The 100 Greatest Brooklynites: 50 to 41
Originally from South Carolina, Rock grew up in Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy. After toiling deep in the New York City stand-up mines for years, he struck gold in 1990, landing a coveted spot on Saturday Night Live (one of the infamous Bad Boys, along with Adam Sandler, Chris Farley and David Spade—heh, “Bad Boys”). He quickly became disillusioned, though, with the constraints of major network programming, and decided to refocus on his stand-up act, which seemed to work. Not only did he begin to sell-out major venues, and land HBO specials, he also landed roles in major movies (Lethal Weapon 4!). The question remains, though: how many more Madagascars does he have in him?