When it comes to comedians, there are few more famous than Dave Chappelle, at least in the modern era. He’s had everyone he knows laughing since he was born in 1973 – and started to make everyone else laugh about twenty years later.

From the Robin Hood Parody Men in Tights to stoner comedies, to having his own show, his comedy spans all genres and types of fans. Whether you like his impressions, his darker humor, or anything that comes out of his mouth – you need to have the Dave Chappelle experience live. That means you’ll need tickets, which you can get below. Not in your city yet? Check out his specials on Netflix while you’re waiting.

Early Life

Dave’s full name is David Khari Webber Chappelle, and he hails from Washington DC. His parents are both academics, which makes sense when you consider how smart you have to be to pull off endless comedy routines.His parents split up in his childhood, giving him a source for some of his earlier material. That came in handy in high school when he decided to pursue comedy as a career.

Though he was underage, Chappelle still managed to get club bookings, even though policy stated that he had to bring his mother. People didn’t love him at first, hearing his dark and more controversial humor and sometimes booing him off the stage. But he kept at it – and we’re glad he did.

A Lucky Break

After high school, Dave took to New York City to work on the comedy scene. He started to make a name for himself locally and then auditioned for Mel Brook’s film, Men in Tights. To his surprise, he landed that role and then earned a spot on HBO’s Comic Relief special after that. With his success in those roles, the options to appear in films kept coming. He even landed a spot co-starring with comedy great Eddie Murphy in the movie “The Nutty Professor.” This was all in the span of ten years – which you could say was a wild ride.

The Dave Chappelle Show

In 2003, Dave landed his own show, hosted on Comedy Central. It was a smash hit and probably would have run forever if Dave hadn’t bowed out the day filming for the third season should have begun. It seems he has a love-hate relationship with the silver screen, but he’s never lost his love for standing alone on stage with a mic.