Finesse Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Alfred Langston "Finesse" Mitchell (born June 12, 1972) is an American
actor, author and stand-up comedian. From 2003-2006, he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live
. Mitchell has also appeared on such television shows as Showtime at the Apollo
, BET
's ComicView
, Comedy Central Presents
and NBC's Late Friday.
. After attending Douglass High School, he graduated from the University of Miami
, where he was a member of the University of Miami's football team
and the Iota Chi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi
fraternity. Two of his Miami teams, which sported both Mitchell and Dwayne Johnson, were dubbed by some sportswriters as playing the "Finessing the Rock" defense, a nickname inspired by the 1984 film classic, Romancing the Stone
.
He made his first television
appearance on BET
’s Comic View in 1999 where he instantly became a favorite among the show’s loyal followers. Shortly after Comic View, Mitchell moved to both Los Angeles
and New York City
where he had several appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn and two on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
. This sparked high demands from universities, corporate events
, and concert
promoters all over the U.S. and internationally. He was offered his own Comedy Central
half hour special and is now headlining various comedy clubs on the circuit.
In 2003, Mitchell was asked to be a feature player on Saturday Night Live. In 2005 he was promoted to cast member. Mitchell was a featured player on SNLs 29th and 30th seasons, and became a full cast member at the start of the 31st. His screen time was drastically reduced after this promotion. On September 20, 2006, Saturday Night Live announced that the show was dropping Mitchell, Chris Parnell
and Horatio Sanz
from the show due to budget cuts.
After his stint on SNL, he has continued performing stand-up comedy and appeared in the films Who's Your Caddy?
The Comebacks and Mad Money
. In 2008 - 2009 Mitchell made several appearances on The Today Show as a guest correspondent and on Tyra and Chelsea Lately as a guest panelist. In 2010, he appeared in the Comedy Central
sketch series Nick Swardson's Pretend Time
.
With the help of Quincy Jones
’s son, QD3, Mitchell released his stand-up comedy available in DVD
form entitled, “Snap Famous.” He is also a writer and offers relationship advice in Essence
magazine. In addition to his column, he has released a book
entitled, “Your Girlfriends Only Know So Much” (Simon & Schuster), that gives dating advice to African-American women.
On September 13, 2008, he married Jessica Santos in Atlanta. On May 20, 2011 Mitchell and Santos divorced and Mitchell now resides in Los Angeles.
Currently, Mitchell plays Darryl Parks, Chyna's (China Anne McClain) father, and a recurring character on the hit Disney Channel
sitcom A.N.T. Farm
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, author and stand-up comedian. From 2003-2006, he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. Mitchell has also appeared on such television shows as Showtime at the Apollo
Showtime at the Apollo
Showtime at the Apollo is a syndicated music television show, first broadcast on September 12, 1987 to May 24, 2008 with 1093 episodes, and is produced by the Apollo Theater...
, BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
's ComicView
ComicView
ComicView was an American stand-up comedy show that aired on BET on Tuesdays and Fridays from September 1992 to December 2008. The show has been the launching pad for such comedians as Dante, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, Sommore, and Rodney Perry....
, Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...
and NBC's Late Friday.
Life and career
Mitchell was born in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. After attending Douglass High School, he graduated from the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, where he was a member of the University of Miami's football team
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
and the Iota Chi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
fraternity. Two of his Miami teams, which sported both Mitchell and Dwayne Johnson, were dubbed by some sportswriters as playing the "Finessing the Rock" defense, a nickname inspired by the 1984 film classic, Romancing the Stone
Romancing the Stone
Romancing the Stone is a 1984 American action-adventure romantic comedy. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it stars Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The film was followed by a 1985 sequel, The Jewel of the Nile....
.
He made his first television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
appearance on BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
’s Comic View in 1999 where he instantly became a favorite among the show’s loyal followers. Shortly after Comic View, Mitchell moved to both Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he had several appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn and two on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
. This sparked high demands from universities, corporate events
Media Event
A media event, as loosely defined by evolving modern usage, is an occasion or happening, spontaneous or planned, that attracts prominent coverage by mass media organizations, particularly television news and newspapers in both print and Internet editions....
, and concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
promoters all over the U.S. and internationally. He was offered his own Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
half hour special and is now headlining various comedy clubs on the circuit.
In 2003, Mitchell was asked to be a feature player on Saturday Night Live. In 2005 he was promoted to cast member. Mitchell was a featured player on SNLs 29th and 30th seasons, and became a full cast member at the start of the 31st. His screen time was drastically reduced after this promotion. On September 20, 2006, Saturday Night Live announced that the show was dropping Mitchell, Chris Parnell
Chris Parnell
Thomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American comic actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998–2006 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock. Parnell also voices Cyril Figgis on the FX animated comedy...
and Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...
from the show due to budget cuts.
After his stint on SNL, he has continued performing stand-up comedy and appeared in the films Who's Your Caddy?
Who's Your Caddy?
Who's Your Caddy? is a 2007 comedy film directed by Don Michael Paul, and starring Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Andy Milonakis, Faizon Love, Terry Crews, Tony Cox, Jeffrey Jones, and Jesper Parnevik. It is the first film produced by Robert L. Johnson's Our Stories Films studio...
The Comebacks and Mad Money
Mad Money (film)
Mad Money is a 2008 comedy-crime film starring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes, and directed by Callie Khouri. It is loosely based on the 2001 British film Hot Money.-Plot:...
