Dave Chappelle Height, Weight, Age, Spouse, Family, Facts, Biography

Dave Chappelle is one of the finest stand-up comedians in the U.S. After starting out as a stand-up comedian, he found fame as the host and creator of the sketch comedy show, Chappelle’s Show. In fact, he was so successful with the show that Comedy Central offered him a contract reported to be worth $50 million. However, he turned his back to mainstream popularity and lucrative contract to get back to stand-up comedy. He was frustrated by the creative direction the show was taking and the way African-American’s were portrayed on the TV. He has established himself as one of the best in the business and has also appeared in various movies.

Born Name

David Khari Webber Chappelle

Nick Name

Dave

Sun Sign

Virgo

Born Place

Washington, D.C., United States

Residence

Chappelle lives with his family on a 65-acre farm near Yellow Springs, Ohio. He had previously lived in New York City but moved back to Ohio after his father’s death.

Nationality

Education

Dave Chappelle went to Woodlin Elementary School. Later, he went to the Duke Ellington School of the Arts where he studied theatre arts. He graduated from Duke Ellington in 1991.

Occupation

Actor, Comedian, Writer, Producer

Family

• Father – William David Chappelle III (Worked as a Statistician and Professor at Antioch College in Yellow Springs)
• Mother – Yvonne K. Chappelle Seon (Worked as a Professor at the University of Maryland, Howard University, and Prince George‘s Community College. She was also employed by the Prime Minister of Congo, Patrice Lumumba.)
• Siblings – Felicia Chappelle Jones (Older Sister), William S. Chappelle (Older Brother)
• Others – Henry Talmage Chappelle (Paternal Grandfather), Leola Webber (Paternal Grandmother), George Raymond Reed (Maternal Grandfather), Beatrice Murray (Maternal Grandmother), Bishop William D. Chappelle (Great-Grandfather) (President of Allen University)

Manager

Dave Chappelle is represented by The Gersh Agency, Inc.

Genre

Observational Comedy, Surreal Humor, Sketch Comedy, Black Comedy, Blue Comedy, Satire

Instruments

Vocal

Label

Unsigned

His work has been released via Just For Laughs.

Build

Athletic

Height

5 ft 11 in or 180 cm

Weight

78 kg or 172 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Dave Chappelle has dated –

1. Elaine Mendoza Erfe (2001-Present) – In 2001, Dave got married to Elaine Mendoza Erfe whom he had been dating for quite a long time. Over the course of their marriage, she has given birth to 2 sons, Sulayman and Ibrahim, and a daughter, Sonal.

Race / Ethnicity

Black

He has African-American, Ivorian, and African-Grenadian ancestry.

Hair Color

Black

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

Bald

Brand Endorsements

Dave Chappelle has appeared in TV commercials for popular brands and products including Right Guard Extreme deodorant and Coca-Cola.

He has also been featured in a radio commercial for Pepsi.

Religion

He converted to Islam in 1998.

In May 2005, he opened up about his religious views in an interview with Time magazine as he revealed that he avoided discussing his faith publicly because he didn’t want people to associate his flaws and weaknesses with his religion.

Best Known For

• Having appeared in supporting roles in popular movies such as The Nutty Professor, Blue Streak, Con Air, and You’ve Got Mail
• Being one of the finest stand-up comedians in the United States. He was placed in the 9th spot by the Rolling Stone in their 50 Best Stand Up Comics of All Time feature.
• The popularity of his sketch comedy show, Chappelle’s Show. He had worked as a writer, executive producer, and co-creator for the show.

First Film

In 1982, he made his theatrical film debut in the drama movie, The End of August. However, his appearance in the movie wasn’t credited.

His first credited theatrical film appearance came in the musical adventure movie, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, in 1993.

First TV Show

In 1995, Dave Chappelle made his first TV show appearance in Talk to Me episode of the comedy series, Home Improvement.

Personal Trainer

Dave Chappelle relies on his strength training and conditioning workouts to keep his shredded physique in top shape. If he can’t hit the gym, he makes sure that he squeezes in a short workout at his home gym.

Dave Chappelle Favorite Things

Source – Wikipedia

Dave Chappelle Facts

1. After completing his high school studies, he decided to move to New York City to kickstart his career in comedy.
2. Early in his career, he performed in front of the Amateur Night audience at Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater. It ended badly for him as he was booed off the stage.
3. However, he managed to overcome the setback and carved a special place for himself on the New York comedy circuit. He used to regularly perform at the parks in the city.
4. In 1992, he scored his breakthrough as he earned critical acclaim for his performance in Russell Simmons‘ HBO show, Def Comedy Jam. 
5. His appearance in Def Comedy Jam helped him secure appearances in several popular late-night talk shows such as The Late Show With David Letterman, Politically Incorrect, The Howard Stern Show, and Late Night With Conan O’Brien.
6. Dave was approached for the role of Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue in the comedy-drama movie, Forrest Gump. However, he felt that the role was demeaning and the movie would fail so he decided to reject the offer.
7. After his father passed away in the 90s, he returned to Ohio and briefly considered giving up a career in show business. He was coming off the failure of his sitcom, Buddies.
8. In 2003, his popular TV show, Chappelle’s Show, made its debut on Comedy Central. The show focused on American culture, politics, pop culture, and racial stereotypes.
9. Due to the immense popularity of the show, Dave was offered a $50 million contract by Comedy Central. However, the contract was rejected because he decided to walk away from the show as he was frustrated with the direction the show was moving in. Also, he had got tired with the busy and taxing work schedule imposed by the show.
10. After the end of Chappelle’s Show, he again started performing regularly in stand-up comedy events. In fact, one of the reasons he decided to quit the show was that he wasn’t able to find sufficient time for his stand-up comedy events. He started his run by performing impromptu stand-up shows in Los Angeles.
11. In 2016, it was announced that Chappelle has signed a special deal with Netflix. Dave was offered $20 million per release and the following year, he released 4 of his specials.
12. In 2017, he won a Grammy Award for his great performance in his Netflix special, The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas.
13. In 2020, Dave requested Netflix and later HBO Max to remove his Comedy Central show, Chappelle’s Show because Viacom-CBS had not paid him a penny. In February 2021, he confirmed that his show was returning to Netflix because he had received the credit and royalty for his contribution.
14. In January 2021, it was revealed that he had been tested positive for COVID-19.
15. In May 2022, during a performance at the Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival comedy festival, Dave was attacked by a man named Isaiah Lee who reportedly had a replica gun. Later, the attacker was charged with 4 misdemeanors including battery and possession of a weapon with intent to assault. The attacker later pled “not guilty” to the charges in a Los Angeles court.

Featured Image by John Bauld / Flickr / CC BY 2.0