The Memoir Of Ms. Butterfly

Chris Tucker was born on August 31, 1971, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Norris Tucker Sr. and Mary Louis (nee Bryant). He was raised in Decatur, Georgia, along with his five siblings. Tucker is the youngest son of his parents, and he has Native American ancestry.

Chris’ father, Norris, was a business owner who ran a janitorial service. Tucker was very close to his father, who was his best friend. Unfortunately, Tucker’s father passed away on January 14, 2016, in his home in Lithonia, Georgia.

Chris decided to become a comedian at a very young age. He even snuck into a famous comedy club in Atlanta and received a standing ovation for his stand-up comedy, becoming a local celebrity instantly.

Tucker studied at Columbia High school. To earn money while in high school, he started to work at a local Burger King, mopping bathroom floors. After graduating, he shifted to Los Angeles, California, to pursue his career in show business.

Tucker started to perform stand-up comedy in ‘Def Comedy Jam’ followed by several appearances as a rapper on the American sitcom Television series ‘Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper in 1992.

He made his film debut with the 1994 movie ‘House Party 111’ where he performed for 90 seconds as the outrageous party promoter ‘Johnny Booze.’ Critics praised Tucker for the role and they received a standing ovation at press screenings in the film’s public promotions.

Tucker gained recognition for his role as ‘Smokey’ in the comedy film ‘Friday’ starring Ice Cube. The film was about a day in the life of a misbehaving and carefree drug dealer named Smokey, who is a constant habitual marijuana smoker.

Tucker received a positive response from critics for this role as they agreed that Tucker had given a very natural, honest, and uncanny performance in the movie.

In 1995, Chris was offered the role of ‘Skip’ a heroin addict, a college dropout, and an ex-US Marine Corps in the Albert and Allen Hughes-directed crime thriller film ‘Dead Presidents.’ He added humor to the film, and the critics found his dialogue delivery similar to Richard Pryoresque’s style. The film was well-received by audiences and critics and was a moderate hit.

In 1995, he appeared as a bodyguard in the political drama film ‘Panther’ which portrayed the rise and fall of a 1960’s black radical movement.

Chris appeared as the funny cross-dressed Disc Jockey ‘Ruby Rhod’ who shows off about hosting an endless TV show in the 1997 science-fiction film ‘The Fifth Element, co-starring Bruce Willis. This film received a positive response from critics and became a financial success. Tucker wearing a yellow wig and leopard print gown, made the audience laugh out loud, enacting a character that was hilarious, sexually promiscuous, and really loud.

Tucker and Charlie Sheen got signed in the action comedy film ‘Money Talks’. In this film, he played the role of ‘Franklin Maurice Hatchett’ a small-time car wash hustler who gets locked up in a jail cell.

In 1997, Tucker appeared as ‘Beaumont Livingstone,’ a fast-talking hustler who had violated his parole, in the Quentin Tarantino crime thriller film ‘Jackie Brown.’ In the movie, he shared screen space with veteran actors like Samuel l. Jackson and Robert De Niro. This film was appreciated by critics for its wit and charm.

Tucker earned immense admiration and A-list celebrity status for acting as the loud and brash ‘Detective James Carter,’ the main protagonist in the ‘Rush Hour series of films (1998, 2001, and 2007) co-starring Jackie Chan. Tucker got an astounding $ 25 million remuneration for ‘Rush Hour 3’, making him the highest-paid actor in Hollywood in 2007.

He won several awards for movie series like ‘MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo’ (1999) and ‘Kid’s Choice Awards – Favourite Male Movie Star’ (2002).

Tucker took a break from films for five years, rejecting several offers. He, however, returned to stand-up comedy in 2011 and acting in 2012, with the film ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ in the role of Danny McDaniels, an easy-going man involved in a legal dispute with the mental hospital where he is admitted.

Tucker was immensely praised for his acting and was one of the winners of the ‘Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast.’ In addition, he was one of the recipients of the ‘Best Cast Ensemble,’ ‘Capri Ensemble Cast Awards in 2012 and ‘Gold Derby Award- Ensemble Cast’ in 2013 for this film.

Chris performed as himself in the Netflix Stand-up Special’ Chris Tucker-Live’ in 2015, showcasing his comedic talents while sharing his experiences from childhood to the big times.

In 2016, he acted as ‘Albert,’ a producer in the war drama film ‘Billy Lynn’s Halftime Walk.’ This film was a box office hit and got mixed reviews from critics.

There are talks about a fourth ‘Rush Hour movie with Tucker to be titled ‘Grumpy Old Rush Hour.’ However, he is currently more indulged in stand-up comedy.

Tucker has supported many charitable organizations like ‘American Foundation for AIDS Research, US Doctors for Africa’ and ‘Britticares International.’ In addition, he is the founder of a non-profit organization called ‘The Chris Tucker Foundation,’ which provides funds for youth development and welfare globally.

