Black followed with Orange County (2002), another big-budget comedy in which he played a prototypical slacker figure.

The film, directed by the Farrelly brothers of There's Something About Mary fame, received mixed reviews. 'Shallow Hal,' 'Orange County'Ĭapitalizing on his newfound notoriety, Black starred opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in the romantic comedy Shallow Hal (2001). Although only a member of the supporting cast, Black's performance was one of the most memorable attributes of a film that was a critical success.

As Barry, a hyper-pretentious record store clerk, Black showcased his knack for brutally acerbic wit. 'High Fidelity'īlack's breakthrough came with the 2000 adaptation of the popular Nick Hornby novel High Fidelity. Show and his critically acclaimed performance as a pill-popping hospital attendant in Jesus' Son (1999) bolstered his reputation as a comic force. But it was in more independently oriented projects that Black's talents were given free rein. He went on to land a steady stream of bit parts in feature attractions such as Waterworld (1995), Dead Man Walking (1995), The Cable Guy (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), The Jackal (1997), Enemy of the State (1998) and Cradle Will Rock (1999). In Robbins' political spoof Bob Roberts (1992), Black had a small but critically noted role as a fanatical supporter of the titular presidential hopeful. Black would make his film debut with Robbins and later play opposite Cusack in a highly memorable role. One of the more popular character actors of recent years, Black's acerbic wit and high-energy antics have made him a standard bearer for the Generation X demographic.īlack attended UCLA, where he became a member of Tim Robbins' Actors Gang, a Los Angeles-based performance troupe that also spawned John Cusack. Early LifeĪctor, musician and comedian Jack Black was born Thomas Jacob Black on August 28, 1969, in Santa Monica, California. Black also serves as one half of the Grammy-winning comedy rock duo Tenacious D. Stine's Goosebumps (2015) and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). Black's animated film project Kung Fu Panda scored big at the box office in 2008 - the same year the actor appeared in the comedy Tropic Thunder. His breakthrough role came in 2000's High Fidelity, and he starred opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in 2001's Shallow Hal, before headlining the widely praised School of Rock in 2003. Jack Black was born on August 28, 1969, in Santa Monica, California.

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