title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar played a supporting role in Yash Chopra-directed musical romantic drama, "Dil To Pagal Hai" (1997), co-starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor, for which he received his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. In the same year, he starred opposite Juhi Chawla in David Dhawan-directed comedy "Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi", fifth instalment of the "Khiladi" series. Unlike his previous films of the series, it failed commercially. Considerable success, however, came with another dual role in the romantic action film "Aflatoon". Khalid Mohamed of "Filmfare", while critical of the film, approved of Kumar's effort: "Akshay Kumar comes to life. Given something even slightly different to do, he does rise to the occasion." His following releases failed commercial and this caused a setback to his film career. In 1999, Kumar played opposite Twinkle Khanna in "International Khiladi". The film did not do well at the box office. He received critical acclaim for his roles in the films "Sangharsh" and "Jaanwar". Whilst the former did not make a profit at the box office, the latter turned out to be a commercial success and marked his comeback.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2000, Kumar starred in the Priyadarshan-directed comedy "Hera Pheri" alongside Paresh Rawal and Suneil Shetty. The film which was a remake of Malayalam film "Ramji Rao Speaking", became a commercial success and proved to be a turning point in Kumar's career. "Hindustan Times" noted the film's "intense portrayal of the surreality of the human condition". He also starred in the Dharmesh Darshan-directed romantic drama "Dhadkan" later that same year. The film performed moderately at the box office but Kumar was praised for his acting. "Rediff.com"'s review stated that he had proved that he is "director's actor" and that "he has worked hard on his role is apparent." That same year, he performed some of his most dangerous stunts in Neeraj Vora-directed action thriller "Khiladi 420", where he climbed a running plane, stood on top of the plane flying a thousand feet in the air, and jumped from the plane onto a hot air balloon. In a later scene, he is also seen being chased by a car, dodging bullets, jumping off buildings, and climbing walls. His character in the film had two names and his role received mixed reviews. Sukanya Verma wrote "Negative roles and Akshay Kumar don't go hand-in-hand. [...] Akshay is ridiculously over the top and irritating to the core. However, he manages a decent performance as the sober and suave Anand." Padmaraj Nair of "Screen", however, believed it was "the best performance of his career".


title: Akshay Kumar

text: His first release in 2001 was Suneel Darshan-directed drama "". Kumar was praised for his performance in the film. Next, he played a negative role in the Abbas Mustan-directed film "Ajnabee". While reviewing the film for Rediff.com, Sarita Tanwar termed Kumar the "surprise package" of the film. She added that he was "in total control as the bad guy." The film won him his first Filmfare Award for Best Villain and IIFA award 2002 for Performance in a Negative Role.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: His first release in 2002 was Dharmesh Darshan-directed romantic drama "Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya". He played the role as a blind man in Vipul Amrutlal Shah and Shaarang Dev Pandit-directed heist film "Aankhen", co-starring Amitabh Bachchan, Arjun Rampal, Aditya Pancholi, Sushmita Sen and Paresh Rawal. His performance in the film was critically acclaimed. Next, he starred in the Vikram Bhatt-directed comedy "Awara Paagal Deewana". Rediff.com's review of the film mentioned that his sincerity and intensity seen in "Hera Pheri", "Ek Rishtaa – The Bond of Love" and "Aankhen" "seems missing". His last film of the year was Rajkumar Kohli-directed supernatural horror film "" alongside Manisha Koirala, Sunil Shetty, Sunny Deol, Aftab Shivdasani, Arshad Warsi, Aditya Pancholi and Armaan Kohli. The film was a remake of Kohli's former film "Naagin" and received mostly negative reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh wrote "only Munish[Armaan] Kohli and Akshay Kumar leave an impact." In 2003, he starred in Suneel Darshan's action film "" opposite Kareena Kapoor. While reviewing the film, Taran Adarsh wrote "Akshay Kumar is plain mediocre. The role hardly offers him scope to try out anything different." Next, he starred in Raj Kanwar-directed romantic drama "Andaaz" alongside Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but turned out to be a commercial success at the box office and the first universal hit of 2003.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2004 Kumar starred in Rajkumar Santoshi's action drama thriller "Khakee" alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Aishwarya Rai. Kumar played the role of Inspector Shekhar Verma, a corrupt, morally bankrupt cop who changes himself during a mission to transfer an accused Pakistani spy Dr. Iqbal Ansari (played by Atul Kulkarni) from a remote town in Maharashtra to Mumbai. The film and Kumar's acting were positively reviewed by critics. He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in the film. His other releases included Dileep Shukla's crime film "". He starred alongside Raveena Tandon, Amrish Puri and Raj Babbar. The film's production was delayed following the break-up of the lead actors Tandon and Kumar. Upon release it received negative reviews from critics. Next, Kumar played Hari Om Patnaik, an IPS officer in Madhur Bhandarkar-directed "". He starred in David Dhawan-directed romantic comedy "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" alongside Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra. He played the role of Sunny, Sameer (played by Khan)'s roommate who pursuits Rani (played by Chopra)-Sameer's love interest. The film received positive reviews. Taran Adarsh praised Kumar and wrote "Akshay Kumar is a revelation [...] he surpasses his previous work. His timing is fantastic and the conviction with which he carries off the evil streak in his personality is bound to be talked-about in days to come." His performance in the film earned him his third nomination for supporting actor at the Filmfare Awards as well as a nomination for best comic role. His other films included Abbas-Mustan directed "Aitraaz" and S M Iqbal's "Meri Biwi Ka Jawaab Nahin". In the former, Kumar played against type as a worker wrongly accused of sexual harassment by his female boss played by Chopra. According to the directors, "Aitraaz" was inspired by National Basketball Association player Kobe Bryant (who was accused of rape by a fan); and the film's development began when they read about his sexual-assault case in the newspapers. Talking about the character Kumar said that it is realistic and could be described as a "new-age metrosexual" man. He added that "Aitraaz" was the boldest film he had done. In the latter, he starred opposite Sridevi. The film was shot in 1994 but was released in 2004 after a delay of 10 years.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: The next year Kumar starred in Dharmesh Darshan-directed romantic drama musical film "Bewafaa" (2005) opposite Kareena Kapoor. He played the role of Raja, an aspiring musician who pursues his love interest Anjali (played by Kareena Kapoor) even after she is married to Aditya Sahai (played by Anil Kapoor). The film received mixed reviews from film critic but Kumar was praised for his acting. Anupama Chopra of India Today wrote that "Kareena Kapoor and Kumar stand out." Taran Adarsh wrote "Akshay Kumar does well in a role that fits him like a glove." Later that year he acted in Vipul Amrutlal Shah's family drama "" alongside Amitabh Bachchan, another Priyadarshan-directed comedy "Garam Masala" alongside John Abraham. "Waqt: The Race Against Time" was a family drama film. The film and Kumar's acting received mixed reviews. Vishal D'Souza wrote "Akshay shoulders an author-backed role, carrying more of the film's emotional baggage though he is distinctly uncomfortable in the soppy-weepy scenes." The films succeeded at the box office and his performance in the latter earned him his second Filmfare Award, for Best Comedian. His other films included Vikram Bhatt-directed action comedy romance film "Deewane Huye Paagal" and Suneel Darshan directed romantic drama "". In the former he starred alongside Shahid Kapoor, Sunil Shetty and Rimi Sen while in the latter he starred alongside Kareena Kapoor and Bobby Deol. Both of these films received positive reviews.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar's first release of 2006 was Rajkumar Santoshi-directed drama "Family – Ties of Blood" followed by Suneel Darshan's "Mere Jeevan Saathi" and Raj Kanwar's "Humko Deewana Kar Gaye". Next, he starred in a sequel to "Hera Pheri" titled "Phir Hera Pheri". As was the former, the sequel became a huge success at the box office. Later that year he starred alongside Salman Khan and Preity Zinta in the Shirish Kunder-directed romantic musical film "Jaan-E-Mann". The film was a well anticipated release, and despite receiving positive reviews from critics, did not do as well as expected at the box office. The film received mostly negatively reviews. Vidya Pradhan of Rediff.com called it a "bizarre movie." Though the film under-performed, his role as a shy, lovable nerd was praised. He ended the year with Priyadarshan's comedy murder mystery film "Bhagam Bhag". He starred alongside Lara Dutta, Govinda and Paresh Rawal and played the character of a theatre actor. The film received mixed reviews and Rediff.com called Kumar the real hero of the film. The film was commercially successful. The same year, he led the "Heat 2006" world tour along with fellow stars Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: 2007 proved to be Kumar's most successful year during his career in the industry, and as described by box office analysts, "probably the best ever recorded by an actor, with four outright hits and no flops." His first release, Vipul Amrutlal Shah-directed "Namastey London", was critically and commercially successful, and his performance earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Filmfare. Critic Taran Adarsh wrote of his performance in the film, "he's sure to win the hearts of millions of moviegoers with a terrific portrayal in this film." Kumar's chemistry with lead actress Katrina Kaif also generated immense appreciation, with Nikhat Kazmi of "The Times of India" describing their pairing as "refreshing." His next two releases, Sajid Khan-directed "Heyy Babyy" and Priyadarshan's "Bhool Bhulaiyaa", were box office successes as well. In both of these films he starred opposite Vidya Balan. Kumar's last release of the year, the Anees Bazmee-directed "Welcome", did extremely well at the box office, receiving a blockbuster status and simultaneously becoming his fifth successive hit. All of Kumar's films which released that year did well in the overseas market as well. Kumar appeared in a cameo role in Farah Khan directed "Om Shanti Om". His role was listed as no. 3 on the Top 10 Cameos in Bollywood list of "MensXP.com".


