Dave Chappelle
Before he became a recluse, Dave Chappelle was one of America's hottest stoner comics. He left his Comedy Central program, Chappelle's Show, after just two critically-acclaimed seasons.
Born in Maryland on Aug. 24, 1973, Chappelle got his big break in 1998 when he co-wrote and produced and co-starred in (he plays two characters) Half Baked, rated the No. 10 Stoner Movie of All Time by CelebStoner. That earned him articles in High Times and several appearances at the magazine's Stony Awards.
Chappelle also played the weed-smoking Conspiracy Brother in Undercover Brother with Eddie Griffin in 2002.
With the launch of Chappelle's Show on Comedy Central in 2003, the comedian became a household name. For 28 episiodes from 2003-2004, it was one of TV's most popular shows. In the photo above, Chappelle is playing crack addict Tyrone Biggums. Another drug character was his coked-up Rick James.
After taking a year off from the show, Chappelle returned for three last episodes in 2006. But he was done with the show. That same year, he starred in the documentary, Dave Chappelle's Block Party.
Chappelle disappeared from public live for a while, then quietly reemerged in Ohio where he lives with family.
Since 2017, Chappelle's had five Netflix stand-up specials. In 2020, he won an Emmy for Stick & Stones. In 2018, he earned a Best Comedy Album Grammy for The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas. In 2017, he got a Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy for his Saturday Night Live hosting appearance.
Chappelle played opposite Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born in 2018.
He's married to Elaine Erfe. They have three children.
