Dave Chappelle is a stand-up comedian and actor widely known for his satirical comedy sketch series, "Chappelle's Show," which he co-created and starred in from 2003 to 2006. His film credits span a variety of popular movies such as "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "The Nutty Professor," "Con Air," "You've Got Mail," "Blue Streak," "Undercover Brother," "Dave Chappelle's Block Party," "Chi-Raq," and "A Star Is Born." His first lead role was in the 1998 comedy film "Half Baked," which he also co-wrote. Throughout his career, Chappelle has been honored with six Emmy Awards and six Grammy Awards, including two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for hosting "Saturday Night Live" in 2016 and 2020. In 2019, he was the recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Chappelle's early career kicked off in New York City, where he honed his comedic craft and gained popularity through appearances on shows like "Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam" and various late-night television programs. His film debut came in Mel Brooks' "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," and he later co-wrote and starred in the cult stoner film "Half Baked." Despite experiencing setbacks such as the cancellation of his sitcom "Buddies" after just five episodes, Chappelle persevered, eventually signing a $55 million contract with Comedy Central to continue producing his critically acclaimed "Chappelle's Show." However, he later walked away from the show during its third season, citing dissatisfaction with the popularity of the show and the pressures it entailed. Following a sabbatical in South Africa, Chappelle returned to the comedy scene, setting a stand-up endurance record at the Laugh Factory Sunset Strip comedy club and performing a four-hour set at Comic Strip Live in New York in 2009.

In 2013, Chappelle returned to full-time touring stand-up, co-headlining the Oddball Comedy & Curiosity festival and making his first major New York City appearance in eleven years at Radio City Music Hall in June 2014. He made his hosting debut on "Saturday Night Live" in November 2016. In 2016, Chappelle signed a comedy-special deal with Netflix and released six stand-up specials under the deal. These Netflix specials have been particularly successful, with his 2017 stand-up comedy specials “Deep in the Heart of Texas” and “The Age of Spin” becoming the most viewed in Netflix's history. Later that year, he filmed two additional specials, "Equanimity" and "The Bird Revelation," both of which earned Chappelle a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. He continued to work with Netflix to release more stand-up specials, such as "Sticks & Stones" in 2019 and "The Closer" in 2021.

More recently, Chappelle has continued to be politically and socially active, discussing recent events in his monologues on "Saturday Night Live," which he hosted for the fourth time in 2025. He has also been involved in the film tour "Live in Real Life" and the documentary about his concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic, "Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life," which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021. His latest Netflix special, "The Dreamer," was released in December 2023, and he received a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.

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