Earthquake (comedian)
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Nathaniel Stroman, known professionally as Earthquake, is an American stand-up comedian,
actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
,
voice artist Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
and radio personality. He presently hosts a radio show entitled, ''Quakeshouse'' for
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and Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Network. His first Netflix special entitled ''Chappelle's Home Team- Legendary: Earthquake'' was produced by Dave Chappelle and his Magic Lemonade production entity in February of 2022. Earthquake performed a half-hour HBO special as part of the series '' One Night Stand'', which first aired on August 26, 2005. His film credits include a small role in Kevin Smith's film ''
Clerks II ''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film ''Clerks'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Daw ...
'' (2006), and a supporting role in the film, ''
The Longshots ''The Longshots'' is a 2008 American comedy-drama sports film directed by Fred Durst, based on the real life events of Jasmine Plummer, the first girl to participate in the Pop Warner football tournament with the Harvey Colts lead by Head Coach R ...
'' (2008). His television appearances include a recurring role on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
sitcom '' The Neighborhood'' (2018-2021) starring
Cedric the Entertainer Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He hosted BET's '' ComicView'' during the 1993–1994 season and '' Def Comedy Jam'' in 1995. He is ...
'','' cameos on '' South Side'' (2019), ''
In the Cut ''In the Cut'' is a 1995 thriller novel by American writer Susanna Moore. The plot follows an English teacher at New York University who becomes entangled in a sexual relationship with a detective investigating a series of gruesome murders in her ...
'' (2017), and more. Earthquake's additional television credits include a
recurring role A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main foc ...
as
Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...
' Uncle Mike, on ''
Everybody Hates Chris ''Everybody Hates Chris'' is an American television semi-autobiographical sitcom that is inspired by the memories of the teenage years of comedian Chris Rock. The show is set from 1982 to 1987, although Rock himself was actually a teenager from ...
''. He voiced Root the Rooster in the 2006 CGI film, '' Barnyard'' and in the
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of the same title, and continues to do so on the TV series spinoff, '' Back at the Barnyard''.


Early life

Nathaniel “Earthquake” Stroman was born in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
; his mother gave him the nickname “Earthquake”. She said: “Any time you take all the precautions not to have a kid, from the diaphragm to .... a condom, and you still have a child, there's nothing else you can name that child but a natural disaster." He enlisted in the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
after he graduated from high school. Later he explained that he joined the military to get out of his mother's house.


Military career

Stroman enlisted in the
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
on the day after his high school graduation. As stated by Stroman to Matt Ehlers of the
Raleigh News & Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the ''Charlotte Observer''). The paper has bee ...
“My mother argued with me, hollered at me, and I wasn't getting a check, so how hard could basic training be?”. Stroman served nine years enlisted in the Air Force.


Early comedic career

In the early 1990s, Earthquake started off doing gigs in small clubs. By 1993 he co-owned Uptown Comedy Corner in Atlanta's vibrant
Buckhead Buckhead is the uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behind Downto ...
entertainment district. While there he continued to hone his skills as the much sought after house host and featured some of the greatest minds in stand-up. Later he opened a club of his own, Earthquake's Comedy Corner II in Dallas, Tx. and Atlanta, Ga., resepectively. In 1997, Earthquake got his national break when he was asked to join the Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jam Tour. Earthquake started his career in the Airforce in the talent show “Tops and Blues”. In 2002, Earthquake joined Latham Entertainment Presents Comedy Tour. In 2004, he signed a deal with
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to create his own sitcom called “Earthquake,” which later fell through, although in 2005 he performed one of his most popular best shows “About Goddamn Time”. In 2007, he appeared in All Star Def Comedy Jam, and in 2008 appeared in with TBS Comedy Festival Lollapalooza. In 2009, Earthquake starred in Shaquille O Neal’s All star Comedy Jam Special (comedy zone). In 2011, he made a guest appearance in TV One: Way Black When show.


WBLS

Earthquake started off in radio contributing every Tuesday and Thursday on ''
The Steve Harvey Morning Show ''The Steve Harvey Morning Show'' is a national radio program which is currently broadcast from Los Angeles. The nationally syndicated show features host Steve Harvey and a team of comedians and commentators. The show runs approximately four ...
'' and has been known to fill-in as a personality while
Steve Harvey Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American television host, producer, actor, and comedian. He hosts '' The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', '' Family Feud'', ''Celebrity Family Feud,'' the Miss ...
was on vacation. In 2013, Quake joined 107.5
WBLS WBLS (107.5 MHz) is an urban adult contemporary formatted FM radio station, licensed to New York City. It is currently owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared services agreement, along with sister station ...
as a full-time radio personality weekdays from 3pm to 7pm with Déjà Vu. He left the station in February 2016.


Recognition

In April 2013, he appeared on ABC’s '' The View'' in a special segment of stand-up comedians showcased by the cast of ''The View'' as their personal favorites; Quake appeared on the show as the favorite of comedic great, Whoopi Goldberg. Comedian
John Mulaney John Edmund Mulaney (born August 26, 1982) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He first rose to prominence for his work as a writer on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2008 to 2013, where he contributed to numerous ...
included ''About Got Damn Time'' on his list of his favorite comedy albums, saying, "just trying to mix Spalding Gray and Earthquake and
Bernie Mac Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008), better known by his stage name Bernie Mac, was an American comedian and actor. Born and raised on Chicago's South Side, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined fell ...
into some kind of amalgam has been the goal of my career."


References


External links

* *
Biography on Comedy Central website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Earthquake 1963 births Living people 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors African-American male actors African-American male comedians African-American stand-up comedians American conscientious objectors American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American stand-up comedians Male actors from Washington, D.C. United States Air Force airmen