Marcus G. Curry (born June 1, 1961),[5] known professionally as Mark Curry, is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is best known for his role as Mark Cooper, ex–basketball player turned teacher on the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper which originally aired from 1992 to 1997.[6] Curry also served as one of the various hosts of the syndicated series It's Showtime at the Apollo during the early 1990s.[7] Curry co-starred in all three seasons of See Dad Run, Nick at Nite's first original live-action family comedy series, from 2012 to 2015.
Mark Curry | |
|---|---|
 Curry in 2008 | |
| Born | Marcus G. Curry June 1, 1961[1][2] Oakland, California, U.S.[3] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Known for | Mark Cooper – Hangin' with Mr. Cooper[4] |
Early life and education
editBorn in Oakland, California, Curry is the youngest of nine. Curry attended St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, California, and California State University, East Bay[8] in Hayward, California. As a child, Curry was a participant at the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC), a local youth organization.[9]
Career
editCurry's first role was in the 1991 feature film Talkin' Dirty After Dark where he appeared alongside Martin Lawrence.[10]
Curry's first major role was on the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper which made its debut in September 1992. On the show he played the lead role of Mark Cooper, an NBA player-turned-substitute teacher/gym coach. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was eventually on air for five seasons with over a hundred episodes.[11]
In 1994 Curry guest starred on the sitcom Living Single.[12] In 1997, he made another guest appearance on the sitcom Martin.[13] Curry was later featured on two episodes of The Jamie Foxx Show as eccentric driving instructor Sergeant Easy.[14][15]
Curry also made cameos in the 1997 feature film Switchback and 1998 feature film Armageddon.[16][17]
In 2000, Curry had a recurring role on The Drew Carey Show as Robert Soulard, Drew Carey's boss.[18][19][20][21][22][23] That year he also hosted the Comedy Central game show Don't Forget Your Toothbrush and made a guest appearance on the sitcom For Your Love with his Hangin' with Mr. Cooper co-star, Holly Robinson Peete.[24][25]
Curry went on to play the lead role of scientist Norton Ballard in the Disney Channel Original Movie The Poof Point. The movie reunited Curry with Hangin' with Mr. Cooper co-star Dawnn Lewis, who played his onscreen wife Marigold.[26]
Curry was the host of the PAX-TV show Animal Tails and BET's Coming to the Stage in 2003. In 2004, he appeared on Celebrity Mole Yucatan. He came in second place to Dennis Rodman.
In 2005, Curry was featured on an episode of Less than Perfect[27] and guest starred as Max Cooper on two episodes of Fat Actress.[28][29] Curry made another guest appearance on a 2008 episode of the sitcom House of Payne.[30] On November 30, 2008, Curry performed a stand-up comedy routine on The Comedy Festival Laffapalooza Special which was hosted by Tracy Morgan.[31]
From 2009 to 2011, Curry hosted Jamie Foxx's FoxxHole Live every Monday in the Conga Room in Los Angeles, which was heard on satellite radio stations Sirius 106/XM 149. In 2012, Curry joined Sommore, Earthquake, Bruce Bruce, and Tony Rock on the Royal Comedy Tour.
He later appeared on two episodes of The Secret Life of the American Teenager.[32][33] Curry also starred in Nick at Nite's first-ever original live-action family sitcom, See Dad Run, which debuted in 2012, as Marcus, who's a friend of Scott Baio's character. See Dad Run eventually ran for three seasons on the network.[34]
In 2014, Curry joined Sommore's Standing Ovation Comedy Tour along with Bill Bellamy, Tommy Davidson, and others. That same year, Bounce TV launched the sitcom One Love, starring Curry and Sheryl Lee Ralph. In 2018, Curry was a special guest on the Katt Williams 11:11 Tour. Since 2018, Curry has also regularly performed stand-up comedy at the Hollywood Improv.
Music
editCurry was featured in the music video for Too Short's "I Ain't Trippin'".[35] He also appeared in the music video of Bow Wow's "Take Ya Home", where he played a father trying to get his daughter a doll of the rapper.[36]
He appeared in the 2002 song "Oakland Raiders" by Oakland rap group Luniz. Delivering a humorous monologue as the song faded out, Curry asserted his status as a pimp and stated his fondness for big dank. Most recently he can be seen in the 2015 music video "Pulled Up" by Young Dolph featuring 2 Chainz and Juicy J; a tribute to the movie "Coming to America."