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar's first film of 2008, Vijay Krishna Acharya-directed action thriller "Tashan", marked his comeback to the Yash Raj Films banner after 11 years. Although a poll (conducted by "Bollywood Hungama") named it the most anticipated release of the year, the film under-performed at the box office grossing in India. His second film, Bazmee-directed "Singh Is Kinng" in which he starred opposite Kaif was a huge success at the box office and broke the first-week worldwide record of "Om Shanti Om", the previous highest figure. His next film was the animated film "Jumbo", directed by Kompin Kemgumnird. The year also saw Kumar making his small screen debut as the host of the successful show "Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi". He later returned to host the show's second season in 2009.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2009, Kumar featured opposite Deepika Padukone in the Warner Bros. and Rohan Sippy production "Chandni Chowk to China". Directed by Nikhil Advani, the film was a critical and commercial failure at the box office. Kumar's next release was "8 x 10 Tasveer", an action-thriller directed by Nagesh Kukunoor that failed commercially. His next release was Sabbir Khan's battle-of-the-sexes comedy "Kambakkht Ishq". Set in Los Angeles, it was the first Indian film to be shot at Universal Studios and featured cameo appearances by Hollywood actors. The film was poorly received by critics but became an economic success, earning over worldwide. Kumar's film "Blue" was released on 16 October 2009. "Blue" received negative reviews and collected about ₹ 420 million at the box office. His last release in 2009 was Priyadarshan's "De Dana Dan". He starred alongside Katrina Kaif, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal. Kumar played a servant who plans to kidnap his owner's dog. The film received mixed reviews.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: He then appeared in the 2010 comedy, "Housefull", directed by Sajid Khan which garnered the second-highest opening weekend collection of all time. Kumar's next release was "Khatta Meetha", directed by Priyadarshan which was an average grosser. The film received negative reviews. Rajeev Masand of "CNN-IBN" called it a schizophrenic film.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: He also appeared in Vipul Shah's "Action Replayy", which was a box office failure. The film received mostly negative reviews. His last film of 2010 was "Tees Maar Khan". Directed by Farah Khan, the film received poor critical reviews but became moderately successful.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2011 he starred in "Patiala House" and "Thank You". His last film of 2011 was Rohit Dhawan-directed "Desi Boyz" (2011), which co-starred John Abraham, Chitrangada Singh and Deepika Padukone. He also co-produced a film with Russell Peters titled "Breakaway" (dubbed into Hindi as "Speedy Singhs") which is reminiscent of his own "Patiala House". "Breakaway" became the highest-grossing cross-cultural movie of 2011 in Canada. Kumar dubbed for the role of Optimus Prime in the Hindi version of Hollywood, action blockbuster, "". He took the dubbing role for his son, Aarav, and did so for free.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: His first release of 2012 was "Housefull 2", a sequel of his earlier comedy film "Housefull", which became Superhit. Kumar's next film was the Prabhudeva-directed action drama "Rowdy Rathore" in which he played a double role opposite Sonakshi Sinha. The film earned more than in India and declared Blockbuster. Both of these films grossed over at the box office. In 2012, he founded another production company called Grazing Goat Pictures Pvt Ltd.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: "Joker" was reportedly promoted as Kumar's 100th film, but later Akshay Kumar clarified that the 100th film landmark had been crossed long before he even signed up for Joker. "It was a miscalculation on Shirish's part. OMG is my 116th film," he said. Kumar kept himself away from the film's promotion due to differences with Kunder. Reacting to Kumar's backing out from the film's promotion Kunder tweeted "A true leader takes responsibility for his team and leads them through thick and thin. Never abandons them and runs away." He later deleted the tweet. His later release "" which he produced and starred along with Paresh Rawal. It had a slow opening but because of word of mouth it picked up.His last release in 2012 was "Khiladi 786", the eighth instalment in his famous "Khiladi" series as well as the comeback of the series after 12 years. Although film was panned by critics it grossed 700 million at the domestic box office.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: His first release in 2013 was "Special Chabbis" which earned a positive critical reception and was moderately successful at the box office. Although the movie earned him positive reviews and commercial success, trade analysts noted that the movie could have done much better business due to its good content and Kumar's high-profile. Milan Luthria chose Kumar to play the character of Shoaib Khan (based on Dawood Ibrahim) in the gangster film "Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!", sequel to "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai". It proved to be a below average at the box office. The film was declared a "flop" by Box Office India. It received mixed reviews however Kumar's acting was praised by a majority of critics. In a review for "Hindustan Times", Anupama Chopra wrote that Kumar "makes a stellar killer". Madhureeta Mukherjee of "The Times of India" praised Kumar's performance and said that ""Bhai" act with flamboyance and mojo ... He gets a chance to do what he does best – "herogiri" (albeit less menacing, more entertaining), with charisma and clap-trap dialoguebaazi." Al Pacino saw the film's trailer and promos and admired Kumar's portrayal of Shoaib Khan, a gangster. He said that the promos and posters reminded him of his own "The Godfather". Kumar said of Pacino's response: "A touch of appreciation is always held dearly in an actor's arms, even if it's from the simplest of people like our beloved spot boys. But to have your work spoken of so kindly by the world's most admired gangster Al Pacino himself – I had goose-bumps thinking about him watching the promo! I was so humbled, not only as an actor but as a fan of his legendary work." Rajeev Masand of "CNN-IBN" criticized Kumar for his "in-your-face flamboyance". After the film's mainly negative reviews, Kumar lashed out at critics, accusing them of lacking an understanding of the audience and the basic ideas of filmmaking. Built on an approximate budget of , it was the first major Hindi language film to be shot in Oman. Kumar received a nomination for Best Actor in a Negative Role at Zee Cine Awards.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: His next release was Anthony D Souza's "Boss" alongside Shiv Panditt and Aditi Rao Hydari. The movie received mixed reviews; it performed poorly at the box office netting domestically. Kumar came back strongly with "", the Hindi remake of the 2012 Tamil film "Thuppakki". This action drama earned both critical and commercial success entering the 1 billion elite club and became the highest grosser of 2014. The film received critical acclaim and is Kumar's third film to gross over at the box office. He then starred in "Entertainment" and has sung a song for the film. Making of the song has been uploaded on YouTube. His last film of 2014 was "The Shaukeens". He appeared as himself in it and produced it. He then played the lead role in the thrillers "Baby" and "Gabbar is Back". Kumar's first collaboration with Karan Johar, "Brothers" was released on 14 August 2015. His next release was "Singh is Bling", a quasi sequel to 2008's "Singh is Kinng" was released on 2 October 2015 and is produced by Grazing Goats Pictures.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: His first release was "Airlift" released on 22 January 2016 was critically and commercially successful, and second was "Housefull 3" which released on 3 June 2016. "Rustom" which was produced by Neeraj Pandey and marked his 3rd release of 2016. Akshay was praised for his performance in "Rustom" which garnered him numerous award nominations. "Rustom" grossed more than 2 billion at the box office. Both "Airlift" and "Rustom" earned him the National Film Award for Best Actor.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: His second film release in 2017 was "". This film depicted the serious social issue of toilets in certain regions of the country. Akshay's performance was praised. Akshay Kumar dug a toilet in Madhya Pradesh to promote the film. The movie trailer was released on 11 June 2017. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a good effort to further the message of cleanliness, as per Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2018, Akshay starred in another social drama film "Pad Man" alongside Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte. He later made his Tamil cinema debut in the science fiction thriller "2.0", a standalone sequel to the 2010 film "Enthiran", co-starring Rajinikanth, in which he played an evil ornithologist named Pakshirajan.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2019, Kumar appeared in Karan Johar's film "Kesari" opposite Parineeti Chopra, based on the story of the Battle of Saragarhi. The film grossed over worldwide. He next featured in "Mission Mangal" with an ensemble cast of Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen, Sharman Joshi and Sonakshi Sinha. The film is about the story of scientists at Indian Space Research Organisation who contributed to the Mars Orbiter Mission, which marked India's first interplanetary expedition. "Housefull 4", directed by Farhad Samji, was released in October 2019. His next release in December 2019 was Karan Johar's and his own production "Good Newwz", a romantic comedy about surrogacy, opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan. All of his four films were commercially successful this year with three consecutive domestic 200 Crore Club net films alongside "Mission Mangal", "Housefull 4" and "Good Newwz".


