RETURN TO INDEX
Born Name:
Tracy Jamal Morgan
Born Date:
November 10, 1968
Born Place:
Brooklyn, New York
Died Date:
Died Place:
Occupations:
Stand-up comedian, actor
Brief Biography:
Tracy Jamal Morgan is best known for his seven seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and his Emmy-nominated role as Tracy Jordan on the hit NBC sitcom 30 Rock.
Early Life and Stand-up Beginnings:
Born in the Bronx and raised in the Tompkins Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Tracy Morgan used humor to navigate a difficult upbringing marked by poverty and his father's struggles. He dropped out of high school just four credits shy of his diploma to care for his ailing father. Morgan honed his craft on the streets of New York and at the Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem before gaining national attention on Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam.
Rise to Television Stardom:
After a recurring role as "Hustle Man" on the hit 1990s sitcom Martin, Morgan achieved major mainstream success when he joined NBC’s Saturday Night Live in 1996. Known for his fearless, eccentric characters like "Brian Fellow" and "Astronaut Jones", he remained on SNL until 2003. In 2006, he began portraying the wildly unpredictable star Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock. The critically acclaimed role earned him an Emmy Award nomination in 2009. He later executive produced and starred in the TBS comedy The Last O.G..
Career Highlights and Personal Life:
In addition to his television success, Morgan has voiced Luiz in the Rio film franchise and starred in comedies such as The Longest Yard (2005) and Cop Out (2010). He has headlined national and international stand-up tours and released his autobiography, I Am the New Black, in 2009. In 2014, Morgan's life and career were upended by a tragic and near-fatal New Jersey Turnpike crash involving a Walmart tractor-trailer, which took the life of his close friend and fellow comedian James McNair. Morgan suffered a traumatic brain injury, but after months of intensive recovery, he returned to the stage and screen, channeling his resilient journey into his comedy.