For much of the 1990s, actor and comedian Martin Lawrence was one of the biggest stars
in Hollywood, with a popular long-running TV show, a hit stand-up album, and a string
of box office hits.
But Lawrence's ascent started to stall toward the end of the decade, and his star power
has been fading ever since.
So where did he disappear to?
Here's a look at what Martin Lawrence has been up to over the years.
Early fame
Martin Lawrence began his entertainment career as a stand-up comedian, but it wasn't long
before his act caught television producers' attention, and he made his TV debut on the
series What's Happening Now!.
In 1992, Lawrence was chosen to be the first host of HBO's Def Comedy Jam, and from there
he found himself on the fast-track to fame.
Not only did he land a role in the Eddie Murphy comedy Boomerang, he also put his talents
front and center with his very own Fox sitcom, the aptly titled Martin.
The show proved a major hit with audiences and made its star a household name.
That was enough to land him a role opposite Will Smith in Bad Boys in 1995, and the rest,
as they say, is history.
Meltdown
On the heels of major box office success, Lawrence kept himself busy—maybe a little
too busy.
With his first post-Bad Boys role, the actor set out to reaffirm his leading man status
while proving he could write and direct, too.
But the pressure of carrying a film almost entirely on his own may have proved too much:
weeks into filming the dark romantic comedy A Thin Line Between Love And Hate, the actor
had a meltdown on the set and was hospitalized for exhaustion.
Rather than take some time off, Lawrence continued to book new work.
In 1996, he suffered another episode, this time stalking the streets of L.A. with a pistol
while shouting at passing cars.
His second bout with exhaustion led to another hospital stay.
This time, Lawrence got the message and stepped away from the spotlight to heal.
Personal drama
While his professional fortunes skyrocketed, Lawrence's private life grew turbulent.
The comedian spent much of the '90s struggling with personal issues that threatened to derail
his career.
He became engaged to Saved By The Bell actress Lark Voorhies in 1993, but the relationship
fell apart before year's end.
He rebounded by marrying former Miss Virginia Patricia Southall in 1995, and the pair had
two children together before divorcing in 1997.
Big screen return
Lawrence eased his way back into Hollywood's good graces in 1999 with a couple of successful
comedies in Life and Blue Streak—but he also found his way back into the tabloids
while prepping for his next film, Big Momma's House.
Lawrence collapsed while jogging in 100-degree heat and ended up in a three-day coma.
"And I just picked the hottest day of the summer next thing I know I was asleep."
The production was delayed while he recovered, but the time off didn't hurt: when the film
finally arrived in theaters in 2000, it raked in close to $180 million worldwide.
Just like that, Martin Lawrence was back on top.
Box office flops
Unfortunately, Lawrence followed his Big Momma success with a string of genuine misfires.
What's The Worst That Could Happen?, Black Knight, and National Security all underperformed,
and in spite of solid box office returns for Bad Boys II and a Big Momma's House sequel,
he hasn't managed to right the ship for good.
With his movies continuing to miss the mark, Lawrence tried to return to the medium he
once dominated: television.
Unfortunately, TV has proven a struggle as well, as Lawrence has seen networks pass on
his pilots.
And the one series that did get picked up— Partners— lasted just 10 episodes before getting the axe.
Bad Boys bust
No role seemed better suited to get Lawrence back on track than a return to his big-screen
breakout as Marcus from Bad Boys.
"Now back up, put the gun down, and gimmie a pack of Tropical Fruit Bubbalicious."
"And some Skittles."
After an extended period in development limbo, Bad Boys III—a.k.a. Bad Boys For Life—got
some good news when writer/director Joe Carnahan came aboard.
"It's real, they workin' on the script and it it all looks good."
But just as things got cooking, the pieces holding the sequel together fell apart.
Carnahan left the project, and the studio eventually pulled the film from its release
slate.
Like that, Lawrence's big-screen comeback was over before it even began.
Semi-comeback
Lawrence decided to take his talents back to the stand-up stage in 2016.
Martin Lawrence: Doin' Time premiered on Showtime and marked his first stand-up film in almost
15 years.
Sadly, the Showtime special didn't put Lawrence back in the spotlight.
Doin' Time arrived with little fanfare, and was met with critical indifference—but as
with any other creative venture, there's also the possibility that he just needs to get
warmed up again.
It's always possible that we'll be seeing a lot more of Martin Lawrence in the future.
"Thank you very much."
"Break it down!"
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