title: Akshay Kumar

text: His only release in 2020 was the horror comedy "Laxmii", directed by Raghava Lawrence, an official remake of the Tamil film "Kanchana" opposite Kiara Advani. It was released on 9 November on Disney+ Hotstar, and was not released theatrically in India due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film revolves around a man who gets possessed by the ghost of a transgender. It received mixed to negative reviews from critics, praising the performance of Kumar, but criticised the writing and screenplay of the film.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2021, Kumar had three releases, namely, "Bell Bottom", a spy thriller inspired from real life hijacking events in India by Khalistani separatists during the 1980s, directed by Ranjit M Tewari, "Sooryavanshi", a Cop Universe continuation of "Singham" and "Simmba", directed by Rohit Shetty and Aanand L. Rai's "Atrangi Re" along with Sara Ali Khan in dual roles opposite him and Dhanush on Disney+ Hotstar, were released in 2021.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2022, Kumar's first release was "Bachchhan Paandey", where he played the titular role of a gangster, a name derived from Kumar's character in the 2008 film "Tashan". The film paired him with Kriti Sanon, and also features Jacqueline Fernandez and Arshad Warsi. Despite an ensemble cast and hype among fans, "Bachchhan Paandey" gathered negative critical reception and was not successful at the box office.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: His next release was the historical film "Samrat Prithviraj", which was based on life of the Hindu warrior Prithviraj Chauhan. It also starred Sonu Sood, Sanjay Dutt and debutant Manushi Chhillar. Released theatrically on 3 June 2022, the film opened to mixed reviews. Anuj Kumar of The Hindu wrote 'In order to tone down his body language and accent, Kumar has lost much of his trademark energy and could not develop the gravitas required to play the celebrated ruler. He growls like a lion who has lost his bite and despite all the air-brushing, doesn't look like the boy who became a Samrat in his 20s'. Made on a budget of 300 crore, the film failed to perform well at the box office.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: His another movie "Rakshabandhan" which was released on the extended weekend of 5 days on 11 August received mixed reviews. "The Hindu" wrote <nowiki>"</nowiki>The film’s engaging powerful anti-dowry sentiments, along with Akshay’s brilliant comic timing, ensures that there is enough to keep the audience tied for two hours<nowiki>"</nowiki>. "The Indian Express" rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Do the filmmakers truly believe that such low-rent family dramas, with their uneasy mix of humour and crassness". The film couldn't manage to impress the audience and scored poorly at the Indian ticket windows. The film managed to earn mere $4.2 million over the extended weekend.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: The Hindustan Times wrote “Akshay Kumar got a golden opportunity in the film “Ram Setu” by Abhishek Sharma released on 25th October 2022, as his character is unlike anything he has done in the recent past. Ram Setu embraces the best of the Indiana Jones and National Treasure schools of storytelling with desi action”


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar married Twinkle Khanna, the daughter of actors Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, on 17 January 2001. Together they have a son, and a daughter. He is known as a protective father and keeps his children away from the media. He stated that he wants to "give them a normal childhood." In 2009, while performing at a show for Levis at Lakme Fashion Week, Kumar asked Twinkle to unbutton his jeans. This incident sparked a controversy which led to a police case being filed against them.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar was initially a religious, practising Shaiva Hindu who regularly visited shrines and temples across the country, including the famed Vaishno Devi Mandir, but in March 2020 he stated, "I don't believe in any religion. I only believe in being Indian".


