Mark Curry (American actor)
Mark Curry, born Marcus G. Curry on June 1, 1961, in Oakland, California, is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is best known for playing Mark Cooper, a former NBA player who becomes a substitute teacher and gym coach on the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, which ran from 1992 to 1997. He also hosted It’s Showtime at the Apollo in the early 1990s and co-starred in See Dad Run (2012–2015).
Curry is the youngest of nine children. He attended St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda and California State University, East Bay in Hayward, and as a child he took part in the East Oakland Youth Development Center.
His first film role was Talkin’ Dirty After Dark (1991) with Martin Lawrence. On Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper he led the cast as Mark Cooper. He guest-starred on Living Single (1994) and Martin (1997), appeared on The Jamie Foxx Show as Sergeant Easy, and had cameos in Switchback (1997) and Armageddon (1998). In 2000, he had a recurring role on The Drew Carey Show as Robert Soulard, hosted the game show Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush, and appeared on For Your Love with Holly Robinson Peete. He played Norton Ballard in The Poof Point and hosted Animal Tails and BET’s Coming to the Stage. He competed on Celebrity Mole Yucatan (2004) and appeared on Less than Perfect and Fat Actress. He guest-starred on House of Payne (2008). He performed stand-up on The Comedy Festival Laffapalooza Special (2008). From 2009 to 2011, he hosted Jamie Foxx’s FoxxHole Live. In 2012 he joined the Royal Comedy Tour and appeared on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. See Dad Run ran for three seasons. In 2014 he joined the Standing Ovation Comedy Tour and starred in Bounce TV’s One Love with Sheryl Lee Ralph. Since 2018 he has regularly performed stand-up at the Hollywood Improv and has appeared in various music videos, including Too Short’s “I Ain’t Trippin’,” Bow Wow’s “Take Ya Home,” Luniz’s “Oakland Raiders,” and Young Dolph’s 2015 video “Pulled Up.”
In May 2007, an aerosol spray dispenser behind a water heater exploded, burning more than 20% of his body. He spent months recovering at home. In a 2008 interview, he spoke about his recovery and said he had considered suicide after waking from a three-day medically induced coma, but was supported by friends and fellow comedians, such as Sinbad and Bill Cosby. Mark Curry continues to work in acting and stand-up, touring and performing regularly.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:25 (CET).