Every time Tracy Morgan looks at the camera the laughs erupt, whether you’re watching him on a rerun of Saturday Night Live, a hosting gig on Scare Tactics, or on the NBC show biz sitcom 30 Rock. It’s hard to imagine taking Tracy Morgan too seriously even if he has an aggressive voice and enjoys plays hard-boiled characters. He’s all bark and very little bite, and is never above showing the vulnerability and “softer side” of his mad comic persona.

Morgan lasted eight seasons on Saturday Night Live but longtime fans may remember him from the Fox sitcom Martin. His character of “Hustle Man” sold all sorts of questionable merchandise “from the hood”, and had the catchphrase “What’s happ’n, chief?” (He also had the “rapper dog”) It is amusing to see Morgan making occasional references to Martin, including the Chris Rock film Head of State.

Tracy Morgan may have a softer side but the rough exterior is as real as you can get, as his upbringing was troubled, to say the least. He was also the victim of bullying as a child and actually used his comedy as a defense. He was first discovered by Martin Lawrence’s ex-wife doing standup comedy at The Apollo Theater in 1984. Now 43 years of age, Morgan is a comic veteran and a household name. Quite the prodigious end for a man who once worked as a painter in New York City!

Despite being a successful comedian and actor, Morgan still makes time to go on the road and mingle with his biggest fans. According to his Twitter account, Morgan is “touring 5,000 cities worldwide.” He also said “You guys are the greatest!!! Errrrrbody’s gonna get pregnant. Baby-boom-boom tour! I love you.”

Yes, it’s a joy to behold Tracy in person as he cracks jokes, shares life stories and mocks the business like only he can. Of course, this veteran performer is anxious to prove that he’s far from a one-note wonder. Just witness his upcoming dramatic role as a drug dealer and kidnapper in Predisposed, where he will be working with Melissa Leo and Jesse Eisenberg.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 13th, 2012 at 11:44 am and is filed under Comedy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.