedy circuit.

At the age of 20, Dave Chapelle made his film debut by landing the role of “Achoo” in Mel Brook’s Robin Hood: Men in Tights. In 1994, he played a supporting movie role in Getting In, where he attracted the attention of TV network executives. He later appeared as the nightclub comedian in the movie The Nutty Professor, which was headlined by Eddie Murphy. In addition to this, he had minor roles in Con-Air and Martin Lawrence’s Blue Streak. Dave Chapelle played a supporting role as Tom Hank’s character’s best friend and confidante in You’ve Got Mail.

Dave Chapelle launched his own weekly sketch comedy show on Comedy Central called Chapelle’s Show in 2003. The show featured many aspects of American culture, including racial stereotypes, politics and pop culture. He included political and social commentaries in his acts and this helped the show garner critical and commercial success. He received two Emmys for the said show.

Dave Chapelle lives with his wife Elaine and his two sons on a farm just outside Yellow Springs, Ohio. Aside from being a stand-up comedian, he is an avid World of Warcraft player.