Personal life
editOn May 17, 2007, an Aerosol spray dispenser that had fallen behind a water heater exploded, and Curry, who was doing laundry at the time, was burned on more than 20% of his body, including his arm, back, and side.[37] He spent many months recuperating at his home. According to an Associated Press interview posted on CNN.com on February 17, 2008,[38] Curry went on The Montel Williams Show to discuss his recovery,[39] and mentioned he considered suicide after waking from a three-day, medically induced coma, but decided against it with the help of friends and fellow comedians, such as Sinbad and Bill Cosby.[40]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Talkin' Dirty After Dark | Antonio | |
| 1995 | Panther | Lombard | |
| 1997 | The Fanatics | Fly Walker | |
| Switchback | Robbie | ||
| 1998 | Armageddon | Stu the Cabbie | |
| 2000 | A Man Is Mostly Water | Jeff | |
| 2001 | Motorcrossed | Bob Arness | TV Movie |
| The Poof Point | Norton Ballard | TV Movie | |
| 2009 | Psychic Hollywood: The Search for Truth | Himself | TV Movie |
| 2011 | Poolboy: Drowning Out The Fury | Captain O'Malley | |
| 2021 | Dreams from the Edge | Bubba | Short |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–91 | It's Showtime at the Apollo | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 1990 | An Evening at the Improv | Himself | Episode: "Episode #5.14" & "#6.14" |
| 1991 | One Night Stand | Himself | Episode: "Mark Curry" |
| Paramount City | Himself | Episode: "Episode #2.7" | |
| 1992–94 | It's Showtime at the Apollo | Himself/Host | Recurring Host: season 5-7 |
| 1992–97 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Mark Cooper | Main Cast |
| 1994 | Living Single | Tony Ross | Episode: "A Tale of Two Tattles" |
| 1995 | Soul Train | Himself/Guest Host | Episode: "CeCe Winans/Ini Kamoze/Mokenstef" |
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | The Giant (voice) | Episode: "The Valiant Little Tailor" | |
| 1997 | Mad TV | Himself/Host | Episode: "Episode #2.18" |
| Martin | Ronnie Cochran | Episode: "Power to the People's Court" | |
| 1997–98 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Sergeant Easy | Episode: "Traffic School Daze" & "I'm Too Sexy for This Shot" |
| 1998 | Hollywood Squares | Himself/Panelist | Recurring Panelist |
| 1999 | Comedy Central Presents | Himself | Episode: "Mark Curry" |
| 2000 | Intimate Portrait | Himself | Episode: "Holly Robinson Peete" |
| Don't Forget Your Toothbrush | Himself/Host | Main Host | |
| The Drew Carey Show | Robert Soulard | Recurring Cast: Season 5 | |
| For Your Love | Dr. Collins | Episode: "The Pregnant Pause" | |
| 2002–03 | Pyramid | Himself/Celebrity Contestant | Recurring Guest |
| 2003 | Coming to the Stage | Himself/Host | Main Host |
| 2003–04 | Animal Tails | Himself/Host | Main Host |
| 2004 | Hollywood Squares | Himself/Panelist | Recurring Panelist |
| The Mole | Himself | Main Cast: Season 4 | |
| 2005 | Less than Perfect | Morpheus | Episode: "Get Away" |
| Fat Actress | Max Cooper | Episode: "Big Butts" & "Hold This" | |
| 2006 | In the Mix | Himself | Episode: "The 'Grammy' Goes to Camp: You're a Star & Kids Are Helping Kids" |
| Def Comedy Jam | Himself | Episode: "Episode #7.9" | |
| 2007 | Back to the Grind | Himself | Episode: "Betty White and Mark Curry" |
| 2008 | Tyler Perry's House of Payne | - | Episode: "Reunited and... It Don't Feel Good" |
| 2009 | Black to the Future | Himself | Episode: "Hour 4: The 00s" |
| 2010 | Life After | Himself | Episode: "Mark Curry" |
| 2011 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Himself | Episode: "Beverley Mitchell/Mark Curry/Donovan Leitch/Phyllis Diller" |
