Godfrey (comedian)
Godfrey C. Danchimah, Jr. (born July 21, 1969), professionally known as Godfrey, is an American comedian, impressionist and actor[1] who has appeared on BET, VH1, Comedy Central, and feature films, such as Soul Plane, Original Gangstas, Zoolander, and Johnson Family Vacation. He was also a spokesperson for 7 Up during the popular '7up yours' advertising campaign and a cast member on the first season of The It Factor, a reality television show. Currently, he is a regular performer at the comedy club Comedy Cellar in New York City. He is also known for doing the voices of Mr. Stubborn and Mr. Tall (season 2) in The Mr. Men Show and hosting the FOX game show Bullseye. Godfrey also hosted his own radio show on SiriusXM until he parted ways with the show on July 1, 2019. He now owns and hosts a podcast called ‘In Godfrey We Trust’ on the Gas Digital Network. He is also known for collaborating with other social media stars such as King Bach, Destorm Power, etc. He was once a regular guest on VladTV.
Godfrey | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Godfrey at a 2007 American Music Awards after-party | |
| Born | Godfrey C. Danchimah, Jr. July 21, 1969 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, podcast host |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Website | https://www.godfreylive.com/ |
Biography
Godfrey's parents are from Nigeria. Their Nigerian heritage is of the Igbo tribe. They emigrated to the US to escape the Nigerian Civil War. Godfrey is a nephew of Nigerian musician Sonny Okosun.[2]
Godfrey was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 21, 1969. Soon after, the family settled in Chicago where Godfrey grew up. He attended Lane Technical College Preparatory High School and received an academic scholarship to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he majored in psychology.
At the University of Illinois, he made the varsity football team and performed at a traditional talent show for new team members. He stole the show, performing impressions of his coaches and teammates and discovered his comedic talent.
Career
Godfrey honed his stand-up skills at the All Jokes Aside comedy club in Chicago in the early 1990s. He also plays a pretend tough guy on the World Famous Chad Zumock Podcast. In 1995, Godfrey made his New York debut at Carolines on Broadway and the Comic Strip Live and was soon signed by the William Morris Talent Agency. He began working regularly in television, first behind the cameras as a warm-up comedian for Cosby and Soul Man. His first on-camera appearance featured him performing stand-up comedy for NBC's Friday Night Videos, followed by more small television and film roles. In 2000, Godfrey appeared in the Aspen Comedy Festival and on Comedy Central's Premium Blend. He also played a comical role in the movie Soul Plane, acting as an African pilot. He has also been in numerous episodes of BET's Comic View.
A self-styled karate master, he continues to do film and television work alongside his stand-up career in New York. His first one-hour special, "Godfrey: Black by Accident" was shot for Comedy Central on January 22, 2011 at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City to a standing room only audience.[3]
As a guest of Mike Ward's show called "F*ck les variétés", part of the Just for Laughs 2012 festival of Montreal, his performance was highly acclaimed.[4] In the following year, he had his own solo show called "The Godfrey Complex" in the same festival for a whole week.[5]
His second one-hour special, "Godfrey: Regular Black" was shot in Chicago, his home town, on August 12, 2016.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Original Gangstas | Marcus | |
| Joe's Apartment | Cockroach (voice) | ||
| Chain Reaction | Chidi Egbuna | ||
