Lapses into a coma after collapsing from heat exhaustion while jogging. Recovered in hospital. [25 August 1999]
Ordered to perform community service after incident in March. [17 September 1997]
Arrested outside a Hollywood nightclub after police called by a man claiming Lawrence had punched him. [28 March 1997]
Arrested at Burbank Airport for carrying a loaded gun in his suitcase. [August 1996]
His ex-wife, Patricia, was Miss Virginia.
Graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Maryland.
Was a Mid-Atlantic Golden Gloves boxing contender in his teens.
Brother of Robert Lawrence
Claims he got his start as a comedian by cheering up his mother, who was forced to support her six children by cashiering in various department stores.
His teachers used to give him the last few minutes of class to make his classmates laugh.
Brother of Rae Proctor
Was once engaged to "Saved by the Bell" (1989) actress Lark Voorhies.
Is from the same Metro Area as Sandra Bullock, Dave Chappelle, Mya, Alan Heitz, Regina Hall and Dwayne Winstead.
His mother was in her mid-40s when she gave birth to him.
Agents discovered him on "Star Search" (1983).
Lived in Maryland.
His ex-wife, Patricia Southall, is married to retired pro football star Emmitt Smith.
Is the second youngest of six children.
Martin Lawrence Detailed Biography
Martin Lawrence (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, director and producer.
Lawrence was born in Frankfurt, Germany, where his father, John Lawrence, served in the US military. When Lawrence was six, his family relocated to Landover, Maryland; two years later his father left the family. His mother, Chlora, worked as a cashier at various department stores to support Martin and his siblings.
During his teen years, Martin excelled at boxing. While living in Maryland, he attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School and became a Mid-Atlantic Golden Gloves boxing contender. Although he was reputedly a good boxer, comedy is where Martin found his greatest success, even early in life. In school, Martin would poke fun at others during breaks and recess, and teachers would routinely let Lawrence have a few minutes of class time to tell jokes and make classmates laugh. It was a teacher who suggested that Lawrence give his comedic talents a shot on stage, at a local comedy club during open mic night. He took on the challenge and was successful.
Lawrence moved to California and found his way to the legendary Kings Wood comedy club. Shortly after appearing at the Wood, he won a performance spot on the nationally televised Kid Stars, a popular show in the United States. He did well on the show and made it to the final round before ultimately losing. However, executives at Columbia TriStar Television saw Martin's performance and offered him an appearance on the television sitcom What's Happening Now!!; this was his first acting job in New York. Following What's Happening Now, Martin had bit parts in various films and television roles before entertainment mogul Russell Simmons personally selected him to host the groundbreaking series Def Comedy Jam on HBO. Def Comedy Jam gave many comedians (including Chris Tucker, Steve Harvey and Cedric The Entertainer) their start, and it offered Martin his largest audience to date.
Around the same time he was cast in the Def Comedy Jam role, Martin appeared in his own sitcom, the hit series Martin, which aired on Fox. The show ran from 1992 to 1997 and was considered a success. Lawrence also hosted Saturday Night Live on February 19, 1994, and as a result was banned from the show for life. After Martin ended its run, Lawrence worked on many film projects. He starred or co-starred in many movies along side such talents as Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, and Tim Robbins. Many of his films were blockbusters (including Bad Boys (1995) and Big Momma's House (2000) and his salary increased dramatically to over $10 million per role. He continues to work in film, with his new movie Big Momma's House 2 (2006) opening #1 at the North American box office in late January, grossing almost $28 million its first weekend .
