American actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was born on November 10, 1968 in New York City. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, eventually being discovered in 1984 while performing at the Apollo Theater in New York. He made his television debut in 1994, when he got a recurring role in the comedy Martin; he plays the Hustle Man, who is known for his catchphrase “what’s happenin’, chief?” while selling anybody whatever crazy items he had.
In 1996, Morgan joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. Throughout his seven-year run, he has performed a variety of memorable characters, including building superintendent Dominican Lou on “Weekend Update,” Bishop “Mack” Donald on “Pimp Chat,” and Uncle Jemima in the commercial parody inspired by the character. He is also credited with impressions of personalities such as Aretha Franklin, Maya Angelou, Samuel L. Jackson, Mike Tyson and Oprah Winfrey. During his stint, he appeared in several films, including Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Head of State and an uncredited role in Bamboozled.
Morgan left SNL in 2003 to star in his own sitcom, The Tracy Morgan Show. The series sees Morgan play the role of Tracy Mitchell, the owner of an auto repair garage, and revolves around his life with his family and with his colleagues at work. The show was cancelled after 18 episodes, due to low ratings. He continued to make occasional guest appearances on Saturday Night Live, and appeared in several more films, including The Longest Yard and Farce of the Penguins.
In 2006, Morgan snagged another regular television role, this time for the acclaimed comedy 30 Rock. He took on the role of Tracy Jordan, a notoriously crazy television personality who was brought by network executive Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) to star in Liz Lemon’s (Tina Fey) sketch program.