Mark Curry (actor)

Marcus G. Curry (born June 1, 1961[5]), known professionally as Mark Curry, is an American actor, comedian, and host. Curry 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 starred in Nick At Nite's first-ever original live-action family comedy series, See Dad Run, as Scott Baio's best friend Marcus from 2012 to 2015.

For other people named Mark Curry, see Mark Curry (disambiguation).
Mark Curry
Curry in 2008
Born
Marcus G. Curry

(1961-06-01) June 1, 1961[1][2]
Oakland, California, U.S.[3]
Occupation
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • host
Years active1990–present
Known forMark Cooper – Hangin' with Mr. Cooper[4]

Early life and education

Born 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

Curry'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 the 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

Curry 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 "Pull Up" by Young Dolph featuring 2Chains and Juicy J; a tribute to the movie "Coming to America."

Personal life

On April 17, 2006, an aerosol can 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, 2007,[38] Curry 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.[39] Curry went on The Montel Williams Show to discuss his recovery.[40]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1991Talkin' Dirty After DarkAntonio
1995PantherLombard
1997The FanaticsFly Walker
1997SwitchbackRobbie
1998ArmageddonNew York Cab Driver
2000A Man Is Mostly WaterJeff
2001MotorcrossedBob ArnessDisney Channel TV Movie
2001The Poof PointNorton BallardDisney Channel TV Movie
2011Poolboy: Drowning Out The FuryCaptain O'Malley

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1992–1993It's Showtime at the ApolloHost
1992–1997Hangin' with Mr. CooperMark CooperLead; 5 Seasons
1994Living SingleRegine's Boyfriend1 Episode
1996All ThatVarious1 Episode
1997MartinRonnie Cochran1 Episode
1998The Jamie Foxx ShowSergeant Easy2 Episodes
2000The Drew Carey ShowRobert Soulard6 Episodes
2000For Your LoveDr. Collins1 Episode
2000Don't Forget Your ToothbrushHost1 Season
2002–2003PyramidHimself2 Episodes
2003Coming To The StageHost1 Season
2003–2004Animal TailsHostVariety TV Show
2004Celebrity Mole: YucatánHimselfReality TV
2005Fat ActressMax Cooper2 Episodes
2005Less Than PerfectMorpheus1 Episode
2007DexterHimself1 Episode
2010Life AfterHimself1 Episode
2011Celebrity Ghost StoriesHimself1 Episode
2011–2012The Secret Life of the American TeenagerPrincipal Nash2 Episodes
2012Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?Himself1 Episode
2012–2015See Dad RunMarcus BarnesNick At Nite Series
2013–2014Instant MomMinister2 Episodes
2014–2015One LovePastor WilliamsBounce TV Series
2015Black JesusBig Tray1 Episode
2019Family ReunionPrincipal GlassNetflix Series
2020In the CutWadeBounce TV Series

References
  1. Historical Dictionary of African American Television - Mark Curry (1961-)
  2. Hollywood - Mark Curry
  3. TV Guide - Mark Curry
  4. Upscale: The Successful Black Magazine - 1994
  5. Who's Who Among African-Americans - Mark Curry
  6. The A to Z of African-American Television - Curry, Mark
  7. King, Susan (July 12, 1996). "Q & A with MARK CURRY". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  8. "Mark Curry Biography". Archived from the original on 2010-05-01. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
  9. "EOYDC: A Beacon for Oakland Youth - Oakland Magazine - July-August 2009 - Oakland, California". www.oaklandmagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
  10. "Talkin' Dirty After Dark". imdb.com.
  11. "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper". imdb.com.
  12. "Living Single: A Tale of Two Tattles". imdb.com.
  13. "Martin: Power to the People's Court (February 1997)". imdb.com.
  14. "The Jamie Foxx Show: Traffic School Daze (November 1997)". imdb.com.
  15. "The Jamie Foxx Show: I'm Too Sexy for This Shot (May 1998)". imdb.com.
  16. "Switchback". imdb.com.
  17. "Armageddon (1998)". imdb.com.
  18. "The Drew Carey Show: Drew and the Racial Tension Play (January 2, 2000)". imdb.com.
  19. "The Drew Carey Show: Kate Works For Drew (January 12, 2000)". imdb.com.
  20. "The Drew Carey Show: Mimi Moves In (February 2, 2000)". imdb.com.
  21. "The Drew Carey Show: Drew Goes To Hell (February 23, 2000)". imdb.com.
  22. "The Drew Carey Show: What's Wrong With This Episode III (March 1, 2000)". imdb.com.
  23. "The Drew Carey Show: Mr Wick Returns (April 2000)". imdb.com.
  24. "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush". imdb.com.
  25. "For Your Love: The Pregnant Pause (2000)". imdb.com.
  26. "The Poof Point". imdb.com.
  27. "Less Than Perfect: Getaway (February 15, 2005)". imdb.com.
  28. "Fat Actress: Big Butts (March 7, 2005)". imdb.com.
  29. "Fat Actress: Hold This (April 18, 2005)". imdb.com.
  30. "House of Payne: Reunited and...It Don't Feel Good". imdb.com.
  31. "The Comedy Festival listing". Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  32. "The Secret Life Of The American Teenager: And Circumstance (September 5, 2011)". imdb.com.
  33. "The Secret Life Of The American Teenager: Defiance (April 2, 2012)". imdb.com.
  34. "See Dad Run". imdb.com.
  35. "Too Short: I Ain't Trippin". youtube.com.
  36. "Bow Wow: Take Ya Home". youtube.com.
  37. 314-340-8191, KEVIN C. JOHNSON • Post-Dispatch Pop Music Critic • [email protected] •. "Comedian Mark Curry works on his craft out of the limelight". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2017-04-07.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. Article – National News Archived 2008-04-20 at the Wayback Machine
  39. "Mark Curry: Laughs kept him from suicide". USA Today.com. Retrieved February 14, 2007.
  40. JET Magazine - April 23, 2007
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