Center stage with: Cedric `The Entertainer' - Brief Article

Ebony, May, 2002 by Bobbi Roquemore

THE name says it all. His routines as a stand-up comedian continue to make audiences double over with laughter. His acting takes on varying degrees of laughable, as seen on The Steve Harvey Show, and dramatic, which will be on display in his upcoming film, Barbershop. He has written a book and a movie, and he sings, too.

With comedy, acting, writing and singing all under his belt, Cedric "The Entertainer" is well on his way to becoming known as a modern-day, Hollywood version of a Renaissance man.

"I don't consider what I do to be a fluke," says Cedric, dressed in his trademark hat, a sweater, jeans and boots for an inter view with EBONY. "I work very hard to be creative and continue to test the limits of myself ... I liken myself to Gordon Parks and those who tested every part of themselves."

Cedric, who was born Cedric Antonio Kyles, began his voyage into the entertainment industry as a one-man show in his hometown of St. Louis 14 years ago.

According to many who know him, Cedric, a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, always had an ability to turn the mundane observations of life into hilarious scenes. Friends tried to convince him to take his funny vibe to the stage for all to enjoy, but he had other interests.

"At the time I was in denial because I considered myself a singer," says the 37-year-old performer "I sang in high school and college talent shows and [singing] is what I wanted to do. I would not go on stage [to do comedy]."

Finally, he gave in and entered a comedy competition in St. Louis. He won the $500 prize and continued to perform at local gigs.

Since he hadn't developed 30 minutes worth of funny material, he incorporated song, poetry, dance and whatever it took to fill his time instead.

"One time, a promoter was just about to introduce me as `the next comedian,' but because I'm not about to tell 30 minutes worth of jokes, I said, `Don't call me a comedian, call me an `entertainer,'" he says. "The name stuck, people dug it and that's the way I've been going."

Cedric "The Entertainer" continued to build confidence in his performance through various competitions and scored his biggest victory in the Miller Genuine Draft Comedy Search in 1993.

The next major break came later that year by way of fellow comedian and good friend Steve Harvey. After one brief performance at Harvey's comedy club in Dallas drew a standing ovation, Cedric went on to become a headliner at the club.

Soon, Cedric "The Entertainer" was turning into a household name, becoming a wildly popular stand-up act on the national circuit. In 1994, Cedric entered millions of homes as host of BET's Comic View. Four years later, he made his Hollywood debut in the comedy Ride.

In another major step in Cedric's career, he was one of four stars--along with Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Bernie Mac--in the movie The Original Kings of Comedy, based on the national Kings of Comedy Tour. The tour, which ran from 1997-1999, is the top-grossing comedy tour in history.

The Kings of Comedy success allowed Cedric. "The Entertainer" to take on another area: TV commercials. His "Cedric Date" commercial for Bud Light, which debuted during the 2001 Super Bowl, was rated No. 1 by critics and drew Cedric worldwide attention and acclaim.

"The commercial was a 30-second spot with a billion people watching, and it instantly changed [everything]," Cedric says. "People knew who I was, like, the next day. Then you have people who say I am an overnight success, those who think I came out of nowhere to the popularity of the commercial. But having had a long career, I just took it as another step in where I'm going."

Even with all the success he's had in entertainment, Cedric is still, as he says jokingly, "a man who's just trying to feed his family." His family--wife Lorna and their 16-month-old son Croix, and his 12-year-old daughter, Tiara, from a previous relationship--keeps Cedric whole.

"I try to keep everything in perspective," Cedric says. "I understand that as I continue to work and continue to build my career, at the same time, I've got to have a good, strong relationship with my home base--my family, my kids."

Lorna Kyles, whom Cedric proposed to with a serenade during their vacation in France, says life for the family is both exciting and normal. Although she and the baby travel to movie sets if Cedric is filming away from their Los Angeles-area home, this same family enjoys the ritual of watching their favorite movie, Low Down Dirty Shame, at least three times per month and will recite the lines from the movie around the house.

"We Net the luxury of him and his work, but at the same time we're just pretty normal," says Lorna Kyles, Cedric's wife of two years. "We like family [things]. We try to do spiritual things together, and have dinner together."

Cedric will get a little more family time now that he's wrapped up production for his upcoming movie, Barbershop. The film, set to be released this summer, stars Cedric as "Eddie," a barber in his early 60s who is the elder statesman of a Chicago barbershop.