This rising black comedian of TV and films has been impressive in his own short-lived TV series "Buddies" (ABC, 1996), and as the comic who is the butt of Eddie Murphy's wrath in "The Nutty Professor" (1996). The son of a Unitarian minister, Dave Chappelle began performing in comedy clubs in his native Washington, DC, at age 14. Within a year, he got a big change--a slot on stage at the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem, but his performance was met with booing. Still he persevered and became a hit in clubs on the East Coast. By 1992, the wiry, energetic comedian was gaining national exposure with appearance on "Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam" (HBO) and "Six Comics in Search of a Generation" (Lifetime). Sponsored by co-host Whoopi Goldberg, Chappelle appeared on the 1994 HBO special, "Comic Relief VI"; at age 20, he was also said to be the youngest comic to have a featured spot. He followed with a guest appearance on ABC's "Home Improvement" in 1995, which was a pilot for a proposed spin-off sitcom. "Buddies", a Disney-produced show that premiered in 1996, teamed Chappelle with the very un-comic Christopher Gartin in a black-white pairing. Despite the quick cancellation of the series, Disney was impressed enough with the ascendant star to offer him a $1 million development deal.

Chappelle broke into features in the uneven Mel Brooks' spoof "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" But it was his turn in "The Nutty Professor" that clinched his screen viability. He went on to a featured role as a wisecracking convict in the box-office success "Con Air" (1997) and was teamed with Tommy Davidson in "Woo" (1998). In an attempt to pay homage to Cheech and Chong, Chappelle wrote and starred in the marijuana comedy "Half Baked" (also 1998). He is developing a dream project in which he plans to star: a biopic of his friend and mentor Charles Barnett, a street comedian who died of complications from AIDS.