Actor Jack Black, born Thomas Jacob Black, has spent the majority of his life on screen. With his first credited acting role at just 13, Black was a featured actor in a commercial for a video game. Since then, Black has taken the acting world by storm. He's starred in movies, appeared in television shows and voiced animated characters.
With over 180 acting credits to his name, Black has become a household name. For some, it was his part in Shallow Hal that put him on the map in 2001. For others, it was his role as Dewey Finn in the 2003 hit School of Rock. And if you haven't seen Black star in a movie, there's a good chance you've heard his voice. He's lent his vocal talent to popular animated characters like Po in Kung Fu Panda and recently, Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
When he's not making a movie, or producing one, Black performs in his band Tenacious D alongside fellow actor Kyle Gass. The rock duo formed their band in 1994 and have toured throughout the United States and internationally since. The pair even made a movie in 2006 about their musical group aptly titled, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. With so many titles to his name, we found some of the highlights of Black's career in photos, starting in the very beginning.
Atari Commercial (1982)
Black's first credited project was a video game commercial in the early '80s. Black was one of four actors who starred in a a commercial for the Atari game Pitfall, sharing their excitement for playing the game and the main character, Pitfall Harry.
Shallow Hal (2001)
Starring alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Black played a shallow man named Hal who ends up dating a 300-pound woman after being hypnotized to no longer only date thin women. Black's press appearance at the movie premiere in California was the early beginning of his goofy red carpet antics.
School of Rock (2003)
Black plays Dewey Finn, a struggling guitarist who becomes a substitute teacher and builds a new band from his students at the fancy school. The movie had such a societal impact that to this day there are still music schools around the U.S. called School of Rock.
Will & Grace (2003)
Not just a movie star, Black has acted in Television for a variety of shows including Will & Grace, where he played a wacky physician.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy (2004)
If it's been a while since you last watched Anchorman, you may have forgotten that Black had a bit part as a motorcyclist in the hit film. No stranger to speaking openly about his political beliefs, Black walked the Anchorman red carpet during the 2004 presidential election in support of John Kerry.
Nacho Libre (2006)
Black plays Nacho, a chef at a Mexican monastery. Nacho wants to support the orphans who also live at the monastery so he becomes a Lucha Libre wrestler on the side to raise money, an activity he must do in secret—as it's forbidden by the monastery.
Year One (2009)
A biblical comedy, Black and Michael Cera play hunter gatherers who make their way to the city of Sodom. They have to navigate the unfamiliar city after being exiled from their tribe.
Gulliver's Travels (2010)
Starring in the 1700's prose-inspired Gulliver's Travels, Black played the role of travel writer Lemuel Gulliver who ends up derailed to a new destination after a storm. Gulliver finds himself towering over the island's residents.
Un Nuevo Dia (2015)
To promote his role in Goosebumps, Black visited the set of Telemundo's Un Nuevo Dia. Black and Chef James chatted about the movie while whipping up spooky treats inspired by the movie.
Tenacious D Perform a Wedding (2015)
In-between promotional events for Goosebumps, Tenacious D hosted their third annual Festival Supreme at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. During the event, Black and Gass officiated wedding ceremonies.
Goosebumps (2015)
Inspired by the popular children's horror series, R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series made its way to the big screen. A combination of live-action and animation, Black takes on both roles in the movie, acting as R.L. Stine himself and voicing the character of Slappy, a ventriloquist dummy. Black posed at the premiere with Stine himself (pictured in the back left corner).
Kung Fu Panda (2015)
Black voiced Po, the lead character in the Kung Fu Panda movies, in all four of the movies in the series. While the movies are animated, if you've seen Black attend an event in real life, you know he's no stranger to the kung fu kicks on the red carpet.
Hollywood Walk of Fame (2019)
Awarded in 2019, Black received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame where he jumped for joy... literally!
Award Show Presenter (2019)
From Golden Globes to MTV Movie & TV and so many more, Black is no stranger to awards throughout his career. Not just a nominee and award winner, Black is often tapped to present. Pictured here, Black presented the signature surfboard award to the Jonas Brothers during FOX's Teen Choice Awards in 2019.
Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Black starred in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and its 2019 sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level where he played a teen trapped in a video game character avatar alongside Kevin Hart, Nick Jonas and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Red Nose Day (2020)
Black is a regular participant in Red Nose Day, an annual campaign raising money to end poverty. He has traveled to Uganda to raise awareness of childhood poverty, played in game shows as part of the annual televised fundraiser and even served as executive producer of Celebrity Escape Room, one of the specials airing during the broadcast.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Cue Peaches. Black is the vocal artist behind the viral soundtrack song from The Super Mario Bros. Movie. where he voiced the villain, Bowser in the animated movie.
Tenacious D Goes On Tour (2023)
Almost 30 years after its formation, Tenacious D went on a worldwide tour in 2023. The Spicy Meatball Tour traveled around Europe and the United States performing a mix of their top hits and new releases.
SAG-AFTRA Strike (2023)
With Film & TV production put on hold as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Black joined fellow actors on the picket line at Warner Brothers Studios.
Emily Rochotte is a freelance writer and social media manager covering lifestyle, travel and wedding content.
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