Mike Epps

Mike Epps has, in the past seven years, become an audience and industry favorite among comic actors.

The Indiana native has steadily climbed the stand-up comedy ranks, performing in sold-out theaters and clubs around the country. His 1995 appearances on Def Comedy Jam and the national tour of the same name brought him a large following. His show-stealing performance at the 1999 Laffapalooza festival in Atlanta occasioned a move to Los Angeles, where a successful appearance at L.A.'s Comedy Store caught the attention of Ice Cube. This in turn led to Mr. Epps being cast opposite the latter in Steve Carr's Next Friday, which more than doubled the gross of its predecessor film Friday. The duo soon reunited for two more movies, Kevin Bray's All About the Benjamins and Marcus Raboy's sequel Friday After Next. Mr. Epps also reteamed with director Steve Carr, providing a voiceover for Dr. Dolittle 2.

His additional feature credits include another sequel that outperformed its predecessor, Alexander Witt's Resident Evil: Apocalypse; Jesse Dylan's How High; Antoine Fuqua's Bait; Malcolm D. Lee's Roll Bounce; Jonathan Lynn's The Fighting Temptations; John Schultz' The Honeymooners; Kevin Rodney Sullivan's hit Guess Who; Zak Penn's upcoming The Grand; and, also for Focus Features, Sanaa Hamri's Something New (which also starred Taraji P. Henson of Talk to Me). Mr. Epps will next be seen in Russell Mulcahy's Resident Evil: Extinction (reprising his role from the earlier movie).

He recently hosted and performs on the new season of Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam as well as headlining his own stand-up comedy special, Mike Epps: Inappropriate Behavior.