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Sometime during or after the 2011 Canadian federal election, the Conservative government there granted Canadian citizenship to Kumar by invoking a little-known law which allowed circumventing the usual residency requirement for Canadian immigrants. According to a former Conservative Party minister, Tony Clement, the citizenship was awarded in return for Kumar's offer of putting his "star power to use to advance Canada-Indian relations," and Canada's "trade relations, commercial relations, in the movie sector, in the tourism sector." Although Kumar had earlier appeared in a campaign event for Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Brampton, Ontario, a city with a large Indo-Canadian population, and praised Harper, Clement denied that the citizenship was a reward for partisan support. Kumar had received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Windsor, and in a 2010 interview with the "Economist" claimed he had "dual citizenship." He was one of the 15 international celebrities invited for the Olympics torch-bearer rally to Canada.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In December 2019, Kumar stated that he has applied for an Indian passport and plans to give up his Canadian citizenship.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2004, Kumar presented seven-part miniseries "Seven Deadly Arts with Akshay Kumar" for free, played master and learner as he introduces viewers to each of the seven part of martial arts-kalaripayattu, Shaolin Kung Fu, karate, taekwondo, aikido, Muay Thai, capoeira, the show aired on every following Sunday. The following year Kumar was awarded the highest Japanese honour of "Katana" and a sixth degree black belt in Kuyukai Gōjū-ryū karate.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Since 2008, Kumar started India's stunt/action reality game show – "". He hosted , and . The show was widely accepted and appreciated, became hugely successful in popular culture. It is still being run by Rohit Shetty.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2011, Kumar hosted India’s first "MasterChef" television show on Star Plus, was viewed by 18.2 million viewers and went to prove that Indian audiences are open to experimenting and look forward to innovations in television entertainment.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2014, He hosted another reality show "Dare 2 Dance" as a mentor, which aired on Life OK from 6 September. It broke the norms of a regular dance format with a commitment of a ‘first of its kind. A dance show where trained and famed dancers wasn't judged only on the basis of their dance performances, but they had to perform stunts.survive on the dance floor.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2014, Kumar also produced a successful television serial "Jamai Raja" (2014), starring Ravi Dubey and Nia Sharma, which established them leading actors in Indian television industry"."


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2017, he judged "The Great Indian Laughter Challenge" with Mallika Dua, Hussain Dalal and Zakir Khan, later they were replaced by Sajid Khan and Shreyas Talpade. The show made many popular names including Vishwash Chauhan and Shyam Rangeela.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar joined Bear Grylls for an episode in "Into The Wild", which aired on Discovery channel on September 14, 2020. The episode was second highest-rated show in the infotainment genre (Discovery Channel) in terms of TRP. 1.1 crore people watched the premiere on Discovery Network channels.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar promotes health fitness and exercising, stays in shape with a combination of kickboxing, basketball, swimming and Parkour as well as working out. While in standard eighth he had started practising Karate. He intended to open a martial arts school and the state government of Maharashtra allotted land for the school in Bhayandar.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: On 9 August 2014, Kumar performed at his 500th live show. The show was held in O2 Arena in London as part of the inaugural function of the World Kabaddi League. His first live show was held in 1991 in Delhi. Kumar owns Bengal Warriors a team in the Indian Kabbadi League.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Akshay Kumar sets himself on fire at his upcoming The End series launch with Prime Video, says he’s a stuntman first and actor later.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In Indian Media, he is referred as "Khiladi" or "Khiladi Kumar" for doing so many dangerous stunts by himself and also because of his "Khiladi" film series. In 2009, Madame Tussauds wanted to make his wax figure next because he has an international fan following. But he declined and said,"he don't want to be waxed because he does not think it is of that great importance". From 2015, he was continuously feathered in Forbes' highest paid actors top 10 list. In 2019, he was fourth highest paid actor in the world behind Dwayne Johnson, Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr. On the Forbes US list of World's 33rd Highest Earner with $65M. In 2020, He ranked 6th and only Indian actor in top 10 of highest paid actors list with $48.5M. Kumar is the first Indian film actor, whose films' domestic net lifetime collections crossed by 2013, and by 2016.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar was named "Sexiest Man Alive" by People Magazine in 2008. Kumar was awarded with NDTV Imagine Best Entertainer of the Year 2007 by the Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards (FTPGI). In 2009, he was awarded the highest Japanese honour of "Katana" and a sixth degree Black Belt in Kuyukai Gojuryu Karate. He was one of the 15 international celebrities invited for the Olympics torch-bearer rally to Canada in 2009. Kumar bagged the Ultimate "Man of the Year" at the prestigious GQ Awards in 2015. He won the HT Hottest Trendsetter (Male) award at the HT India’s Most Stylish in 2019.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: He has great brand value and holds strong credibility in the advertising world. In 2020, Kumar has topped the list with brand value of $118M he has seen a jump of 13% by previous years. According to Duff and Phelps, Kumar was 3rd most valued celebrity with $139M in 2021. Kumar has endorsed brands including Thums Up, Honda, Tata Motors, Dollar, Harpic, Sparx, Livguard Battery, and Kajarai Tiles. He was also brand ambassador of Canada Tourism. Kumar ranked number 1 on TAM’s list of most visible stars in TV ads with an average visibility of 37 hours per day across all channels since 2019 to 2022.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar has significant fan following in Indian diaspora as well as in European and African countries. As of September 2022, He is most followed Indian actor on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Memes from his comedy movies, especially his face expressions are hugely popular on social media. In 2019, interviewed Modi on TV, which concluded as controversies in social media, later he clarified that it was a personal interview as a common man, not political.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Since 2013, Kumar has been the Hindi film industry's highest advance taxpayer for six consecutive years. He paid as advance tax payment in that year. In August 2022, he got an certificate from Income Tax department for being highest tax payer.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar has criticized award functions and doesn't believe in it saying, "Organizers have asked me to perform at award nights. They said that they would pay me half the price and they would also give me an award. I replied saying, 'You pay me the whole amount and keep your award.'" He called National Film Award, most prestigious award of the country.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar is one of India's most philanthropic celebrities, does a lot of helps and donations, continues the good work offscreen with his philanthropy and services. He and his co-star Tamannaah Bhatia donated all the clothes from their film 2014 Entertainment to an animal welfare charity. Youth Organisation in Defence of Animals (YODA) is an organisation which works for the welfare of street animals. He has also donated to Salman Khan's Being Human Foundation. Kumar also had donated a sum of ₹9 million to drought hit farmers in Maharashtra in 2015, Khan himself tweeted on Twitter. Kumar also helped a contestant of TV reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi by giving him Rs. 25 lakh after knowing that the contestant needed the prize money of the show for his father’s cancer treatment. He has also donated ₹5 million to aid drought affected people through the Maharashtra government's Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan. In March 2013, he started a 30-bed cancer shelter for policemen in Naigaon. In December 2013, Vishwas Nangre Patil, Additional Commissioner of Police, West Mumbai visited his gym along with several trainee officers. Acid attack survivor "Laxmi Agarwal", on whose life Deepika Padukone’s Chapaak was based is also an activist. Some years ago, she was struggling to make ends meet. Kumar came to her rescue and transferred Rs. 5 Lakh into her account so that she could fend for herself until she found a job, because medals, awards and certificates don’t pay the bills.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: He launched an insurance scheme for the registered stunt directors in 2017. The family of deceased stunt director Abdul Sattar Munna has received a compensation of Rs. 20 lakh under the same scheme. Now, the actor has been asked to help those stunt choreographers who are above 55 years of age and therefore, aren’t eligible to have insurance in their name.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: During the promotions of "Rustom", Kumar expressed his wish of serving the nation but destiny held something else in store for him. He has played a soldier in "" and "Kesari", a special agent in "Baby" and a naval officer in Rustom. The actor was applauded by many for showing his concern towards the families of 12 slain jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) who were killed in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Saturday, March 11, 2017. He donated Rs. 1.08 crore to the families of the martyred jawans.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In August 2016, Kumar had donated Rs. 80 lakh to the families of army men. He gave Rs 5 lakh to each family and said our soldiers need money along with “samman”. In October 2016, Akshay donated Rs. 9 lakh to the family of a martyred BSF jawan.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: He also donated Rs. 1.5 crore to build the shelter for transgender persons in Chennai. He is supporting the construction of the home. "Laxmii"'s director Raghava Lawrence shared the “good news” of the actor’s new initiative with friends and fans along with some pictures on Facebook.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar endorses Swachh Bharat Mission, Builds Toilets in Madhya Pradesh, he had previously posted a video on social media, talking about the importance of having individual toilets at home, His movie "" was also based on Toilet's importance. He was named Uttarakhand's brand ambassador for 'Swachhta Abhiyaan'.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2017, Kumar launched the Bharat Ke Veer app, with the help of the home ministry. The platform lets people send money directly to the bank accounts of family members of soldiers martyred in the line of duty. On The Kapil Sharma Show, Akshay said that he was only carrying out his responsibility as a citizen with the app. “Hum yeh kahenge, ki hum apna kartvaya nibhate hai… Jo shaheed hote hai, unka nuksaan hum kabhi bhar nahi paayenge. That is for sure. Sarkar unko jo deti hai, woh deti hai. Lekin, as a civilian, humara bhi toh kuch kartavya banta hai. Yeh aisa app hai… Na iske beech mein koi NGO hai, na koi sarkar hai,” he said.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack on the CRPF jawans, Kumar came forward to help the families of those sacrificed their lives in the attack. He donated Rs. 15 Lakh to a martyred jawan’s family and even urged his fans to do the same. He further pledged to donate Rs. 5 crore through ‘Bharat Ke Veer’ app. He additionally donated Rs. 9 Lakh each to the families of 12 CRPF jawans who were killed in Chattisgarh.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In Mid-2020 when Kerala, Assam and Chennai were left devastated as they were hit by floods that severely affected several families as they lost their houses, land, crops, many people lost their lives. Kumar donated a sum of Rs. 1 crore each to not just Kerala but also Assam and Chennai. CM Sonowal thanks Kumar.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar was one of the first personalities from Bollywood to contribute to the PM CARES Fund right at the start of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, He donated Rs. 25 crores to the Prime Minister’s Fund and another crore to ex-cricketer Gautam Gambhir’s charity for the same cause. The former cricketer revealed on Twitter that Akshay Kumar had donated Rs. 1 crore to his foundation during the deadly second wave to help people affected by the novel coronavirus. Gambhir wrote, “Every help in this gloom comes as a ray of hope. Thanks a lot Akshay Kumar for committing Rs 1 crore to #GGF for food, meds and oxygen for the needy! God bless.”


