Cedric the Entertainer (born Cedric Antonio Kyles; April 24, 1964) is an American actor and comedian.
In 1992, he made his first TV appearance on It's Showtime at the Apollo. Soon after, he appeared on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and BET's ComicView, which he would later host for the 1993-94 season. In 1994, Cedric also won the Richard Pryor Comic of the Year Award from BET.
In 1996, Cedric moved into acting, playing Steve Harvey's friend, Cedric Jackie Robinson, on his sitcom, The Steve Harvey Show. His acting career grew and he began appearing in movies, including Dr. Dolittle 2, Barbershop, Barbershop 2, Serving Sara, Johnson Family Vacation, Intolerable Cruelty, Man of the House, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Madagascar and Be Cool. Cedric was the subject of controversy when his Barbershop character made unsavory remarks regarding Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. These comments were spoken in character, were part of the script, and he has never apologized for them. In the 2005 animated film Madagascar, Cedric voiced Maurice the lemur. In October 2005, Cedric joined the Champ Car auto racing series as a part owner. Cedric appeared in the movie Charlotte's Web as the voice of Golly the gander. While his acting career grew, Cedric continued stand-up and traveled the country as one of the Kings of Comedy headliners, with Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Bernie Mac. The act was later made into a film by Spike Lee called The Original Kings of Comedy. Cedric briefly had his own sketch comedy show called Cedric the Entertainer Presents, but it never caught on and was canceled after one season. The show had been renewed for a second season, but FOX canceled it before the season began. His most recent HBO Comedy Special was entitled Cedric "The Entertainer" Taking You Higher Special. Two of the background dancers from the special were Kamilah Barrett and Sandra Colton, who were also finalists in FOX's So You Think You Can Dance.
Cedric most recently appeared in Code Name: The Cleaner, a comedy in which he plays Jake, a janitor with amnesia who may be a secret undercover government agent involved in an illegal arms conspiracy. The film flopped when it grossed under $10,000,000 out of its $20,000,000 budget. Most recently starred in the box office hit films Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins and Street Kings.
Cedric the Entertainer also appears on the Sony PlayStation 2 video game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. Cedric the Entertainer attended Berkeley High School in Ferguson Florissant School District. Each year he gives out a scholarship to a graduating senior through his Cedric the Entertainer Charitable Foundation Inc. The motto is "Reaching Out...Giving Back"
