This Day In History: April 24th
Whether you know him as Coach Robinson from The Steve Harvey Show (1996) or as one of The Original Kings Of Comedy (2000), Cedric “The Entertainer” Kyles has been bringing laughter to audiences for more than 20 years. Some of his many titles include comedian, actor, game show host and producer.
He was born on April 24, 1964, in Jefferson City, Missouri, to a schoolteacher and railroad worker. As a teenager, he developed a severe rash on his head that made him self-conscious. The scars from the rash stayed with him and caused him to wear a hat for most of his career until he decided to embrace the marks.
By the 1990s, Cedric entered the acting world and earned his first role as The Cowardly Lion in the Apollo Theater Revival of The Wiz. In 1996, he got the role of Cedric “Coach” Robinson on the WB’s hit sitcom, The Steve Harvey Show. Starring on the show opened the door to roles in movies such as Barbershop, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Big Momma’s House, Dr. Dolittle 2 and Madagascar. He even received his own show in 2002, Cedric The Entertainer Presents, which featured comedy skits and lasted one season.
Although his acting career blossomed, Cedric didn’t put his standup career on hold. He performed around the country as a headliner on the Kings of Comedy special. He toured with the likes of Steve Harvey, D. L. Hughley and Bernie Mac. The comedy special was later made into the Spike Lee film, The Original Kings of Comedy. He teamed up with top comedians once more to film the mockumentary, The Comedy Get Down. It was inspired by events that happened behind the scenes in the lives of George Lopez, D.L. Hughley, Eddie Griffin and the late Charlie Murphy.
In addition to finding success in film and stand-up comedy, Cedric decided to pursue producing and directing. He started the production company, A Bird and a Bear Entertainment and produced the film Johnson Family Vacation, which he also starred in alongside Vanessa Williams and Solange Knowles. He made his debut as a director in 2010 with the film Dance Fu, starring fellow comedian Kel Mitchell.
For all the years spent entertaining a worldwide audience, Cedric was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 2008. Ten years later, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in July 2018. That same year, he became the star of the CBS sitcom, The Neighborhood, with Tichina Arnold as his co-star.