title: Akshay Kumar

text: In 2021, Kumar donated 1 crore for construction of a school building in Neeru Village of Bandipora district in Jammu and Kashmir.


title: Akshay Kumar

text: Kumar has been recipient of two Filmfare Awards from 13 nominations: Best Villain for "Ajnabee" (2002) and Best Comedian for "Garam Masala" (2006), and a National Film Award for Best Actor for the films "Rustom" and "Airlift" (both 2016). In 2008, the University of Windsor conferred an honorary Doctorate of Law on Kumar in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema. The following year, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. In 2011, The Asian Awards honoured Kumar for his outstanding achievement in Cinema.


title: Black Death

text: The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causing the deaths of people, peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351. Bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium "Yersinia pestis" spread by fleas, but it can also take a secondary form where it is spread by person-to-person contact via aerosols causing septicaemic or pneumonic plagues.


title: Black Death

text: The Black Death was the beginning of the second plague pandemic. The plague created religious, social and economic upheavals, with profound effects on the course of European history.


title: Black Death

text: The origin of the Black Death is disputed. The pandemic originated either in Central Asia or East Asia before spreading to Crimea with the Golden Horde army of Jani Beg as he was besieging the Genoese trading port of Kaffa in Crimea (1347). From Crimea, it was most likely carried by fleas living on the black rats that travelled on Genoese ships, spreading through the Mediterranean Basin and reaching North Africa, Western Asia, and the rest of Europe via Constantinople, Sicily, and the Italian Peninsula. There is evidence that once it came ashore, the Black Death mainly spread person-to-person as pneumonic plague, thus explaining the quick inland spread of the epidemic, which was faster than would be expected if the primary vector was rat fleas causing bubonic plague. In 2022, it was discovered that there was a sudden surge of deaths in what is today Kyrgyzstan from the Black Death in the late 1330s; when combined with genetic evidence, this implies that the initial spread may not have been due to Mongol conquests in the 14th century, as previously speculated.


title: Black Death

text: The Black Death was the second great natural disaster to strike Europe during the Late Middle Ages (the first one being the Great Famine of 1315–1317) and is estimated to have killed 30 percent to 60 percent of the European population, as well as about one-third of the population of the Middle East. The plague might have reduced the world population from to 350–375 million in the 14th century. There were further outbreaks throughout the Late Middle Ages and, with other contributing factors (the Crisis of the Late Middle Ages), the European population did not regain its level in 1300 until 1500. Outbreaks of the plague recurred around the world until the early 19th century.


title: Black Death

text: European writers contemporary with the plague described the disease in Latin as or ; ; . In English prior to the 18th century, the event was called the "pestilence" or "great pestilence", "the plague" or the "great death". Subsequent to the pandemic "the "furste moreyn"" (first murrain) or "first pestilence" was applied, to distinguish the mid-14th century phenomenon from other infectious diseases and epidemics of plague.


title: Black Death

text: The 1347 pandemic plague was not referred to specifically as "black" in the time of occurrence in any European language, though the expression "black death" had occasionally been applied to fatal disease beforehand. "Black death" was not used to describe the plague pandemic in English until the 1750s; the term is first attested in 1755, where it translated . This expression as a proper name for the pandemic had been popularized by Swedish and Danish chroniclers in the 15th and early 16th centuries, and in the 16th and 17th centuries was transferred to other languages as a calque: , , and . Previously, most European languages had named the pandemic a variant or calque of the .


title: Black Death

text: The phrase 'black death' – describing Death as black – is very old. Homer used it in the Odyssey to describe the monstrous Scylla, with her mouths "full of black Death" (). Seneca the Younger may have been the first to describe an epidemic as 'black death', () but only in reference to the acute lethality and dark prognosis of disease. The 12th–13th century French physician Gilles de Corbeil had already used "" to refer to a "pestilential fever" () in his work "On the Signs and Symptoms of Diseases" (). The phrase , was used in 1350 by Simon de Covino (or Couvin), a Belgian astronomer, in his poem "On the Judgement of the Sun at a Feast of Saturn" (), which attributes the plague to an astrological conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. His use of the phrase is not connected unambiguously with the plague pandemic of 1347 and appears to refer to the fatal outcome of disease.


title: Black Death

text: The historian Cardinal Francis Aidan Gasquet wrote about the Great Pestilence in 1893 and suggested that it had been "some form of the ordinary Eastern or bubonic plague". In 1908, Gasquet claimed that use of the name ' for the 14th-century epidemic first appeared in a 1631 book on Danish history by J. I. Pontanus: "Commonly and from its effects, they called it the black death" (').


title: Black Death

text: Research from 2017 suggests plague first infected humans in Europe and Asia in the Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age. Research in 2018 found evidence of "Yersinia pestis" in an ancient Swedish tomb, which may have been associated with the "Neolithic decline" around 3000 BCE, in which European populations fell significantly. This "Y. pestis" may have been different from more modern types, with bubonic plague transmissible by fleas first known from Bronze Age remains near Samara.