He was married to Azya Pryor, and the couple divorced later. Tucker has a teenage son, Destin Tucker, from this relationship, who lives with his mother in Los Angeles.

There were rumors of Tucker having an affair with news anchor Cynne Simpson and that they had secretly married, but the reports turned out false. Chris is apparently single-off late.

According to The Morning Call, Tucker acknowledged taking a break from Hollywood in a 2001 interview.

“I traveled around the world promoting Rush Hour, and then I realized that I didn’t want to work no more, ever,” Tucker said. “I just wanted to chill by the beach.”

During that time, Tucker had many roles thrown his way. But none were attractive enough to end his hiatus.

“To be honest, I couldn’t find anything worth doing. So, I spent time soul-searching and growing up. I feel I’m young, and I’ve got a long time to do movies, and I didn’t want to just jump out there and do any movie stuff just to do it. I wanted to do stuff that I was really going to have fun with,” he explained.

Tucker quipped that a combination of Chan and money convinced him to return to the franchise.

“Being offered $20 million,” he said. “No, I’m just kidding. What changed my mind was working with Jackie again. I knew that people would want to see us together again in this movie.

A third Rush Hour movie might have seemed like a foregone conclusion, given the success of the first two films. But that idea of a Rush Hour 3 came about because of a well-known joke the stand-up comic made during Rush Hour 2 bloopers.

“I said something in part two, a blooper outtake that the studio heard, and they said, ‘Well, let’s do another one’ because it made a lot of money. And they figured it would make some more money. So I said something in an outtake. A guy fell out of a hotel in Vegas, the hotel building, and I said, ‘That guy isn’t going to be in Rush Hour 3, and the studio heard it, and then the fans heard it,” he once told Collider.

But at the time, a Rush Hour 3 wasn’t a sure thing.

“So everybody thought we were doing another Rush Hour, but it was never planned,” he shared. “So studio came and said, ‘Let’s do another Rush Hour! And I said, ‘O.K., what are we going to do? Where are we going to go? How are these characters going to get together?’”

It took several years, but Tucker eventually agreed to do the third film because of many factors.

“I think the timing is great because this summer, all these part three’s are doing great, and I guess the timing is just great. It wasn’t planned. But what convinced me was the script; it took a while to get it together because we never planned on doing a part two or three,” he said.

Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan both wanted to make Rush Hour 4, but it appears the movie is still ongoing. Talk about dropping off the face of the earth, Chris Tucker; where are you? At one time, he was one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors, working with Jackie Chan and Bruce Willis in massive productions. Since then, Chris Tucker has virtually disappeared from the screen. So will we ever see him again? Here’s what we know.

Chris Tucker has been entertaining audiences for over two decades. He first became prominent in the 90s, doing various stand-up performances on the HBO comedy series Def Comedy Jam.

He later starred in the super-successful Rush Hour films alongside martial artist and stuntman Jackie Chan. But at the height of his popularity, Tucker’s net worth plummeted. How was that possible?

Updated on December 8, 2022: Chris Tucker has been working hard to support himself and his family after his financial downfall. As of now, he has a film in post-production called Air Jordan. The movie follows the life of Sonny Vaccaro, a shoe salesman, and his journey leading Nike to partner with star athlete Michael Jordan. Tucker doesn’t have a starring role but is rumored to be prominent in the film. When Rush Hour became a success, Tucker negotiated an eye-watering $20 million salary to appear in the sequel. He later received handsome compensation for Rush Hour 3 and secured 20 percent of the gross receipts.

The 50-year-old managed to work out a deal that made him more than $60 million in contracts at the peak of his career. The actor took home more than $50 million from the Rush Hour franchise alone.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Tucker began owing the IRS taxes at the beginning of 2011. It was estimated that Tucker owed $11 million for 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005 tax years. By the time 2014 rolled around, that number grew to a massive $14 million. Ultimately, he settled the debt in 2014. However, bad real estate deals also put him on the skids. In 2014, he reportedly claimed he didn’t make enough money to pay his bills.

In 2014, Tucker settled a $2.5 million tax debt with Uncle Sam. His representatives blamed “poor accounting and business management.” But in November 2021, it was reported that the IRS was suing Tucker for $9.6 million in back taxes. Court documents obtained by Radar Online read: “Mr. Tucker is a comedian and actor who was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood in the late 1990s and early 2000s, starring in the ‘Rush Hour’ film series. The early tax years, in this case, date back to this time.”

But Chris Tucker’s career is said to be on the up. The actor has been rumored to reappear in a possible Rush Hour 4.

Chris Tucker Is Back To A Net Worth Of $5 Million.

Tucker’s significant breakout role was as stoner Smokey alongside rap legend Ice Cube in the Friday movies. The part earned him an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance. The film received a positive critical reception and has garnered a large cult following over the years.