| 2000 | In the Weeds | Stan | |
| 2001 | 30 Years to Life | Comedian | |
| Zoolander | Janitor Derek | ||
| 2004 | Johnson Family Vacation | Motorcycle Cop | |
| Soul Plane | First Officer Leslie Gaemon | ||
| The Cookout | Jasper | ||
| 2005 | Virginia | Griffin | |
| Short Fuse | Dogan | ||
| 2006 | Phat Girlz | Akibo | |
| 2007 | Dead Body | Perry | |
| A Dennis the Menace Christmas | Santa/Bob The Angel | ||
| Careless | Sabio | ||
| 2008 | Stand Up | Dante | |
| Show Stoppers | Final Judge | ||
| Bum Boot Camp | Bum | Short | |
| Don't Shoot the Pharmacist! | Kevin | ||
| The Sweep | Jerome | ||
| Unemployed | Jamal | ||
| 2009 | Omar Saved from Cheating | Omar | Short |
| Dane Cook, 30 Premeditated Acts | Himself | Video | |
| Stand-Up 360: Edition 4 | Himself | Video | |
| 2010 | Sexcut | TV Actor | Short |
| A Man, a Woman, a Genie, a Gun | Genie | Short | |
| 2012 | Bronx Warrants | TJ | TV movie |
| 2016 | Like Lambs | Officer Michaels | |
| The Hudson Tribes | Mayor Joubert Lafitte | ||
| 2019 | Rapid Eye Movement | Marcus Crawford | |
| 2020 | The Binge | Hags' Father | |
| The Truth About Santa Claus | Herbie | ||
| 2021 | Americanish | Gabriel Jackson | |
| DOMINO: Battle of the Bones | Pip Daddy Fresh | ||
| 2022 | Athazagora | Stan the Driver | Short |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Midnight Mac | HBO Executive | Episode: "Episode #1.1" |
| 1999 | LateLine | Mfune Umbwebwe | Episode: "The Minister of Television" |
| 2000 | Thunderbox | Himself/Host | Main Host |
| Rock of Ages | Himself/Host | Main Host | |
| 2001 | 30 by 30: Kid Flicks | Himself/Host | Main Host |
| 2002 | The It Factor | Himself | Main Cast |
| I Bet You Will | Himself/Host | Main Host | |
| Late Friday | Himself | Episode: "Episode #2.6" | |
| It's Showtime at the Apollo | Himself | Episode: "Queen Latifah/Godfrey" | |
| Third Watch | Ricky | Episode: "Blackout" | |
| 2003 | The Celebrity Look-Alike Show | Himself/Host | Main Host |
| I Love the '80s Strikes Back | Himself | TV series | |
| 2004 | I Love the '90s | Himself | Episode: "1990", "1991" & "1993" |
| Retrosexual: The 80's | Himself | TV series | |
| 2005 | I Love the '90s: Part Deux | Himself | TV series |
| Black in the 80s | Himself | Episode: "Color in Film" & "Color TV" | |
| Comedy Central Presents | Himself | Episode: "Godfrey" | |
| I Love the '80s 3-D | Himself | Episode: "1985" | |
| I Love the Holidays | Himself | TV series | |
| 2006 | BET's Top 25 Countdown | Himself | Episode: "Moments in Black History" |
| I Love Toys | Himself | TV series | |
| I Love the '70s: Volume 2 | Himself | Episode: "1970" & "1973" | |
| Celebrity Paranormal Project | Himself | Episode: "Pearl's Story" | |
| 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s | Himself | TV series | |
| 2006-14 | Comics Unleashed | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 2007 | What I Learned About... From the Movies | Himself | Episode: "Sports" |
| 2008 | I Love the New Millennium | Himself | Episode: "2000-2001 & 2003-2007" |
| NESN Comedy All-Stars | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.4" | |
| BET News | Himself | Episode: "The First Black President?" | |
| truTV Presents: World's Dumbest... | Himself | Recurring Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 2 | |
| 2008-09 | The Mr. Men Show | Mr. Stubborn/Mr. Tall/Mr. Metal (voice) | Main Cast |
| 2009 | 30 Rock | Rick | Episode: "The Bubble" |
| Z Rock | Pure Dark | Episode: "Z Will Rock You" | |
| Black to the Future | Himself | Episode: "Hour 4: The 00s" | |
| 2009-11 | Comedy.TV | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.7" & "#1.18" |
| 2010 | Undateable | Himself | Main Cast |
| 2010-11 | Louie | Himself | Episode: "Night Out" & "Niece" |
| Latino 101 | Himself | Main Cast | |
