Kenan Thompson
Kenan Thompson is an American actor and comedian known for his work on Saturday Night Live and various films roles. His film credits include Fat Albert, Barbershop 2 and Snakes on a Plane.
Synopsis
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 10, 1978, Kenan Thompson starred on the kids' shows All That and Kenan and Kel before branching off into film roles. Since 2003, he has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live.
Early Life
Born on May 10, 1978, in Atlanta, Georgia, Kenan Thompson is an actor and comedian known widely for his work on Saturday Night Live. As a child, his mother, Elizabeth Ann Thompson, encouraged him to take acting classes. His work was rewarded in his teens when he won a role as a film reviewer for the Turner Broadcasting Station and, at age 16, worked with Emilio Estevez in the 1994 film D2: The Mighty Ducks. That same year, he began appearing on the popular Nickelodeon show All That. In 1996, he and All That co-star Kel Mitchell began starring on a highly successful spin-off, Kenan and Kel, which lasted four seasons and helped earn Thompson a Kids' Choice Award in 1998.
Professional Success
After leaving Nickelodeon, Thompson appeared in a number of films, including Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000), Love Don't Cost a Thing (2003), Barbershop 2 (2004) and Snakes on a Plane (2006). In 2004, he also starred in the film adaptation of Fat Albert, working alongside his childhood idol, Bill Cosby. "That was awesome, that was like a dream come true!" Thompson later said about the experience. "He's the first comedian that I knew that I could watch as a kid. Other comedians were too dirty, I couldn't watch them. But Bill Cosby, I could watch him all the time."
In 2003, Thompson won a role on Saturday Night Live and has appeared on the show for more than eight seasons. Well-known for his impression of Bill Cosby and Whoopi Goldberg, he has joked that he was originally brought on to replace Tracy Morgan.
In late 2012, Thompson was reportedly developing a television comedy with TV producer, Lorne Michaels, in which Thompson would star as a young man who gives up life in the Big Apple and moves to the suburbs to live with his in-laws.
Personal Life
In 2011, Thompson married model Christina Evangeline at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Spending time between Los Angeles and New York, Thompson has remarked that he would like to start his own production company one day: "The things I do are fun; it's hard to call it a job, even though I do take it seriously."
