Pete Davidson

Pete Davidson
Born (1993-11-16) November 16, 1993
Staten Island, New York, United States
Occupation Actor, comedian
Years active 2010–present

Peter "Pete" Davidson (born November 16, 1993)[1][2] is an American actor and comedian. He is a cast member on Saturday Night Live, the youngest member of the current cast, and the first SNL cast member to have been born in the 1990s.[3]

Previously, Davidson had made appearances on the MTV programs Guy Code, Wild 'n Out,[4] and Failosophy.[5] and standup work on Adam Devine's House Party, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Comedy Underground with Dave Attell, and guest-starred in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.[6]

Early life

Davidson was born November 16, 1993[1] in Staten Island, the son of Amy (Waters) and Scott Davidson,[7] His father was a New York City firefighter who died in service during the September 11 attacks.[8][9] Scott was last seen running up the stairs of the Marriott World Trade Center, just prior to its collapse. Davidson, who was seven years old at the time, was profoundly affected by the loss. He told The New York Times, "It was overwhelming", and would often act out in school as a result of the trauma, at one point ripping his hair out until he was bald.[10] He has a younger sister, Casey, who currently plays basketball as a guard for Marist College.[11] Davidson is of Irish, German and Italian heritage. [10]

Davidson first tried his hand at standup comedy at age 16, when he and a group of friends were in a Staten Island bowling alley. His friends, knowing of his comedy aspirations, dared him to take to the stage, which Davidson did, after smoking marijuana.[12] Davidson, who has suffered from Crohn's disease since the age of 17 or 18, says he cannot function without marijuana, adding that he would not be able to work on Saturday Night Live, and that attempts to perform without it have not been successful, explaining, "I can perform when I'm not high, but it wouldn't be that much fun for me."[13] Following high school, he enrolled at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights,[7] though he was there only briefly[14] before he dropped out.[6]

Career

Davidson's earliest onscreen appearance was in the third episode of the MTV comedy series Failosophy, which premiered February 28, 2013. The following month, he appeared in "PDA and Moms", a third season episode of the MTV2 reality TV comedy series Guy Code, the first of four episodes in which he was featured.[4] That June, his first televised standup aired as part of a second season episode of the Comedy Central program Gotham Comedy Live, which showcases standup comedians at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City. The following month, he returned to MTV2 with an appearance on Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out, his first of six episode appearances on that show.

Davidson subsequently made standup appearances on Adam Devine's House Party, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Comedy Underground with Dave Attell, and guest-starred in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. In 2014, he acquired a role in a Fox comedy pilot, Sober Companion,[15] but it ultimately did not make it to series.[16]

Davidson joined the cast of Saturday Night Live with that show's 40th season premiere, which debuted on September 27, 2014, making him the youngest member of the current cast, the first SNL cast member to be born in the 1990s,[3] and at 20 years and 10 months old, the fourth-youngest cast member in the show's 40-year history, behind Anthony Michael Hall, Eddie Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.[14] The first new addition to the cast that season,[6] Davidson was given a chance to audition for the show through regular Bill Hader, whom he had met while filming a small part in the 2015 Judd Apatow feature film comedy Trainwreck.[17] Hader subsequently told producer Lorne Michaels about him. His debut garnered positive critical notice,[17][18] with his most noted skits during the season including an Indiana Jones-style sketch in which he and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, after being pelted with poison darts, were forced to mutually suck poison out of each other's various body parts,[12][19] an endeavor that eventually found them entangled in the "69" position.[20] Another involved Davidson being shot in the chest with an arrow by Norman Reedus.[12]

In March 2015, Davidson served as a roaster in the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber,[21] for which his set was praised as one of the best ones of the show.[22] Among his bolder jokes was one at the expense of fellow roaster Snoop Dogg and host Kevin Hart, and their 2004 film Soul Plane. Davidson, whose firefighter father died during the September 11 attacks, called that film "the worst experience of my life involving a plane."[12]

Comedy style

Davidson has been lauded for basing his comedy on his own life, and employing aspects of his life that have been likened to "a series of brutal truths and vulgar confessions", and which make him relatable to audiences. Touching upon topics such as marijuana, sex and relationships, incidents he relates include those from his awkward high school experiences ("It just wasn't my time to...have friends") to living in a dormitory during his brief stint at St. Francis College.[14] Davidson jokes about highly sensitive subjects, including the loss of his father during the September 11 attacks, because he finds that it empowers him to address the feeling of powerlessness that experiencing that tragedy at such a young age inflicted upon him.[10]

Personal life

Davidson dated Girl Code star Carly Aquilino from 2014 to 2015.[23] He is currently dating Cazzie David, daughter of comedian Larry David.[24]

