Kenan Thompson (born May 10, 1978) is an American actor and comedian who is currently known for the titular role in Fat Albert, as a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live, as a former cast member of All That and for his starring role in the sitcom Kenan & Kel. He resides both in New York City and Los Angeles. He ranks at #88 on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.
Biography
Early life
Kenan was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Fletcher and Elizabeth Ann Thompson.[1] He began acting at the age of five, appearing in the school play The Gingerbread Man.[2] While Kenan attended Tri-Cities High School, a Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School, he began filming his first movie, D2: The Mighty Ducks.
Film & television career
Thompson's first appearance was in D2: The Mighty Ducks. Thompson got his first big break at age 16, when he started on Nickelodeon's All That from 1994 to 1999. He and co-star Kel Mitchell had their own spin-off television series Kenan & Kel which ran 1996 to 2000. In 2001, his official fan club was started. Thompson was also the host of the second season of Nickelodeon's animation showcase Oh Yeah! Cartoons. Kenan also has a voice role in the Nickelodeon cartoon The Mighty B!. kenan also had a reacuring role on the steve harvey show as junior, with co-star kel mitchel.
Kenan has starred in several films including: Good Burger (1997), based on the All That sketch of the same name, playing Dexter Reed; and ]]), in which he played the title character. He has also had supporting roles in the movies Snakes on a Plane (2006), Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003), Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004), Heavyweights (1995) and D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996).
In 2003, Thompson joined the cast as a featured player. At the beginning of the 2005-2006 season, Thompson was promoted to a repertory player. Born in 1978, he was the first SNL cast member to be born after the series began in 1975. He is also the only All That alumnus to date to be an SNL cast member.
Recurring Characters:
- Jake Denmont ("Appalachian Emergency Room")
- DJ Dynasty Handbag ("Deep House Dish")
- DJ Sugar Shock ("Rap Night")
- Barbara Birmingham
- Givindy ("Gays in Space")
- Malik (Starkisha's boyfriend)
- Marcus, interpreter to racist deaf comedian Ritchie B (Fred Armisen)
- Virginiaca Hastings ("Shopping With Virginiaca"), a black woman who bails her stepdaughters (variously played by hosts Jamie Pressly, Justin Timberlake, Scarlett Johansson, and Ellen Page) out of trouble (often by offering sexual favors).
- Reggie Hudson, the band leader and often butt of Dakota's jokes. ("The Dakota Fanning Show")
- Jean K. Jean, the French Def Jam comedian
Celebrity Impersonations:
Filmography
Movies
Television
Other work
In 2002, Thompson recorded The Good Times Comedy CD. He wrote the introduction for the book Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul, as well as the short story entitled "The Little Notice" for Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul.
Legal Issues
On March 27, 2008, Thompson was pulled over for driving erratically. The other passenger, Kyle Mosley, told the officer that they had marijuana, after the police officer asked. Thompson was charged with a minor motor vehicle violation while Mosley was charged with possession of marijuana. [3]
References
External links
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