title: Black Death

text: The symptoms of bubonic plague are first attested in a fragment of Rufus of Ephesus preserved by Oribasius; these ancient medical authorities suggest bubonic plague had appeared in the Roman Empire before the reign of Trajan, six centuries before arriving at Pelusium in the reign of Justinian I. In 2013, researchers confirmed earlier speculation that the cause of the Plague of Justinian (541–542 CE, with recurrences until 750) was "Y". "pestis". This is known as the first plague pandemic. In 610, the Chinese physician Chao Yuanfang described a "malignant bubo" "coming in abruptly with high fever together with the appearance of a bundle of nodes beneath the tissue." The Chinese physician Sun Simo who died in 652 also mentioned a "malignant bubo" and plague that was common in Lingnan (Guangzhou). Ole Jørgen Benedictow believes that this indicates it was an offshoot of the first plague pandemic which made its way eastward to Chinese territory by around 600.


title: Black Death

text: The most authoritative contemporary account is found in a report from the medical faculty in Paris to Philip VI of France. It blamed the heavens, in the form of a conjunction of three planets in 1345 that caused a "great pestilence in the air" (miasma theory). Muslim religious scholars taught that the pandemic was a "martyrdom and mercy" from God, assuring the believer's place in paradise. For non-believers, it was a punishment. Some Muslim doctors cautioned against trying to prevent or treat a disease sent by God. Others adopted preventive measures and treatments for plague used by Europeans. These Muslim doctors also depended on the writings of the ancient Greeks.


title: Black Death

text: Due to climate change in Asia, rodents began to flee the dried-out grasslands to more populated areas, spreading the disease. The plague disease, caused by the bacterium "Yersinia pestis", is enzootic (commonly present) in populations of fleas carried by ground rodents, including marmots, in various areas, including Central Asia, Kurdistan, Western Asia, North India, Uganda and the western United States.


title: Black Death

text: "Y. pestis" was discovered by Alexandre Yersin, a pupil of Louis Pasteur, during an epidemic of bubonic plague in Hong Kong in 1894; Yersin also proved this bacillus was present in rodents and suggested the rat was the main vehicle of transmission. The mechanism by which "Y. pestis" is usually transmitted was established in 1898 by Paul-Louis Simond and was found to involve the bites of fleas whose midguts had become obstructed by replicating "Y. pestis" several days after feeding on an infected host. This blockage starves the fleas and drives them to aggressive feeding behaviour and attempts to clear the blockage by regurgitation, resulting in thousands of plague bacteria being flushed into the feeding site, infecting the host. The bubonic plague mechanism was also dependent on two populations of rodents: one resistant to the disease, which act as hosts, keeping the disease endemic, and a second that lacks resistance. When the second population dies, the fleas move on to other hosts, including people, thus creating a human epidemic.


title: Black Death

text: Definitive confirmation of the role of "Y. pestis" arrived in 2010 with a publication in "PLOS Pathogens" by Haensch et al. They assessed the presence of DNA/RNA with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques for "Y. pestis" from the tooth sockets in human skeletons from mass graves in northern, central and southern Europe that were associated archaeologically with the Black Death and subsequent resurgences. The authors concluded that this new research, together with prior analyses from the south of France and Germany, "ends the debate about the cause of the Black Death, and unambiguously demonstrates that "Y. pestis" was the causative agent of the epidemic plague that devastated Europe during the Middle Ages". In 2011, these results were further confirmed with genetic evidence derived from Black Death victims in the East Smithfield burial site in England. Schuenemann et al. concluded in 2011 "that the Black Death in medieval Europe was caused by a variant of "Y. pestis" that may no longer exist".


title: Black Death

text: Later in 2011, Bos et al. reported in "Nature" the first draft genome of "Y. pestis" from plague victims from the same East Smithfield cemetery and indicated that the strain that caused the Black Death is ancestral to most modern strains of "Y. pestis".


title: Black Death

text: Since this time, further genomic papers have further confirmed the phylogenetic placement of the "Y. pestis" strain responsible for the Black Death as both the ancestor of later plague epidemics including the third plague pandemic and as the descendant of the strain responsible for the Plague of Justinian. In addition, plague genomes from significantly earlier in prehistory have been recovered.


title: Black Death

text: DNA taken from 25 skeletons from 14th century London have shown plague is a strain of "Y. pestis" almost identical to that which hit Madagascar in 2013. Further DNA evidence also proves the role of "Y. Pestis" and traces the source to the Tian Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan.


title: Black Death

text: It is recognised that an epidemiological account of plague is as important as an identification of symptoms, but researchers are hampered by the lack of reliable statistics from this period. Most work has been done on the spread of the disease in England, and even estimates of overall population at the start vary by over 100% as no census was undertaken in England between the time of publication of the Domesday Book of 1086 and the poll tax of the year 1377. Estimates of plague victims are usually extrapolated from figures for the clergy.


title: Black Death

text: Mathematical modelling is used to match the spreading patterns and the means of transmission. A research in 2018 challenged the popular hypothesis that "infected rats died, their flea parasites could have jumped from the recently dead rat hosts to humans". It suggested an alternative model in which "the disease was spread from human fleas and body lice to other people". The second model claims to better fit the trends of death toll because the rat-flea-human hypothesis would have produced a delayed but very high spike in deaths, which contradict historical death data.


title: Black Death

text: Lars Walløe complains that all of these authors "take it for granted that Simond's infection model, black rat → rat flea → human, which was developed to explain the spread of plague in India, is the only way an epidemic of "Yersinia pestis" infection could spread", whilst pointing to several other possibilities. Similarly, Monica Green has argued that greater attention is needed to the range of (especially non-commensal) animals that might be involved in the transmission of plague.


title: Black Death

text: Archaeologist Barney Sloane has argued that there is insufficient evidence of the extinction of numerous rats in the archaeological record of the medieval waterfront in London and that the disease spread too quickly to support the thesis that "Y. pestis" was spread from fleas on rats; he argues that transmission must have been person to person. This theory is supported by research in 2018 which suggested transmission was more likely by body lice and fleas during the second plague pandemic.


title: Black Death

text: Although academic debate continues, no single alternative solution has achieved widespread acceptance. Many scholars arguing for "Y. pestis" as the major agent of the pandemic suggest that its extent and symptoms can be explained by a combination of bubonic plague with other diseases, including typhus, smallpox and respiratory infections. In addition to the bubonic infection, others point to additional septicaemic (a type of "blood poisoning") and pneumonic (an airborne plague that attacks the lungs before the rest of the body) forms of plague, which lengthen the duration of outbreaks throughout the seasons and help account for its high mortality rate and additional recorded symptoms. In 2014, Public Health England announced the results of an examination of 25 bodies exhumed in the Clerkenwell area of London, as well as of wills registered in London during the period, which supported the pneumonic hypothesis. Currently, while osteoarcheologists have conclusively verified the presence of "Y. pestis" bacteria in burial sites across northern Europe through examination of bones and dental pulp, no other epidemic pathogen has been discovered to bolster the alternative explanations.


title: Black Death

text: The importance of hygiene was recognised only in the nineteenth century with the development of the germ theory of disease; until then streets were commonly filthy, with live animals of all sorts around and human parasites abounding, facilitating the spread of transmissible disease.


title: Black Death

text: By the early fourteenth century so much filth had collected inside urban Europe that French and Italian cities were naming streets after human waste. In medieval Paris, several street names were inspired by merde, the French word for "shit". There were rue Merdeux, rue Merdelet, rue Merdusson, rue des Merdons, and rue Merdiere—as well as a rue du Pipi.


title: Black Death

text: Pigs, cattle, chickens, geese, goats, and horses roamed the streets of medieval London and Paris. Medieval homeowners were supposed to police their housefronts, including removing animal dung, but most urbanites were as careless as William E. Cosner, a resident of the London suburb of Farringdon Without. A complaint lodged against Cosner charges that "men could not pass [by his house] for the stink [of]. . . horse dung and horse piss."


