Lavell Crawford
| Lavell Crawford | |
|---|---|
 Crawford in 2008 | |
| Birth name | Lavell Maurice Crawford |
| Born | November 11, 1968 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Medium |
|
| Alma mater | Missouri Western State College |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Website | comedianlavellcrawford |
Lavell Maurice Crawford (born November 11, 1968)[1] is an American comedian and actor, known for playing Huell Babineaux in Breaking Bad (2011–2013) and its spin-off Better Call Saul (2017–2022). He also played the role of Gus Patch in the Netflix original film The Ridiculous 6 (2015).[2] The album version of his 2021 Comedy Vaccine special was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.[3]
Early life
[edit]Crawford was born in St. Louis, Missouri,[4] and grew up in nearby Pagedale.[5] He has two sisters, Elonda and Erica.[6] He struggled with his weight in childhood and experienced a near-drowning at age ten.[7] Crawford graduated from Pattonville High School in 1986 before attending Missouri Western State College, where he studied computer science.[6][7]
Career
[edit]
Crawford began performing standup comedy professionally in 1990.[6] He frequently performed on BET's ComicView during the 1990s. He was a contestant on NBC's Last Comic Standing in 2007, where in the two-hour season finale he lost to Jon Reep. In 2011 at the Roberts Orpheum Theatre in St. Louis, he recorded Lavell Crawford: Can a Brother Get Some Love.
Crawford portrayed Saul Goodman's iconic bodyguard Huell Babineaux in the crime drama series Breaking Bad and its spinoff, Better Call Saul, from 2011 to 2022.[8] He also played Babineaux in Huell's Rules, a non-canonical comedy short set after the events of Breaking Bad.[9] Crawford has also appeared in comedic roles in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Tosh.0, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, and Aqua TV Show Show.
Personal life
[edit]Crawford's weight peaked in March 2016 at approximately 500 pounds (230 kg). After gastric sleeve surgery, his weight dropped to 298 pounds (135 kg) by August 2017.[10]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Beverly Hood | Lil Bit | |
| 2004 | Out on Parole | Little Bit | Video |
| Baby's Momma Drama | |||
| 2005 | Friends and Lovers | Bobby | Video |
| 2010 | Love Chronicles: Secrets Revealed | Willie | Video |
| 2012 | Who's Watching the Kids | Jojo | |
| What Goes Around Comes Around | Pete the Postman | Video | |
| Trading Up: Behind the Green Door | Barry Harris | Short | |
| 2013 | Je'Caryous Johnson's Marriage Material | Bishop Luther Lance Love Jones | |
| Huell's Rules | Huell Babineaux | Video Short | |
| Sperm Boat | Smokestack | Television film | |
| 2014 | 4Play | Tiko | |
| For Love or Money | Big Daddy | ||
| 2015 | American Ultra | Big Harold | |
| The Ridiculous 6 | Gus Patch | ||
| 2016 | Meet the Blacks | Parole Officer | |
| Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates | Keith | ||
| Boo! A Madea Halloween | Prisoner #1 | ||
| 2018 | Compton's Finest | Bubbles | |
| 2019 | Love Is Not Enough | Brother Winters | |
| 2020 | Hubie Halloween | Farmer Dan | |
| 2021 | On the Count of Three | Donny | |
| 2022 | Home Team | Gus | |
| Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm | Street Tough | Video |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | It's Showtime at the Apollo | Himself | Episode: "Episode #4.1" |
| 1992–2004 | ComicView | Himself | 4 episodes |
| 1995 | Def Comedy Jam | Himself | Episode: "Episode #5.8" |
| 1998 | Motown Live | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.6" |
| 2000 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Partygoer | Episode: "Partner fo' Life" |
| 2003–2006 | Laffapalooza | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Premium Blend | Himself | Episode: "Comedy Central's Premium Blend" |
| Steve Harvey's Big Time Challenge | Himself | Episode: "Episode #2.4" | |
| 2005 | The Tom Joyner Show | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.10" |
| 2007 | Last Comic Standing | Himself | Season 5 |
| 2008 | Comedy Central Presents | Himself | Episode: "Lavell Crawford" |
| Reality Bites Back | Himself | TV series | |
| 2009 | Fanboy & Chum Chum | Mr. Hank Mufflin | Season 1 |
| 2011 | Workaholics | Strip Club DJ | Episode: "Dry Guys" |
| 2011–2013 | Breaking Bad | Huell Babineaux | Recurring cast: season 4, 5b; Guest: season 5a |
| 2013 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Landslide | Episode: "The Gang Broke Dee" |
| Squidbillies | Judge Jammer | Voice, episode: "Stop. Jammertime!" | |
| The Crazy Ones | Marvin | Episode: "Models Love Magic" | |
| 2013–2015 | Aqua Teen Hunger Force | Unbelievable Ron, Chimp Alien | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Super Fun Night | Antwan | Episode: "Lil' Big Kim" |
| Biatches | Additional Voices | Voice | |
| 2015 | Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell | Psyklone | Voice, episode: "Psyklone and the Thin Twins" |
| 2016–2017 | Legends of Chamberlain Heights | LaDante | Voice, main cast |
| 2017 | New Girl | Trevlo | Episode: "Operation: Bobcat" |
| 2017–2022 | Better Call Saul | Huell Babineaux | Guest: season 3, recurring cast: season 4–6 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Lavell Crawford". Allmusic. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
Born November 11, 1968 in Missouri...Lavell Maurice Crawford.
- ^ "Lavell Crawford". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ William, Chris; Aswad, Jem (November 23, 2021). "Grammy Awards Nominations 2022: The Complete List". Variety. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- ^ "Lavell Crawford to bring laughs to Mount Airy Casino Resort". Pocono Record. December 8, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri...
- ^ Johnson, Kevin C. (July 17, 2020). "Funnyman Lavell Crawford Eases Back into Comedy Clubs". Go! Magazine. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6.
- ^ a b c Pennington, Gail (November 1, 2007). "Still Funny After 'Last Comic' Heartbreak". The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. G4.
- ^ a b Fussell, James A. (August 23, 2007). "Lavell Getting Last Laughs". The Kansas City Star. p. E6.
- ^ "'Breaking Bad' Q&A: Lavell Crawford Comes Clean on Huell". Rolling Stone. September 11, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "Breaking Bad Huell: Vince Gilligan Reveals His Fate". /Film. May 15, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Kevin C. (August 11, 2017). "Holiday Homecoming". Go! Magazine. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- Living people
- 20th-century American comedians
- 21st-century American comedians
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- African-American male comedians
- African-American comedians
- American male comedians
- American male film actors
- Last Comic Standing contestants
- African-American male actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- 20th-century African-American people
- 21st-century African-American people
- 1968 births
- Comedians from St. Louis