[1] When Lawrence was seven, his father left the military, and the family moved from West Germany back to the United States, settling in the Washington D.C. area in the town of Landover, Maryland.

Lawrence's mother had moved herself and her six children into the troubled King Square housing projects where he would attend Dodge Park Elementary.

[2] His mother, Chlora (née Bailey), worked several jobs, including as a sales representative and cashier at various department stores, to support her family.

During this period, entertainment mogul Russell Simmons selected him to host the groundbreaking series Def Comedy Jam on HBO.

Def Comedy Jam gave many comedians (including Chris Tucker, Dave Chappelle, Mike Epps, Eddie Griffin, Bernie Mac and Cedric the Entertainer) mainstream exposure.

During his stint with Def Comedy Jam, Lawrence appeared in his own hit series, Martin, which aired on Fox.

[1] Many of his films were blockbusters at the box office, including Nothing to Lose, Life, Blue Streak, Big Momma's House, and Bad Boys II.

1 at North American box office and grossed almost $28 million its first weekend,[8] and Wild Hogs (2007), in which he played a bored suburbanite seeking adventure on the open road in a biker comedy alongside John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy.

He also appeared in Open Season as the voice of Boog, one of the main characters of the film, which also starred Ashton Kutcher, Debra Messing, and Gary Sinise.

Partners, paired the two actors as Chicago lawyers from "vastly different backgrounds who unexpectedly meet in court on the worst day of their lives."

[14] On April 25, 2012, Lawrence filed for divorce from Gibbs, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for joint legal and physical custody of the children.

[19] In July 1995, while on the set filming A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Lawrence lashed out in a violent rage and was then hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

[20] On May 8, 1996, he became increasingly erratic and was arrested after he brandished a pistol in the middle of an intersection on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles, screaming, "They're trying to kill me!"

[21] In January 1997, Lawrence's Martin co-star Tisha Campbell-Martin filed a lawsuit against him, alleging sexual harassment and abuse both on and off set.