title: Black Death

text: One irate Londoner complained that the runoff from the local slaughterhouse had made his garden "stinking and putrid", while another charged that the blood from slain animals flooded nearby streets and lanes, "making a foul corruption and abominable sight to all dwelling near." In much of medieval Europe, sanitation legislation consisted of an ordinance requiring homeowners to shout, "Look out below!" three times before dumping a full chamber pot into the street.


title: Black Death

text: Early Christians, who thought self-abnegation a cardinal virtue, considered bathing, if not a vice, then a temptation. "Who knows what impure thoughts might arise in a tub of warm water? With this danger in mind, St. Benedict declared, ""To those who are well, and especially to the young, bathing shall seldom be permitted."" St. Agnes took the injunction to heart and died without ever bathing."


title: Black Death

text: According to a team of medical geneticists led by Mark Achtman that analysed the genetic variation of the bacterium, "Yersinia pestis" "evolved in or near China" over 2,600 years ago. Later research by a team led by Galina Eroshenko places the origins more specifically in the Tian Shan mountains on the border between Kyrgyzstan and China. However more recent research notes that the previous sampling had a very heavy East Asian bias and that sampling since then has discovered strains of "Y. pestis" in the Caucasus region that were previously thought to be restricted to China. There is also no physical or specific textual evidence of the Black Death in 14th century China. As a result, China's place in the sequence of the plague's spread is still debated to this day. According to Charles Creighton, records of epidemics in 14th century China suggest nothing more than typhus and major Chinese outbreaks of epidemic disease post-date the European epidemic by several years. The earliest Chinese descriptions of the bubonic plague do not appear until the 1640s.


title: Black Death

text: Nestorian graves dating to 1338–1339 near Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan have inscriptions referring to plague, which has led some historians and epidemiologists to think they mark the outbreak of the epidemic; this is supported by recent direct findings of "Y. pestis" DNA in teeth samples from graves in the area with inscriptions referring to "pestilence" as the cause of death. Epidemics killed an estimated 25 million across Asia during the fifteen years before the Black Death reached Constantinople in 1347.


title: Black Death

text: According to John Norris, evidence from Issyk-Kul indicates a small sporadic outbreak characteristic of transmission from rodents to humans with no wide-scale impact. According to Achtman, the dating of the plague suggests that it was not carried along the Silk Road, and its widespread appearance in that region probably postdates the European outbreak. There are no records of the symptoms of the Black Death from Mongol sources or writings from travelers east of the Black Sea prior to the Crimean outbreak in 1346. Finally, the Silk Road had already been heavily disrupted before the spread of the Black Death. Western and Middle Eastern traders found it difficult to trade on the Silk Road by 1325 and impossible by 1340, making spread of the plague less likely.


title: Black Death

text: Others still favor an origin in China or even Kurdistan, and not Central Asia. According to the theory of Chinese origin, the disease may have traveled along the Silk Road with Mongol armies and traders, or it could have arrived via ship, but this theory is still contested. It is speculated that rats aboard Zheng He's ships in the 15th century may have carried the plague to Southeast Asia, India, and Africa.


title: Black Death

text: Research on the Delhi Sultanate and the Yuan Dynasty shows no evidence of any serious epidemic in fourteenth-century India and no specific evidence of plague in fourteenth-century China, suggesting that the Black Death may not have reached these regions. Ole Benedictow argues that since the first clear reports of the Black Death come from Kaffa, the Black Death most likely originated in the nearby plague focus on the northwestern shore of the Caspian Sea.


title: Black Death

text: Monica H. Green suggests that the reason why other parts of Eurasia outside the west do not contain the same evidence of the Black Plague is because there were actually four strains of "Yersinia pestis" that became predominant in different parts of the world. Mongol records of illness such as food poisoning may have been referring to the Black Plague. Another theory is that the Black Death originated near Europe and cycled through the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and Russia before making its way to China. Other historians such as John Norris and Ole Benedictaw believe the Black Death likely originated in Europe or the Middle East and never reached China.


title: Black Death

text: Plague was reportedly first introduced to Europe via Genoese traders from their port city of Kaffa in the Crimea in 1347. During a protracted siege of the city, in 1345–1346 the Mongol Golden Horde army of Jani Beg, whose mainly Tatar troops were suffering from the disease, catapulted infected corpses over the city walls of Kaffa to infect the inhabitants, though it is more likely that infected rats travelled across the siege lines to spread the epidemic to the inhabitants. As the disease took hold, Genoese traders fled across the Black Sea to Constantinople, where the disease first arrived in Europe in summer 1347.


title: Black Death

text: The epidemic there killed the 13-year-old son of the Byzantine emperor, John VI Kantakouzenos, who wrote a description of the disease modelled on Thucydides's account of the 5th century BCE Plague of Athens, but noting the spread of the Black Death by ship between maritime cities. Nicephorus Gregoras also described in writing to Demetrios Kydones the rising death toll, the futility of medicine, and the panic of the citizens. The first outbreak in Constantinople lasted a year, but the disease recurred ten times before 1400.


title: Black Death

text: Carried by twelve Genoese galleys, plague arrived by ship in Sicily in October 1347; the disease spread rapidly all over the island. Galleys from Kaffa reached Genoa and Venice in January 1348, but it was the outbreak in Pisa a few weeks later that was the entry point to northern Italy. Towards the end of January, one of the galleys expelled from Italy arrived in Marseilles.


title: Black Death

text: From Italy, the disease spread northwest across Europe, striking France, Spain (the epidemic began to wreak havoc first on the Crown of Aragon in the spring of 1348), Portugal and England by June 1348, then spread east and north through Germany, Scotland and Scandinavia from 1348 to 1350. It was introduced into Norway in 1349 when a ship landed at Askøy, then spread to Bjørgvin (modern Bergen) and Iceland. Finally, it spread to northwestern Russia in 1351. Plague was somewhat more uncommon in parts of Europe with less developed trade with their neighbours, including the majority of the Basque Country, isolated parts of Belgium and the Netherlands, and isolated Alpine villages throughout the continent.


title: Black Death

text: According to some epidemiologists, periods of unfavourable weather decimated plague-infected rodent populations and forced their fleas onto alternative hosts, inducing plague outbreaks which often peaked in the hot summers of the Mediterranean, as well as during the cool autumn months of the southern Baltic region. Among many other culprits of plague contagiousness, malnutrition, even if distantly, also contributed to such an immense loss in European population, since it weakened immune systems.


title: Black Death

text: The disease struck various regions in the Middle East and North Africa during the pandemic, leading to serious depopulation and permanent change in both economic and social structures. As infected rodents infected new rodents, the disease spread across the region, entering also from southern Russia.


title: Black Death

text: By autumn 1347, plague had reached Alexandria in Egypt, transmitted by sea from Constantinople; according to a contemporary witness, from a single merchant ship carrying slaves. By late summer 1348 it reached Cairo, capital of the Mamluk Sultanate, cultural centre of the Islamic world, and the largest city in the Mediterranean Basin; the Bahriyya child sultan an-Nasir Hasan fled and more than a third of the 600,000 residents died. The Nile was choked with corpses despite Cairo having a medieval hospital, the late 13th century bimaristan of the Qalawun complex. The historian al-Maqrizi described the abundant work for grave-diggers and practitioners of funeral rites, and plague recurred in Cairo more than fifty times over the following one and a half centuries.