Davidson has 8418, his father's badge number, tattooed on his left arm.[10]

Davidson was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at age 17 or 18,[13] for which he receives intravenous treatment.[10] He also smokes medical marijuana to alleviate the pain caused by the condition, preferably high CBD and low THC.[13]

Davidson is a fan of the Harry Potter franchise, and has incorporated that material into his comedy work.[14][17]

Davidson endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election via Instagram.[25]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2013 TubbyMan PipeKleener Short film
2014 School Dance Stinkfinger
2015 Trainwreck Dr. Conner's Patient

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Guy Code Himself 4 episodes
2013–2014 Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out Himself 6 episodes
2013 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Steven Episode: "The Slump"
2013 Adam DeVine's House Party Himself Episode: "Stunt Audition"
2014–present Saturday Night Live Himself, Various Main cast
2015 Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber Himself TV special
2016 Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe Himself TV special
2016 The Goddamn Comedy Jam Himself TV special
2016 Pete Davidson: SMD Himself TV special

References

  1. 1 2 McCarthy, Sean (September 15, 2014). "Live from New York, It's Pete Davidson, Your Next New Saturday Night Live Star". The Comic's Comic. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Pete Davidson". NBC. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Rife, Katie (September 15, 2014). "Dust Settles at SNL with New Cast Member and a "Genuinely Happy" Cecily Strong". The A.V. Club.
  4. 1 2 Roth, Madeline (September 15, 2014). "Pete Davidson From ‘Guy Code’ Is Joining ‘Saturday Night Live’ Cast". MTV.
  5. ↑ "Failosophy". The New York Times. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Bacle, Ariana (September 15, 2014). "Pete Davidson Added to Saturday Night Live as Featured Player". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc.
  7. 1 2 Bailey, Rob (September 15, 2014). "Staten Island Native Pete Davidson, Son of 9/11 Hero, Joining Cast of Saturday Night Live". Staten Island Advance. Advance Publications. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ Buiso, Gary (September 27, 2014). "Pete Davidson, Son of a Slain 9/11 Firefighter Makes His SNL Debut". New York Post. News Corp. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ Steussy, Lauren (September 30, 2014). "Pete Davidson: 5 Things You Need to Know About the New Saturday Night Live Superstar". Staten Island Advance. Advance Publications. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Caramanica, Jon (October 1, 2015). "Pete Davidson Nuzzles Up to the Prickly Joke". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ "Casey Davidson Bio". Retrieved 2016-08-12.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Vaziri, Aidin (August 12, 2015). "At 21, Pete Davidson is a stand-up veteran". San Francisco Chronicle.
  13. 1 2 3 Danko, Danny (September 30, 2016). "Pete Davidson: 'I Wouldn’t Be Able to Perform on SNL if I Couldn’t Smoke Weed!'". High Times.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Errigo, Michael (February 8, 201). "Pete Davidson: a comedian who's one of us". The Diamondback.
  15. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (February 25, 2014). "Justin Long to Star in Fox Comedy 'Sober Companion'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  16. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 12, 2014). "We Are... Not Picked Up Yet? Fox Upfront Features 'Sober Companion' Poster". Deadline Hollywood.
  17. 1 2 3 Rahman, Ray (September 29, 2014). "Bill Hader discusses 'SNL' newbie Pete Davidson, his own hosting debut". Entertainment Weekly.
  18. ↑ Robinson, Will (May 21 2015). "Pete Davidson live tweets his Harry Potter marathon, gives 'dope as f---' review". Entertainment Weekly.
  19. ↑ Brathwaite, Les Fabian (March 30, 2015). "The Rock Bares His Butt, 69s With SNL’s Pete Davidson". Logo TV.
  20. ↑ Wright, Megh (July 13, 2015). "Pete Davidson Looks Back on His Weekend Update Debut (and 69ing The Rock)". Splitsider.
  21. ↑ McDonagh, Ross (March 30, 2015). "SNL's Pete Davidson slams comedienne Natasha Leggero on Twitter for 'stealing' his joke from Justin Bieber's Comedy Central Roast". Daily Mail.
  22. ↑ Thompson, Paul (March 16, 2015). "Don't #Beliebe the Hype: Inside Justin Bieber's Roast". Rolling Stone.
  23. ↑ Ossad, Jordana. "21 Of Carly Aquilino And Pete Davidson's Cutest Couple Snapshots". MTV News. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  24. ↑ Parker, Maggie. "SNL's Pete Davidson Gushes About His Girlfriend Cazzie David: 'I Just Love Her Very Very Much'". People. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Instagram photo by Pete Davidson • Nov 6, 2016 at 4:28am UTC". Instagram. Retrieved 2016-11-07.

External links

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