Godfrey (comedian)

Godfrey C. Danchimah, Jr. (born July 21, 1969), professionally known as Godfrey, is an American comedian and actor 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. He was also 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 currently voices Mr. Stubborn and Mr. Tall (Season 2) in The Mr. Men Show.

Biography
Godfrey's parents fled to the United States from Nigeria to escape the Nigerian Civil War. Godfrey was born in 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. Here he tried out for and made the varsity football team, where he 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. Godfrey honed his stand-up skills at the legendary All Jokes Aside Comedy Club in Chicago in the early 90's. In 1995, Godfrey made his New York debut at Caroline's Comedy Club 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 The Cosby Show and Soulman. 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 urban movie Soul Plane, acting as an African pilot. He has also been in numerous episodes of BET's Comic View. He continues to do film and television work alongside his stand-up career in New York.

Television

 * The Mr. Men Show - Mr. Stubborn, Mr. Tall (voice)
 * LateLine - episode The Minister of Television as Mfune Umbwebwe
 * Third Watch - episode Blackout as Ricky
 * Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
 * Celebrity Paranormal Project - Pearl's Story
 * The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest... - Frequent commentator
 * Black to the Future - Himself

Filmography

 * Original Gangstas - Marcus
 * Joe's Apartment - Cockroach (voice)
 * Chain Reaction - Chidi Egbuna
 * In the Weeds - Stan
 * 30 Years to Life - Comedian
 * Zoolander - Janitor Derek
 * Johnson Family Vacation - Motorcycle Cop
 * Soul Plane - Gaeman
 * The Cookout - Jasper
 * Short Fuse - Dogan
 * Virginia - Griffin
 * Phat Girlz - Akibo
 * Stand Up - Dante
 * Careless - Sabio
 * A Dennis the Menace Christmas - Santa/Bob The Angel
 * Show Stoppers - Final Judge
 * The Sweep - Jerome
 * Unemployed - Jamal