Bruce Church (born c. 1961),[1][2] better known by his stage name Bruce Bruce, is an American comedian and actor.
| Bruce Bruce | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bruce Church |
| Born | 1960 or 1961 (age 63–64) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Medium | |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Website | www |
He hosted BET's ComicView from 2000 to 2002 and has appeared in such films as The Wash (2001), XXX: State of the Union (2005), Idlewild (2006) and Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006).[2][3] In 2005 he became the spokesperson for Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits.[4]
Early life edit
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Bruce was the only child of a divorced mother.[5] He grew up in "The Bluff" neighborhood of northwest Atlanta, an area that has a history of crime and poverty.[6]
Bruce was funny from a young age and was a class clown.[2] He looked up to his uncle, Paul, whom he referred to "the funniest man in the world" during a 2002 interview.[5][7] As a child he was inspired by such comedians such as Flip Wilson and Jackie Gleason, and was later influenced by Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx and Milton Berle.[5][7]
He worked as a barbecue chef, then as a sales person for Frito-Lay, where he was asked to perform comedy during corporate meetings.[3][5] He took his routine to the Comedy Act Theater in Atlanta before moving to Los Angeles in 1989.[1][3]
Career edit
Bruce made his first appearance on HBO's Def Comedy Jam in 1993, which he refers to as his "first big break".[1] He made his Showtime at the Apollo debut the following year.[1]
In the 2001 he appeared in the comedy film The Wash in the role of DeWayne, a good-natured security guard.[1] He played the role of Lime Pimp (a pimp wearing a bright green suit), in the 2004 film Hair Show starring Mo'Nique and appeared as himself in the Burt Reynolds film Cloud 9 (2006).[1][2] In 2012, he played Chubby Man in the romantic comedy Think Like a Man.[8]
He hosted episodes of BET's ComicView between 2000 and 2002 and Coming to the Stage in 2004.[2][3] Bruce was featured in an episode of Comedy Central Presents in 2003 and released his one-hour comedy special Bruce Bruce Live that same year.[2][3] He released his one-hour special Losin' It in 2011.[8]
Bruce appeared in the video for the Quad City DJ's 1996 single "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)".[3] He is mentioned by name in the lyrics of the Ying Yang Twins' their 2003 song "Salt Shaker" and he made an appearance in the video.[3] He has collaborated several times with the Atlanta-based hip-hop duo Outkast: He appeared in the video for the 2001 single "So Fresh, So Clean".[1] In the film Idlewild he played the role of Nathan, the assistant to The Real Angel Davenport, a character played by Patti LaBelle.[9][10] Bruce also played Golf Ball Eddie, a quick-talking bookie, in Who's Your Caddy? starring Big Boy.[8]
Bruce's tends to avoid topical subjects in his stand-up act, preferring observational topics from everyday life.[7] While he does deal with adult subject matter, Bruce is known for performing with very little profanity.[5][7][11]
Bruce is notable for his size.[12] He is 6 feet tall and in 2012 he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "I was almost 500 lbs at one point. I'm now down to about 350."[6][10] He is also known for wearing brightly-colored suits, some of which he designed himself.[2]
Personal life edit
Bruce was married for 10 years.[10] He and his wife divorced in 1989.[1][10] He has one daughter and two sons.[2]
He divides his time between Los Angeles and Atlanta, and collects Buick muscle cars.[3][12]
He published his autobiography "Baby James Brown" in 2005.[4]
Filmography edit
- Dollar (2000)
- The Wash (2001)
- The Sunday Morning Stripper (2003)
- Hair Show (2004)
- XXX: State of the Union (2005)
- Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006)
- Idlewild (2006)
- Cloud 9 (2006)
- Who's Your Caddy? (2007)
- Think Like a Man (2012)
- Top Five (2014)
- Maron (2015) - Himself (1 episode)
- BET's ComicView
- The Trap (2019)
- Undercover Brother 2 (2019)
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h Condran, Ed (February 28, 2003). "A split decision in a split second". The Record. p. 79. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via ProQuest.
Bruce, 42, was tapped to play the good-natured security guard in "The Wash," an update of the Seventies smash "Carwash."
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harris, Chandra (February 27, 2004). "Heavyweight of hilarity". Knoxville News Sentinel. p. 94. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Bruce Bruce and Friends". Chattanooga Times Free Press. December 30, 2011. p. H8. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b "Bruce Bruce book has everyone calling him 'Baby James Brown'". Call & Post. September 22, 2005. p. SH3. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c d e Moran, Clarice (January 18, 2002). "Funny funny". The News & Observer. p. I33. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Ho, Rodney (March 16, 2012). "Two comics big on laughs". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. D4. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Holtzclaw, Mike (November 1, 2002). "Laughing at life Bruce Bruce's comedy is meant for everyone". Daily Press. p. D1. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c Thrasher, Don (January 17, 2014). "Bruce Bruce, Earthquake on comedy bill at Schuster Center". Dayton Daily News. p. 44. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Blount, Mike (August 26, 2010). "Bruce Bruce dishes on comedy". Hattiesburg American. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c d Ghianni, Tim (January 13, 2005). "Two times the fun". The Tennessean. p. D1. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Cheshier, Tajuana (November 5, 2004). "Bruce Bruce brings wit to Oman". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b Waterhouse, Jon (September 2, 2004). "Onstage: Bruce Bruce serious about being funny". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. P10. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via ProQuest.