| 2011–12 | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | Principal Nash | Episode: "And Circumstance" & "Defiance" |
| 2012–14 | See Dad Run | Marcus Barnes | Main Cast |
| 2014 | Unsung | Himself | Episode: "Too $hort" |
| Gotham Comedy Live | Himself/Host | Episode: "Mark Curry" | |
| One Love | Pastor William Winters | Main Cast | |
| 2015 | Instant Mom | Minister | Episode: "Don't Worry, Be Maggie" |
| Black Jesus | Big Tray | Episode: "Janky Cable" | |
| 2019–21 | Family Reunion | Principal Glass | Guest: Season 1, Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| 2020 | In the Cut | Wade | Recurring Cast: Season 6-7 |
| 2023 | Blindspotting | Himself | Episode: "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" |
References
edit- ^ Historical Dictionary of African American Television - Mark Curry (1961-2024)
- ^ Hollywood - Mark Curry
- ^ TV Guide - Mark Curry
- ^ Upscale: The Successful Black Magazine - 1994
- ^ Who's Who Among African-Americans - Mark Curry
- ^ The A to Z of African-American Television - Curry, Mark
- ^ King, Susan (July 12, 1996). "Q & A with MARK CURRY". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ "Mark Curry Biography". Archived from the original on 2010-05-01. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
- ^ "EOYDC: A Beacon for Oakland Youth - Oakland Magazine - July-August 2009 - Oakland, California". www.oaklandmagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ^ "Talkin' Dirty After Dark". imdb.com.
- ^ "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper". imdb.com.
- ^ "Living Single: A Tale of Two Tattles". imdb.com.
- ^ "Martin: Power to the People's Court (February 1997)". imdb.com.
- ^ "The Jamie Foxx Show: Traffic School Daze (November 1997)". imdb.com.
- ^ "The Jamie Foxx Show: I'm Too Sexy for This Shot (May 1998)". imdb.com.
- ^ "Switchback". imdb.com.
- ^ "Armageddon (1998)". imdb.com.
- ^ "The Drew Carey Show: Drew and the Racial Tension Play (January 2, 2000)". imdb.com.
- ^ "The Drew Carey Show: Kate Works For Drew (January 12, 2000)". imdb.com.
- ^ "The Drew Carey Show: Mimi Moves In (February 2, 2000)". imdb.com.
- ^ "The Drew Carey Show: Drew Goes To Hell (February 23, 2000)". imdb.com.
- ^ "The Drew Carey Show: What's Wrong With This Episode III (March 1, 2000)". imdb.com.
- ^ "The Drew Carey Show: Mr Wick Returns (April 2000)". imdb.com.
- ^ "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush". imdb.com.
- ^ "For Your Love: The Pregnant Pause (2000)". imdb.com.
- ^ "The Poof Point". imdb.com.
- ^ "Less Than Perfect: Getaway (February 15, 2005)". imdb.com.
- ^ "Fat Actress: Big Butts (March 7, 2005)". imdb.com.
- ^ "Fat Actress: Hold This (April 18, 2005)". imdb.com.
- ^ "House of Payne: Reunited and...It Don't Feel Good". imdb.com.
- ^ "The Comedy Festival listing". Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
- ^ "The Secret Life Of The American Teenager: And Circumstance (September 5, 2011)". imdb.com.
- ^ "The Secret Life Of The American Teenager: Defiance (April 2, 2012)". imdb.com.
- ^ "See Dad Run". imdb.com.
- ^ "Too Short: I Ain't Trippin". youtube.com. 27 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.
- ^ "Bow Wow: Take Ya Home". youtube.com. 27 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.
- ^ Johnson, Kevin. "Comedian Mark Curry works on his craft out of the limelight". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ "Article – National News". 2008-04-20. Archived from the original on 2008-04-20. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ Interview, p. PA35, at Google Books
- ^ "Mark Curry: Laughs kept him from suicide". USA Today.com. 2007-02-14. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
External links
edit- Mark Curry at IMDb
- Mark Curry on Twitter