But if you think Tucker may reprise the role to pay off the man – you’d be wrong. The father-of-one is now a born-again Christian and, due to his faith, has vowed to no longer use profanity in films or comedy routines.

In an exclusive interview with All Urban Central, Tucker revealed that he had become much more watchful of his content.

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“I never was a raunchy comedy, but I didn’t think about what I was saying because I was young. Being a Christian helps me in comedy. I have to talk about other stuff,” Tucker explained. “Normally, most comics talk about the easy stuff ⏤ , maybe cussing or saying something raunchy. I must dig deeper to find something that’s still funny and not raunchy. It’s harder. I like the challenge.”

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“Back then, I gotta tell you, one of the reasons why I didn’t do the second one was the weed. I said, man, that movie became a phenomenon. I don’t want everybody smoking weed — and I never told people this because I kind of forgot about it, but it was one of the reasons why I didn’t do it. Because I said, ‘I don’t wanna represent everybody smoking weed.’”.

Last year, writer and producer Ice Cube revealed Chris Tucker turned down a lot of money to appear in a new Friday film. “We were ready to pay Chris Tucker $10-12m to do Next Friday, but he (Tucker) turned us down for religious reasons. He didn’t want to cuss or smoke weed on camera anymore,” he tweeted.

Nowadays, Tucker is back in the green, with a net worth of $5 million.

Jackie Chan worked with many talented actors and actresses throughout his career. Although Chris Tucker is always associated with Chan, he was inspired by many others, including Bruce Lee. He still remembers his experience alongside Bruce, one that stuck with him till this day and basically nudged him toward the stunt field;

“At that time, I was just a young guy, and he was a huge star,” Chan said, talking about working on Fist of Fury. “He would speak with the stuntmen, but not me, as I was just a kid. But suddenly, somehow, I got to be on stage with him. So after watching stuntmen double for Lee, I decided then that I would do everything myself and let people know it was me. You can always tell when it’s a stunt double. So I make sure that audiences can always see my face.

We all know by now Chan will become a massive star. He expanded from stunt work, making the transfer into lead roles. His most iconic breakthrough came in Rush Hour, matched alongside Chris Tucker. Although their chemistry seemed to be a dream on the big screen, surprisingly, it wasn’t as 1apparent at the start, at least according to Chan!

The First Impression

“I didn’t like him at the beginning.” Those were Chan’s exact words during An Academy Salute to Jackie Chan. However, Chan did mention that they would eventually create a strong friendship, though things weren’t could have been at their finest earlier.

They met before the shooting of the Rush Hour film, and let’s just say that Chan was extremely confused by Tucker as the actor rambled on and on during their first encounter – the major problem was the fact that Chan couldn’t pick up on everything Tucker was saying due to how fast he was speaking – looking back, Tucker’s excitement might’ve taken over during their first meeting.

Chan recalls being exhausted after the encounter – particularly given all the info and words from Tucker throughout their first meeting. They say first impressions are everything, but, in this case, that wasn’t the truth as they would grow into an iconic pair on the big screen while creating a special bond away from the cameras.

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Growing Close To One Another

Throughout the iconic franchise’s history, the two would grow quite the past together, as a close friendship would also be born;

“The movies work for one simple reason: the chemistry between Jackie and me,” announces Tucker during an interview in Los Angeles. “It’s like a culture clash between the two of us on screen. People are curious about seeing us interact.” Chan agrees, adding, “The first movie was like, “Who cares? We’re making a film.’ But Chris and me and [returning director] Brett [Ratner] became buddies on the set this time. Chris trusts me with the action-comedy, and I trust him with verbal comedy. So we’re a perfect team.”

Tucker would also make mentions that the only reason he decided to return for the sequel was because of his close friendship and chemistry alongside Chan;

As for why he stopped acting, it has to do with his Christian faith. In addition, he was born again in the mid-90s, so he prefers to keep his language clean, which limits the number of roles he can play. With that said, he appeared in a short video titled Tito Jackson: Love One Another last year.

He’ll also be appearing in an upcoming film about Michael Jordan, which recently finished filming in July. He’ll be starring as Howard White, a rising Nike executive, alongside Ben Affleck, who will be playing Nike’s co-founder Phil Knight. Other cast members include Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Matthew Maher, Julius Tennon, and Marlon Wayans. A release date has yet to be announced.

Aside from that, he’s mainly been focusing on his stand-up career—that’s what he was known for before his movie career took off. And from the looks of it, that’s what he’s been busying himself with the past few years.

In fact, he’ll be embarking on a concert tour later this fall. It’ll kick off on September 9 at the Caesars Event Centre at Caesars Southern Indiana and will continue until November 11 at the Horseshoe Casino’s Bluesville in Robinsonville, MS. For those interested in going, you can get tickets from Ticketmaster.

Earlier this summer, he also returned to Las Vegas for a two-night engagement at Encore Theater, which took place on Friday, July 8, and Saturday, July 9.

Ms. Butterfly Genesis