. In 2008 - 2009 Mitchell made several appearances on The Today Show as a guest correspondent and on Tyra and Chelsea Lately as a guest panelist. In 2010, he appeared in the Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
sketch series Nick Swardson's Pretend Time
Nick Swardson's Pretend Time
Nick Swardson's Pretend Time is a TV sketch comedy show created by and starring comedian and actor Nick Swardson. The show premiered on Tuesday, October 12, 2010, at 10 p.m. EST on Comedy Central....
.
With the help of Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
’s son, QD3, Mitchell released his stand-up comedy available in DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
form entitled, “Snap Famous.” He is also a writer and offers relationship advice in Essence
Essence (magazine)
Essence is a monthly magazine for African-American women between the ages of 18 and 49. The magazine covers fashion, lifestyle and beauty with an intimate girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone.-History:...
magazine. In addition to his column, he has released a book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
entitled, “Your Girlfriends Only Know So Much” (Simon & Schuster), that gives dating advice to African-American women.
On September 13, 2008, he married Jessica Santos in Atlanta. On May 20, 2011 Mitchell and Santos divorced and Mitchell now resides in Los Angeles.
Currently, Mitchell plays Darryl Parks, Chyna's (China Anne McClain) father, and a recurring character on the hit Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
sitcom A.N.T. Farm
A.N.T. Farm
A.N.T. Farm is a Disney Channel television sitcom that premiered on May 6, 2011 as a special preview and continued as a regular series on June 17, 2011. The pilot episode, "TransplANTed" aired after the series finale of The Suite Life on Deck...
.
Recurring characters on Saturday Night Live
- Starkisha, a stereotypically ghettoGhettoA ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
woman with a bad attitude.
Celebrity impressions on Saturday Night Live
- 50 Cent50 CentCurtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
- Al Reynolds
- Andre Benjamin
- apl.de.apApl.de.apAllan Pineda Lindo, Jr. better known as apl.de.ap , is a Filipino-American rapper, record producer, and occasional drummer who is best known as a member of The Black Eyed Peas.-Early life:Pineda was born in Belfast...
- Bobby BrownBobby BrownRobert Barisford "Bobby" Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a...
- BooG!e
- Colin PowellColin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
- Corey ClarkCorey ClarkCorey Delaney Clark is an American singer. He is known for his highly-publicized disqualification from the second season of American Idol and later allegations of a sexual relationship between him and then-Idol judge, Paula Abdul....
- Donovan McNabbDonovan McNabbDonovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
- Ed LoverEd LoverJames Roberts , better known as Ed Lover, is an African-American rapper, actor, musician, radio personality, and former MTV VJ.-Biography:...
- Gayle KingGayle KingGayle King is editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine and the best friend of Oprah Winfrey. She has previously worked as a television news anchor and talk show host...
- KelisKelisKelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...
- Kevin EubanksKevin EubanksKevin Tyrone Eubanks is an American jazz guitarist and composer who was the leader of the Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. He also led The Primetime Band on the short-lived The Jay Leno Show.- Personal background :Eubanks was born into a musical family...
- Kobe BryantKobe BryantKobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
- Michael PowellMichael PowellMichael Powell or Mike Powell may refer to:* Michael Powell , British film director* Mike Powell , rugby union player for the Ospreys* Mike Powell , early UK advocate of radio automation...
- Morgan FreemanMorgan FreemanMorgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
- O. J. SimpsonO. J. SimpsonOrenthal James "O. J." Simpson , nicknamed "The Juice", is a retired American collegiate and professional football player, football broadcaster, and actor...
- Sean CombsSean CombsSean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
- R. KellyR. KellyRobert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
- Ralph CarterRalph CarterRalph Carter is an American actor, and singerCarter is best known for his work as a child and teenager, both in the Broadway musical Raisin and as the character Michael Evans, the youngest member of the Evans family, on the 1970s sitcom Good Times...
(as Michael EvansMichael EvansMichael James "Mickey" Evans is an English-born Irish former footballer. He spent the majority of his career at home-town club Plymouth Argyle, with notable success, including two Football League titles....
on Good TimesGood TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
) - Ray NaginRay NaginClarence Ray Nagin, Jr. is a former mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Nagin gained international note in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the New Orleans area....
- Robbin GriderKlymaxxKlymaxx is a female Pop/R&B band from Los Angeles, California.-Biography:Klymaxx was conceived and formed by Bernadette Cooper, who also chose the name. The dream of an all girl band became a quest she pursued after leaving college...
- Ron ArtestRon ArtestMetta World Peace is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004...
- Shucky Ducky
- Stephen A. SmithStephen A. Smith-Early years:Smith was raised in the Hollis neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. He lived with his parents and four older sisters.He attended Winston-Salem State University, a historically black university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
- Stuart ScottStuart ScottStuart Scott is a sportscaster and anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter.-Early life and career:Scott attended Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and went to college at the University of North Carolina. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity...
- Venus WilliamsVenus WilliamsVenus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
- Willie GaultWillie GaultWillie James Gault is a former American football wide receiver and Olympic athlete. Gault played in the National Football League for 11 seasons for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Raiders. He was a member of the Bears team that won Super Bowl XX, and was also a member of the U.S. Olympic team...
- Janet JacksonJanet JacksonJanet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
- Oprah WinfreyOprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...