| 2010-12 | Laugh Factory | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 2011 | The Heart, She Holler | N-Word The Robot | Episode: "Fear Is Dog Spelled Bassackwards" |
| Love Lust | Himself | Episode: "Love Lust & Secret Societies" | |
| 2012 | 20/20 | Himself | Episode: "Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time" |
| Just for Laughs: All-Access | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.6" & "#6.1" | |
| 2012-18 | The Ha!ifax Comedy Fest | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 2013 | Juste pour rire | Himself | Episode: "Gala Fuck les Variétés" |
| PITtv | Himself | Episode: "Godfrey: Shout-Out!" | |
| Insane Clown Posse Theater | Himself | Episode: "Godfrey" | |
| Inside Joke at Moontower | Himself | Episode: "Day Two: Dana Carvey, Reggie Watts, and Judah Friedlander" & "Godfrey" | |
| Upload with Shaquille O'Neal | Himself/Co-Host | Main Co-Host | |
| 2014 | Deadbeat | Shaky Hands | Recurring Cast: Season 1 |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Adam Church | Episode: "Reasonable Doubt" | |
| Black Dynamite | Al Sharpton (voice) | Episode: "Roots: The White Album" | |
| 2014-16 | Steven Universe | Kofi (voice) | Recurring Cast |
| 2015 | Benders | Rajon Tucker | Recurring Cast |
| Bullseye | Himself/co-host | Main Co-Host | |
| World's Funniest | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "Cat's Entertainment" | |
| Get Your Life | Himself | Episode: "Girl Get Your NYPTSD" | |
| 2016 | Above Average Presents | Eric Simms | Episode: "The Kicker: For Fans. For Fun." |
| King Bachelor's Pad | Himself | Episode: "Angry Neighbor" | |
| 2017 | Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter | Plaid Jeff | Main Cast: Season 2 |
| 2017-18 | Lucha Underground | FBI Agent Winter | Recurring Cast: Season 3-4 |
| 2018 | Glimpse | Christian White | Episode: "Esperanto" |
| Our Cartoon President | Barack Obama/Cory Booker (voices) | Recurring Cast: Season 1 | |
| This Week at the Comedy Cellar | Himself | Recurring Guest | |
| 2019 | CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival | Himself | Episode: "Just My Luck" |
| King Bachelor's Pad | Himself | Episode: "Joker Parody" | |
| 2020 | Tournament of Laughs | Himself | Episode: "And A Round of 32 We Go, Part 2" |
| 2021 | Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready | Himself | Episode: "Godfrey" |
| South Side | Delonte | Episode: "The Election" & "Life of an Ottoman" | |
| Harlem | Cole Thompson | Episode: "Saturn Returns" | |
| 2021-22 | That Damn Michael Che | Calvin | Recurring Cast |
| Wild 'n Out | Himself | Cast Member: Season 16-18 | |
| 2022 | We Need To Talk About Cosby | Himself | Episode: "Part 1-4" |
| So Dumb It's Criminal: Hosted by Snoop Dogg | Himself | Episode: "Hit and Run, Just for Fun" | |
| Human Resources | Mr. Beef (voice) | Episode: "Training Day" & "The Light" |
Documentary
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Comedian |
| 2010 | I Am Comic |
| 2011 | Stars & Music |
| 2012 | 40 Greatest Feuds 3 |
| The Science of Doctor Who |
Comedy releases
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Godfrey: Black by Accident |
| 2016 | Godfrey: Regular Black |
See also
References
- Yeung, Bernice (January 28, 2007). "Step Into the Attic. Enter the Jazz Age". New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
- "Episode 611 - Godfrey". WTF with Marc Maron. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- "Godfrey: BLACK BY ACCIDENT". www.theblacklistnyc.com.
- "Gala F*ck les variétés: vulgaire et choquant à souhait - Stéphanie Vallet - Juste pour rire". 19 July 2012.
- Archived 2015-07-24 at the Wayback Machine?
External links
- Official website
- Godfrey at IMDb
- Comedy Central entry for Godfrey Archived 2008-09-19 at the Wayback Machine