With the sad passing of Richard Pryor, not many actors and comedians were able to match the success of his comedic legacy. However, with his unique style of comedy and popularity, Martin Lawrence is picking up where Pryor left off.
Martin Lawrence brought us into the new millennium as he took over the 90’s with his hit T.V. show, Martin. Reflecting the rising popularity of the Fox network throughout the 90s, Martin was one of the network's highest rated shows during the sitcom's five-season run.
After Martin ended its memorable run, Lawrence found ample work in comedy films. He often starred as the second lead opposite actors such as Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, and Tim Robbins. Many of his films were blockbusters at the box office, including Boomerang (1992), Bad Boys (1995), Blue Streak (1999), Big Momma's House (2000) and Bad Boys 2 (2003).
Regrettably, he also had his share of box office failures including Black Knight (2001) and National Security (2002).
Regardless of these flops, his salary steadily increased to over $10 million per film role. Lawrence continues to act in films such as Big Momma's House 2. The movie opened at #1 in the box office and grossed almost $28 million in its opening weekend. In Wild Hogs (2007), Lawrence played a bored suburbanite seeking adventure on the open road in a biker comedy alongside John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy.
Not too long ago, Lawrence starred in a film called Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, which features an all star cast including, Martin Lawrence, Michael Clarke Duncan, Mike Epps, Mo'Nique, Cedric the Entertainer and James Earl Jones. Lawrence’s most recent film is Death at a Funeral, where he co-stars with Chris Rock.
As the years go by, Lawrence will still find a way to leave his audience laughing.
Here is a clip from the show Martin featuring a young Tracey Morgan as 'Hustle Man':