Cited
by People Magazine as one of the 'Top Ten most successful young people
in Hollywood' and featured on the Cover of Black Enterprises' 40 Under
40, Nick Cannon, 28 years old is a successful, multi-faceted
entertainer: film star, comedian, musician, writer and executive
producer of his very own hit TV shows.
A San Diego
native, Cannon began performing at the age of eight after his
grandfather left him several instruments as a gift. Through what Cannon
recalls as "a lot of trial and failure" he recorded his first song at
home on his boom box. Shortly after, Cannon took the stage to perform
his music along with stand up comedy.
Cannon
headed for Hollywood at the age of 15 and landed gigs at world renowned
comedy venues including The Improv, The Laugh Factory and the Comedy
Store. Cannon went on to share the stage with the likes of Chris
Tucker, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock before landing his first
television gig as a stand-up audience warm-up for the long running
Nickelodeon hit show “All That.” Producers quickly recognized Cannon's
calling was in front of the camera and he became a regular on the show
as well as a writer, making him the youngest staff writer in television
history at the age of 17. This path culminated in the creation of “The
Nick Cannon Show” which he starred, directed and executive produced,
earning him his first Kids Choice Award.
Cannon's
powerful stage presence captivated more than just pint sized audiences.
While he enjoyed tremendous success on Nickelodeon, Cannon’s career
catapulted onto the big screen in 2002. He made an appearance alongside
Will Smith in "Men in Black II” before landing a leading role in the
classic feature film "Drumline."
 |
| Nick, Age 2 |
That
same year he released his own self-titled debut album, and has
collaborated with a host of other musicians, such as Kanye West, The
Neptunes, Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Will Smith, R. Kelly and E-40 on
soundtracks and other projects.
Cannon
later lent his voice to the character of “Louis” in “Garfield: The
Movie,” and starred in feature films such “Underclassman” which he also
executive produced, “Shall We Dance” and “Roll Bounce.”
In
2005, MTV debuted “Nick Cannon Presents Wild N Out,” an improve comedy
show with musical performances that Cannon created, produced and hosted
which eventually became one of MTV’s highest rated shows in the
network’s history, airing new episodes for four consecutive seasons.
In
the fall of 2006, Cannon was featured in the Emilio Estevez written and
directed film “Bobby,” a fictionalized account of the hours leading up
to the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Cannon shared the screen
with stars such as Harry Belafonte, Demi Moore, Laurence Fishburne,
Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone among many others. His performance earned
him a 2007 SAG nomination for “Outstanding Performance” in addition to
becoming the first African American Actor in history to be honored at
the world renowned Cannes Film Festival with the “Breakthrough Actor of
the Year” award.
In 2008, Nick hosted the Teen Choice Awards for FBC and was the host/DJ for ABC's highly successful Presidential Inaugural Neighborhood Ball. NBC also recently tapped Nick to serve as the host for the new season of their hit show, “America’s Got Talent” in 2010 following a successful stint as their host in 2009 which helped them draw in record breaking viewership.
Cannon’s other film credits include Sundance Film Festival featured films “Weapons,” “American Son,” and his most recent role in the psychological thriller, “The Killing Room.” He now has his own multi-media company called NCredible Entertainment, which has several TV shows and films in development in addition to serving as the Chairman of TeenNick, Nickelodeon’s new television network aimed at the teen audience.