Mark Christopher Lawrence


Mark Christopher Lawrence is an American character actor, stand-up comedian and voice-over artist. He is known for his role as esoteric D.J., Tone Def, in the 1994 satirical rap mockumentary, Fear of a Black Hat. He has co-starred in popular films such as , Tales From the Hood, Planet of the Apes, Lost Treasure and The Pursuit of Happyness.
Lawrence is best known for his role as Big Mike on the NBC series Chuck. He has made guest appearances on many television programs, most notably Heroes, My Name Is Earl, Crossing Jordan, Dharma & Greg, Malcolm in the Middle, Touched by an Angel, Malcolm & Eddie, Men Behaving Badly, Seinfeld, Murphy Brown, Good Luck Charlie and Martin. He is also featured on the Radio Series Adventures in Odyssey as "Ed Washington".

Early life and education

A native of Compton, California, Lawrence and his two siblings were raised by a single mother. In tenth grade, he became involved with his high school’s debate team—immersing himself in forensics competitions and theater. After winning his school district’s Literary Olympiad competition, Lawrence went on to compete at the state and national levels as a member of the Cerritos Community College forensics squad. There he went on to capture the collegiate Bovero-Tabor Award, awarded to the top junior college speaker in the country. Lawrence gained the attention of the University of Southern California’s debate team coaches, and was awarded a full scholarship to attend the university. While at USC, he traveled the nation competing in tournaments. Meanwhile, he was gaining valuable experience in his craft by moonlighting at the Los Angeles Theater Center. There, a Hollywood talent agent noticed his skill and landed Lawrence his first job in television, a role on Hill Street Blues.
After graduation from USC, he worked with the San Francisco Mime Troupe while also performing standup comedy throughout the United States, Australia, and Canada, opening for major acts, such as Jerry Seinfeld and Rodney Dangerfield. Lawrence's work in live theater led to a Dramalogue Award for his performance in Reza Abdoh’s, Minimanta. He won an NAACP award for his work in Ken Davis' The Glass House in 1990. It was this role which attracted the attention of director, James Cameron, who then cast him as the "burly insane asylum attendant" in .

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1988Caddyshack IIConstruction Worker #4
1989Listen to MeAttila
1991'Burly Attendant
1991Child's Play 3Cop
1993Fear of a Black HatTone Def
1995Crimson TideRono, Chief Culinary Specialist
1995Tales from the HoodPrison Guard
1997That Darn CatRollo
1997SprungBrotha #3
1998SenselessWig Shop Owner
1999MollyAngels' Manager
1999'Fats Domino
2001Planet of the ApesFriend at Leo's Party
2001Two Can Play That GameLying Man #4
2001K-PAXSimms
2003Lost TreasureDanny G.
2004Christopher Mello
2004Christmas with the KranksWes Trogden
2004Tiger CruisePop
2005Fair GameWesley
2005The IslandConstruction Worker
2006The Pursuit of HappynessWayne
2006Weeds 02x02Mike
2007My Name Is EarlJack Knox
2007–2012ChuckBig Mike
2009Halloween IIDeputy Fred King
2010Speed-DatingDr. Petesmith
2013Amazing America with Sarah PalinCo-Host
2015Murder?Jason2 episodes
2016PitchRussell
2017Stage FrightTV film