Lavell Crawford

About Lavell Crawford

Best known for playing bodyguard Huell Babineaux in AMC’s hit TV series Breaking Bad and it’s spin-off Better Call Saul, African American comedian and actor Lavell Crawford has been a large presence on the comedy scene for the past decade. Quickly climbing the comedic ranks  since finishing second on NBC’S reality show Last Comic Standing, from his numerous television appearances and stage performances, audiences are becoming increasingly familiar with Lavell’s giant-sized talent.

Always a favorite at comedy clubs and theatres across the States, St Louis born  comic Lavell Crawford has appeared at HBO’s US Comedy Arts Festival (Aspen, CO), The Comedy Festival (Las Vegas, NV), Laffapalooza (America’s longest-running annual urban comedy festival) as well as headlining at the prestigious Montreal Just for Laughs Festival. Endeared by audiences far and wide, he has also appeared at respected comedy clubs such as The Improv, The Laugh Factory, Carolines on Broadway, The Stardome and The Comedy House Theatre to name a few.On screen, Lavell Crawford has been tickling funny bones on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, and he was a finalist in the Comedy Central Laugh Riots stand up competition. Lavell Crawford has appeared on “Jamie Foxx Presents: Laffapalooza” a series of half-hour laugh-out-loud comedy specials that aired on Showtime and Comedy Central and his “Comedy Central Presents” half-hour special premiered on the channel in 2009. So if you like your stand up delivered with bags of personality and authentic Buppa Gump charm,  you’d better call Lavell!

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WATCH LAVELL CRAWFORD: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Larger than life St Louis comic Lavell Crawford plays to his home crowd in this devilish dissection of holidays in the deep south. From Thanksgiving to Halloween, Easter weekend to Mothers Day, Lavell compares his own experience of those disastrous family occasions with that of the more privileged white man…to hilarious effect. He can barely contain the giggles himself.

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Reviews and Awards

Lavell Crawford was a finalist in season 5 of NBC’S Last Comic Standing (2007). As an actor he was part of the 16 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Award winning series Breaking Bad in the role of Huell Babineaux.

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Lavell Crawford Tickets

Information on Lavell Crawford’s upcoming gigs and live shows can be found here

Can’t wait to see him live? Stream his full show now

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Biography

Born on in 1968 in St. Louis, Missouri, Lavell Crawford suffered a number of hardships during his early life including poverty, a struggle with weight gain and abandonment by his father. After graduating high school, Lavell Crawford got into stand-up comedy working the  underground circuit in Illinois making small amounts of money until he finally gained enough recognition and funds to land larger gigs. Working the club scene led to gigs at the Funny Bone in Westport in 1991, and by 1993 Lavell Crawford had gotten his big break with a half hour special on BET’s ComicView. 

Speaking to ReviewSTL.com, Lavell Crawford talked about the moment he realised it was time to pursue comedy as a career – “It was probably when my student loans ran out…and, my mom wanted to kick me out of the house.”
After the BET special, Crawford appeared in Def Comedy Jam and continued to work on live comedy scene. He also starting to act in various films and television series including Beverly Hood, Baby’s Momma Drama, and The Jamie Foxx Show. But it wasn’t until an opportunity arose to feature on season five of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, that  Lavell Crawford, coming second place after a 2 hour finale, became a household name.

Within a few years, Lavell Crawford’s acting career was beginning to really take off. After being seen for the part of Saul Goodman’s bodyguard on Breaking Bad in season 4, Lavell Crawford got the part. Talking about his audition experience for the role with ReviewSTL.com he explains: “I guess I fit what they wanted…I fit the part like a piece of a puzzle…I was tired…I had just come off tour and was exhausted. When they told me I got the part they asked me when I could start. I said now, if you’ll give me a bed to get some sleep…I thought if this show takes off, it’s gonna be hot…Being a comedian, I work nights, so I don’t get to watch TV that much.”

So it was even more of surprise when he turned up on set to find he was actually one of two comedians playing Saul’s henchmen. In an interview with AMC he reveals – “When I walked in and saw Bill Burr (Kuby), I thought it was hilarious. We’ve worked together as comedians, so he laughed and I laughed too. It was so funny that we were playing these guys that were going to scare the hell out of Ted.”

The role garnered Lavell Crawford more fame as an actor, with the series winning numerous awards during its run including 16 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, among many others. Appearing alongside Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, Lavell Crawford played the role of Huell Babineaux in both season 4 and 5 of the show, airing in 2012. Subsequent acting roles followed in  TV titles such as Squidbillies, The Crazy Ones, Super Fun Night, and Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell, as well as voicing various characters in the animated series, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Outside of television, Lavell Crawford worked on a number of films including Meet the Blacks, The Ridiculous 6, Boo! A Madea Halloween, and American Ultra. He has also had success treading the boards, playing Ben in the hit play “Men Cry in the Dark,” based on the Michael Baisden best seller, and in the critically acclaimed production “Friends and Lovers,” a stage production based on the novel by author Eric Jerome Dickey where he played the scene-stealing Bobby. 

But live comedy has always been Lavell Crawford’s constant friend. His most recent and noteworthy appearances are his Comedy Central Presents/ Showtime special, where he made waves for his comments on Donald Trump as well as appearances on Chelsea Lately, and his headlining gig on All Star Comedy Jam: Live from South Beach. 

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Get More Lavell Crawford

Want more of Lavell Crawford? You’re in luck – his full stand-up comedy special is available to watch on NextUp – a digital comedy club where you can stream instantly over 120 comedy specials from some of the exciting names in comedy. Oh, and there’s a 7 day free trial.

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