Biography - Martin Lawrence

Who is Martin Lawrence?

Martin Lawrence is an African-American actor and comedian.

Martin Lawrence – Age, Parents, Siblings

Martin Lawrence was born on April 16, 1965, in Frankfurt, Hesse, West Germany as Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence. His father John Lawrence and mother Chlora Lawrence were serving in the U.S. military in West Germany when their son Martin Lawrence’s birth took place.

Lawrence was not the only child of his parents- they had six children. His two sisters are Rae Proctor and Ursala Lawrence and a brother named Robert Lawrence. Rae currently works as his personal assistant. When Martin Lawrence was 8 years old, his parents divorced. He rarely saw his estranged father, who began to work as a policeman. His mother was the one to raise him, working several jobs at a time to raise the family. 

He was raised along with his siblings in Queens, New York, and later in Landover, Maryland. As a teen, he dreamt of being a boxer and was very good at it.

Education, Ethnicity

Martin Lawrence went to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Maryland and graduated from the same. He later attended the Thomas G. Pullen School of Creative and Performing Arts.

His ethnicity is African-American.

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Martin Lawrence – Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Divorce

Martin Lawrence began a relationship with actress Lark Voorhies and the two were even engaged in 1993. But things did not work out for them, so they broke off their engagement.

He then found love in Patricia Southall, 1993 Miss Virginia USA. He and his girlfriend tied the knot on 7 January 1995. A year later, Southall and Lawrence became parents for the first time. Their daughter Jasmine Page was born on January 15, 1996. But within a year, their marriage crumbled, and divorced on 17 September 1997.

The same year, Lawrence began dating Shamicka Gibbs. They have two children together. Their daughters Iyanna Faith and Amara Trinity were born on November 9, 2000, and August 20, 2002, respectively.

Finally, Lawrence and Gibbs decided to get married. They tied the knot on July 10, 2010, at Lawrence's Beverly Hills home, attended by 120 guests. But two years down the line, Lawrence filed for divorce from Gibbs on April 25, 2012, citing irreconcilable differences.

Currently, he is in a relationship with Roberta Moradfar, an anesthetics nurse. They got engaged in 2017. As of now, the couple has yet to tie the knot.

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Martin Lawrence – Career

Early Days

To pursue a career in comedy, he moved to New York. There he began to perform at the comedy club The Improv. Soon he was selected to compete on the show Star Search. He did make it to the final round but did not win. However, Columbia Pictures Television’s executives loved him and saw his potential as a comedian so offered him a role in ABC’s sitcom What's Happening Now!!. 

After the show was canceled, he found some minor acting roles. Ultimately, he landed his breakthrough role in Do the Right Thing as Cee. 

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Films, Series, TV Shows

Over the years, he has starred in House Party series, Talkin' Dirty After Dark, Eddie Murphy’s Boomerang, Fox’s series Martin (1992-1997), Nothing to Lose, Life, Blue Streak,  Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011), Black Knight, National Security, Wild Hogs (2007), College Road Trip (2008), etc.

Mr. Lawrence has also lent his voice to Open Season (2006) and also written for shows such as Raising Whitley, Meet the Browns, The Rickey Smiley Show, and Bad Boys for Li, among others.

Lawrence has also hosted shows including HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, and Saturday Night Live (February 19, 1994).

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Co-stars

On the set of Black Knight, Martin Lawrence worked alongside Erik Jensen, Marsha Thomason, Daryl Mitchell, Vincent Regan, and Jeannette Weegar.

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Martin Lawrence – Controversy, Legal issues, Health

While hosting Saturday Night Live (SNL), he made jokes about women's genitalia and personal hygiene. These portions were completely cut out and he was banned from the show for life.

Lawrence has been arrested several times. On May 8, 1996, he was arrested for wielding a pistol in the middle of an intersection on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles while screaming "They're trying to kill me!". Next year in March 1997, he was again arrested for punching a man in a nightclub in Hollywood.

In August 1997, while jogging, Lawrence collapsed from heat exhaustion. He was preparing for his role in Big Momma's House. He had been wearing heavy clothing and a "plastic suit", while his body reached 107 °F (41.7 °C). After 3 days in a coma, he recovered.

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Martin Lawrence – Net Worth, Salary

His net worth has been estimated at around $110 million while the figure on her annual salary is under review and will be updated.

Martin Lawrence – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

On social media, Martin Lawrence is active on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook with millions of followers and counting. 

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