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Thomas Jacob Black is an American actor, comedian, and musician who voiced Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Outside of Mario, he is best known for voicing Po in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, Zeke in Ice Age, Lenny in Shark Tale, Milo in The Simpsons, Dewey Finn in School of Rock, and Professor Shelly in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

Early life[]

Black was born in Santa Monica, California on August 28, 1969. During the time of his birth, his parents were satellite engineers. Black has three older half-sibling of the Siegel clan, who are Neil, Howard, and Rachel. His mother was born Jewish, while his father converted to Judaism. Black was raised Jewish, attending Hebrew school and having a bar mitzvah. His ancestry includes English, German, Irish, Polish, Russian, and Scottish.

At age ten, Black's parents divorced, and during the time, his father then stopped practicing Judaism. Black moved to Culver City with his father and frequently visited his mother's home. At age 13, Black was shown in a commercial ad for the game Pitfall! in 1982. Black was enrolled at Poseidon School, a secondary school designated for students struggling in the traditional school system. He also attended the Crossroads School, where he excelled in drama. After graduating from high school, Black enrolled at the University of California at Los Angeles as a walk-on, but dropped out so that he could seek new options in the entertainment arena.

Acting[]

Black made his film debut in Bob Roberts that released in 1992, where he portrayed Roger Davis. In 1994, Black portrayed Slip in The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia. In 1995, Black portrayed as the DJ at an event in Bye Bye Love.

In 2000, Black co-starred with John Cusack in High Fidelity, which turned out to Black's higher tier recognition moment. In 2002, Black did the voice of Zeke in Ice Age. In 2003, Black portrayed Dewey Finn in School of Rock, which eventually turned out to be his first true step towards stardom. In 2004, Black did the voice of Lenny in Shark Tale.

Black's next big breakthrough came in 2005, where he portrayed Carl Denham in the second remake of King Kong. He followed it up several months later by portraying Ignacio in Nacho Libre, where he was also credited as a producer. Also in 2006, Black portrayed himself in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, which foreshadowed his own band known as Tenacious D outside the acting industry.

In 2008, Black had a dual breakthrough where he portrayed Po in Kung Fu Panda and Jeff Portnoy in Tropic Thunder.

Music[]

In 1994, Black formed a band known as Tenacious D with Kyle Gass. Notable songs, including "The Metal" was featured in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and "Master Exploder" was featured in Rock Band 2.

External links[]