Jack Black (actor)

From Freepedia

This article concerns the actor and musician. For other persons named Jack Black, see Jack Black (disambiguation).

Jack Black (born Thomas Black on August 28, 1969) is a Jewish-American film and television actor, and a musician. He was born in Hermosa Beach, California and attended Crossroads School and the University of California, Los Angeles; fellow UCLA alum Tim Robbins later cast him in Bob Roberts, his first film role. He also had recurring roles on the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show.

He is the lead singer for the rock comedy band Tenacious D. His singing style is often a strange scat-type of music. For example, in "Wonderboy" one of his lines is "Rrrigga-gyu-gyu Rrrigga-gyu-gyu." He also performed a two-part scat with fellow bandmate Kyle Gass in the song "Tribute."

Tenacious D owes much of their popularity to Black's unorthodox, humorous lyrics and Gass' skilled guitar playing. Drummer Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age) played with them on their first album.

Perhaps he is most well-known in popular culture for starring in the 2003 hit comedy The School of Rock, in which he played a has-been rocker who gets his big break by teaching a private school fifth grade class music theory and the history of rock and roll.

He is currently dating actress and comedienne Laura Kightlinger (Will & Grace, a show on which Black has guest-starred).