Born Jerry Brooks, J.B. Smoove got his start doing stand-up on
Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam in the early '90s and now he's hosting shows and starring in hit movies. You might recognize him from sitcoms such as
Everybody Hates Chris and
'Til Death, but he's best known for his reoccurring role as Leon Black on
Curb Your Enthusiasm. An award-winning writer — he's contributed to the script of
Saturday Night Live as well as acted in a few episodes — the New York native had his own special on Comedy Central in 2012. He's played in movies like
Date Night,
Hall Pass,
The Dictator and
Pootie Tang and lent his distinctive voice to projects such as
The Simpsons and
Ice Age 4. Smoove currently stars as a celebrity player on MTV2's game show
Hip Hop Squares and is set to shine in the upcoming BET series
Real Husbands of Hollywood.
