Who comes to your mind when I say ‘the coming genius’ of America’? If ‘Esquire’ is to be believed, Dave Chapelle, is the guy, the king of stand-up comedy. His fans believe Dave is to wit what the lion is to the jungle.
Personal Details
| Full Name: | David Khari Webber Chappelle |
| Stage Name: | Dave Chapelle |
| Gender: | Male |
| Birthday: | 24 August 1973 |
| Place Of Origin: | Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
| Age: | 47 years old |
| Height: | 6 feet |
| Weight: | 78 kilos |
| Nationality: | American |
| Sexual orientation: | Straight |
| Status: | Married |
| Wife: | Elaine Erfe |
| Profession: | Stand-up comedian |
| Total Net Worth: | $50 million |
Table of Contents
Dave Chapelle’s Early life
David Khari Webber Chappelle was born on 24 August 1973 to William David Chappelle III and Yvonne Seon in Silver Spring, Maryland. His father was the Dean and also taught vocal performance at Antioch College and in Yellow Springs, Ohio. His mother served for Patrice Lumumba, who was the Congolese Prime Minister. She also served as a professor at the Wright State University and Prince George’s Community College.
David went to the Woodlin Elementary School in Silver Spring. He was very much influenced by the comic timing and sense of humour of Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. Several guests that visited his house, including Pete Seeger and Johnny Hartman complimented him for his amazing wit and saw a future comedian in him. When his parents parted ways, he would spend some time with his father in Ohio while the rest of the time, he would be with his mother in Washington. He completed his graduation in theatre arts from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
Dave Chapelle’s personal life
In 2001, he got hitched to the love of his life Elaine Mendoza Erfe. The couple became proud parents of two sons and a daughter. Their two sons are Sulyaman and Ibrahim and daughter is Sanaa. David never really talked about his religious beliefs but in 1991, when he converted to Islam, he asserted, “I don’t normally talk about my religion publicly because I don’t want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing. And I believe it is beautiful if you learn it the right way.” He joined hands with “Seeds of peace” in 2004, which is an organisation that brings together leaders from different communities to resolve issues and maintain peace.
Dave Chapelle’s Appearance
Dave Chapelle is 6 feet tall and weighs 78 kilos. He has dark brown eyes and black hair.
Dave Chapelle’s career
“America’s Funniest People”, a show that aired on ABC is believed to be Dave’s debut on television in 1990. The show featured people presenting random jokes on the stage. Dave wanted to be a comedian and to pursue his passion, he shifted to New York. He started performing at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater, where he would receive a lot of criticism and hooting. Finally in 1992, he featured in “Def Comedy Jam” that aired on HBO. The show not only brought him fame but also he received a lot of validation from critics. He was just 19 years of age when he debuted with the movie “Robin Hood: Men in Tights”, in which he played the character of “Ahchoo”. The movie was directed by “Mel Brooks”. He also featured in “Getting in” that was released in 1994.
He finally came up with his own sketch, “Chappelle’s show” in 2003. The show aired on “Comedy Central”. The show did really well until he decided to quit it in the third season. He said, the popularity of the show demanded him to work for 20 hours a day and did not spare him any time to invest in his stand up comedy and therefore he wanted to leave it.
Altercations with the Audience
During one of his stand-up performances in 2004, he said, “You know why my show is good? Because the network officials say you’re not smart enough to get what I’m doing, and every day I fight for you. I tell them how smart you are. Turns out, I was wrong. You people are stupid.”
The show had reached a point where he wasn’t happy and felt misled. He addressed his audience saying, “Coming here, I don’t have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I’m interested in the kind of person I’ve got to become. I want to be well-rounded and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well-balanced. I’ve got to check my intentions, man.”
Accolades received by Dave Chapelle
Dave Chapelle was nominated for the very reputed Grammy awards 3 times and he won them each time. Talking about the Primetime Emmy awards, he was nominated for it 7 times, out of which 4 times he won it. He was also nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, in the category Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, for “A star is born”. He received nominations for the Producers Guild of America Award twice. Once in 2005 for “Chappelle’s show”, in the category “Outstanding Producer of Variety Television”, then again in 2020 for “Dave Chappelle: Sticks and Stones” in the category “Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television”.
Dave Chapelle’s Net worth
With his amazing sketches, TV shows, movies that he has featured in and stand-up shows that he’s conducted across almost all major cities in the world, Dave Chapelle accounts for a net worth of $50 Million.
End Note
More than a comedian, Dave is a man of thoughts. He teaches us to be true to ourselves and believes that truth is the only power, with which you can better your art. “The hardest thing to do is to be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching.” Also, he talks about never shying away from accepting your mistakes, that makes you stronger and helps you improve. He says, “You know, be able to do something great in your life, you’re gonna have to realize your failures. You’re gonna have to embrace them and figure out how to overcome it.”