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Many Americans have fallen in love with the ABC television sitcom, Black-ish, starring Anthony Anderson and Tracy Ellis Ross. However, very few people know of the creative minds behind the show, like Larry Wilmore, who is the show's executive producer. Born in Los Angeles County, California, Wilmore has been established as one of the most successful black comic figures in the entertainment industry. He's an actor, writer, and producer of numerous top-ranking television series, such as The Bernie Mac Show and the sketch comedy, In Living Color, the latter of which paved the way for the success of many actors and comedians, like Tommy Davidson, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Jim Carrey.
Over more than three decades in the entertainment field, Wilmore has been able to amass a net worth of $3 million. Let's discover how Larry Wilmore become one of the most prominent faces in comedy and African-American culture.
From 'A TV Kid' To Writing TV Shows
From an early age, Wilmore admits to being, in his own definition, 'A TV Kid'. He was innately drawn to subjects such as science, science-fiction, magic, and fantasy. In addition, he even studied theatre at California State Polytechnic University. However, he gave up on theatre and instead pursued stand-up comedy. Starting in 1983, he made his first film appearance in the comedy, Good-bye, Cruel World, in which he co-starred beside a host of other actors. Being his first movie, it was a relatively small role. In the same year, he landed a recurring role in the Different-Strokes spin-off, The Facts of Life, as police Officer Ziaukus. Not only was this sitcom the longest-standing series aired on NBC during the 1980s, but it also included a cast of some of today's top celebrities, namely George Clooney, Lisa Whelchel, and Kim Fields.
With the momentum from the stints he landed in the 1980s, he set off for bigger and better opportunities in the 1990s. He began as part of the writing staff for the sketch comedy, In Living Color, in 1992, along with his brother Marc who was also a writer. The only difference between the two was that Larry chose to stay in the background while Marc was cast in the show. In Living Color was a smash hit, lending a stage to some of today's most famous comedians to showcase their talent.
Then, according to Kidadl, a couple of years later in 1994 Wilmore secured a role as a bus driver in the popular ABC network sitcom, Sister Sister, starring Tia Mowry, Tamara Mowry, Marques Houston, and Jackee Harry. The teen show was a massive success which aired until 1999. Perhaps two of the most memorable sitcoms that were privileged with Wilmore's uniquely gifted writing capacity were The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, starring Will Smith, James Avery, Tatyana Ali, and Alfonso Ribiero; and The Jamie Foxx Show. Both shows were an incredible success both in views and in financial earnings.
Greater Success In The 2000s
Toward the end of the 1990s, Wilmore's renown as a writer was established and only had the propensity to grow from thereon. In 1999, he co-created with Eddie Murphy on the animated black sitcom, The PJs, and was made the executive producer for the duration of the show until its end in 2001. When asked who his influences were, Wilmore confessed that he learned a great deal about comedy from Eddie Murphy, so it was a dream come true to be working with him on a project. He went on to create and produce a sitcom starring one of the funniest stand-up comedians to ever hit the stage - The Bernie Mac Show. The sitcom received favorable reviews and Wilmore even received a Primetime Emmy Award in 2002 for Outstanding Writing, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Bernie Mac reportedly earned $300,000 per episode, so that can paint a picture of how successful a show it was.
After the noticeable achievement of The Bernie Mac Show and its contribution to comedy sitcoms, Wilmore became the consulting producer for The Office, an NBC sitcom taken from an English BBC series of the same name. The series was created by Greg Daniels and Ben Silverman and featured a cast of Steve Carell, John Krasinski, and Jenna Fischer.
By 2006, he became a regular with Comedy Central on The Daily Show as "The Senior Black Correspondent" following the Barack Obama election where his discussions centered around the humorous commentary of black people's experience in America. Then in January 2015, Larry hosted The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore again on Comedy Central, which aired for two years.
Foot still on the pedal, he jumped right into a podcast, titled Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air in 2017 as part of The Ringer podcast network with Bill Simmons. Wilmore can still be found on this podcast as of 2022. His work with other television series includes HBO's Insecure, which he co-created with Awkward Black Girl's Issa Rae, and Black-ish, which is still being aired on ABC.
Larry's Recent Acting Appearances
Although Larry is best known for his behind-the-scenes work as an executive producer and writer, he makes a guest appearance sporadically as an actor in movies and other sitcoms. Examples of this can be seen in the 2009 romcom, I Love You, Man, starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, and Rashida Jones, where Wilmore plays the role of a minister. The film grossed $92.3 million at the international box office. He also had a supporting role in the 2010 comedy, Dinner For Schmucks, which grossed $86.9 million globally, and featured actors such as Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Jermaine Clement, Zach Galifianakis, and Octavia Spencer.
In 2011, he starred alongside Damon Wayans, Jr. (Brad) in the ABC comedy, Happy Endings, where he had recurring roles as Mr. Forristal, Brad's imposing boss. Subsequently, he starred in Showtime's Race, Religion, and Sex.
Another great achievement of Larry Wilmore was the release of his 2009 book titled I'd Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts. The book was a rendering of Wilmore's humorous political angles on race, receiving a 4 out of 5 rating on Amazon.
Sources: Kidadl, Celebrity Net Worth, Larry Wilmore
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