title: Black Death

text: During 1347, the disease travelled eastward to Gaza by April; by July it had reached Damascus, and in October plague had broken out in Aleppo. That year, in the territory of modern Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Palestine, the cities of Ashkelon, Acre, Jerusalem, Sidon, and Homs were all infected. In 1348–1349, the disease reached Antioch. The city's residents fled to the north, but most of them ended up dying during the journey. Within two years, the plague had spread throughout the Islamic world, from Arabia across North Africa. The pandemic spread westwards from Alexandria along the African coast, while in April 1348 Tunis was infected by ship from Sicily. Tunis was then under attack by an army from Morocco; this army dispersed in 1348 and brought the contagion with them to Morocco, whose epidemic may also have been seeded from the Islamic city of Almería in al-Andalus.


title: Black Death

text: Mecca became infected in 1348 by pilgrims performing the Hajj. In 1351 or 1352, the Rasulid sultan of the Yemen, al-Mujahid Ali, was released from Mamluk captivity in Egypt and carried plague with him on his return home. During 1348, records show the city of Mosul suffered a massive epidemic, and the city of Baghdad experienced a second round of the disease.


title: Black Death

text: Symptoms of the disease include fever of , headaches, painful aching joints, nausea and vomiting, and a general feeling of malaise. Left untreated, of those that contract the bubonic plague, 80 percent die within eight days.


title: Black Death

text: Contemporary accounts of the pandemic are varied and often imprecise. The most commonly noted symptom was the appearance of buboes (or "gavocciolos") in the groin, neck, and armpits, which oozed pus and bled when opened. Boccaccio's description:


title: Black Death

text: This was followed by acute fever and vomiting of blood. Most people died two to seven days after initial infection. Freckle-like spots and rashes, which could have been caused by flea-bites, were identified as another potential sign of plague.


title: Black Death

text: Lodewijk Heyligen, whose master the Cardinal Colonna died of plague in 1348, noted a distinct form of the disease, pneumonic plague, that infected the lungs and led to respiratory problems. Symptoms include fever, cough, and blood-tinged sputum. As the disease progresses, sputum becomes free-flowing and bright red. Pneumonic plague has a mortality rate of 90 to 95 percent.


title: Black Death

text: Septicaemic plague is the least common of the three forms, with a mortality rate near 100%. Symptoms are high fevers and purple skin patches (purpura due to disseminated intravascular coagulation). In cases of pneumonic and particularly septicaemic plague, the progress of the disease is so rapid that there would often be no time for the development of the enlarged lymph nodes that were noted as buboes.


title: Black Death

text: There are no exact figures for the death toll; the rate varied widely by locality. In urban centres, the greater the population before the outbreak, the longer the duration of the period of abnormal mortality. It killed some people in Eurasia. A study published in 2022 of pollen samples across Europe between 1250 and 1450 was used to estimate changes in agricultural output before and after the Black Death. The authors found great variability in different regions, with evidence for high mortality in areas of Scandinavia, France, western Germany, Greece and central Italy, but uninterrupted agricultural growth in central and eastern Europe, Iberia and Ireland.


title: Black Death

text: The mortality rate of the Black Death in the 14th century was far greater than the worst 20th-century outbreaks of "Y. pestis" plague, which occurred in India and killed as much as 3% of the population of certain cities. The overwhelming number of deceased bodies produced by the Black Death caused the necessity of mass burial sites in Europe, sometimes including up to several hundred or several thousand skeletons. The mass burial sites that have been excavated have allowed archaeologists to continue interpreting and defining the biological, sociological, historical, and anthropological implications of the Black Death.


title: Black Death

text: According to medieval historian Philip Daileader, it is likely that over four years, 45–50% of the European population died of plague. Norwegian historian Ole Benedictow suggests it could have been as much as 60% of the European population. In 1348, the disease spread so rapidly that before any physicians or government authorities had time to reflect upon its origins, about a third of the European population had already perished. In crowded cities, it was not uncommon for as much as 50% of the population to die. Half of Paris' population of 100,000 people died. In Italy, the population of Florence was reduced from between 110,000 and 120,000 inhabitants in 1338 down to 50,000 in 1351. At least 60% of the population of Hamburg and Bremen perished, and a similar percentage of Londoners may have died from the disease as well, with a death toll of approximately 62,000 between 1346 and 1353. Florence's tax records suggest that 80% of the city's population died within four months in 1348. Before 1350, there were about 170,000 settlements in Germany, and this was reduced by nearly 40,000 by 1450. The disease bypassed some areas, with the most isolated areas being less vulnerable to contagion. Plague did not appear in Douai in Flanders until the turn of the 15th century, and the impact was less severe on the populations of Hainaut, Finland, northern Germany, and areas of Poland. Monks, nuns, and priests were especially hard-hit since they cared for people with the Black Death.


title: Black Death

text: The physician to the Avignon Papacy, Raimundo Chalmel de Vinario (), observed the decreasing mortality rate of successive outbreaks of plague in 1347–48, 1362, 1371, and 1382 in his 1382 treatise "On Epidemics" (). In the first outbreak, two thirds of the population contracted the illness and most patients died; in the next, half the population became ill but only some died; by the third, a tenth were affected and many survived; while by the fourth occurrence, only one in twenty people were sickened and most of them survived. By the 1380s in Europe, it predominantly affected children. Chalmel de Vinario recognized that bloodletting was ineffective (though he continued to prescribe bleeding for members of the Roman Curia, whom he disliked), and claimed that all true cases of plague were caused by astrological factors and were incurable; he himself was never able to effect a cure.


title: Black Death

text: The most widely accepted estimate for the Middle East, including Iraq, Iran, and Syria, during this time, is for a death toll of about a third of the population. The Black Death killed about 40% of Egypt's population. In Cairo, with a population numbering as many as 600,000, and possibly the largest city west of China, between one third and 40% of the inhabitants died inside of eight months.


title: Black Death

text: Italian chronicler Agnolo di Tura recorded his experience from Siena, where plague arrived in May 1348:


title: Black Death

text: With such a large population decline from the pandemic, wages soared in response to a labour shortage. On the other hand, in the quarter century after the Black Death in England, it is clear many labourers, artisans, and craftsmen, those living from money-wages alone, did suffer a reduction in real incomes owing to rampant inflation. Landowners were also pushed to substitute monetary rents for labour services in an effort to keep tenants.


title: Black Death

text: A study performed by Thomas Van Hoof of the Utrecht University suggests that the innumerable deaths brought on by the pandemic cooled the climate by freeing up land and triggering reforestation. This may have led to the Little Ice Age.


title: Black Death

text: Renewed religious fervour and fanaticism bloomed in the wake of the Black Death. Some Europeans targeted "various groups such as Jews, friars, foreigners, beggars, pilgrims", lepers, and Romani, blaming them for the crisis. Lepers, and others with skin diseases such as acne or psoriasis, were killed throughout Europe.


title: Black Death

text: Because 14th-century healers and governments were at a loss to explain or stop the disease, Europeans turned to astrological forces, earthquakes, and the poisoning of wells by Jews as possible reasons for outbreaks. Many believed the epidemic was a punishment by God for their sins, and could be relieved by winning God's forgiveness.


title: Black Death

text: There were many attacks against Jewish communities. In the Strasbourg massacre of February 1349, about 2,000 Jews were murdered. In August 1349, the Jewish communities in Mainz and Cologne were annihilated. By 1351, 60 major and 150 smaller Jewish communities had been destroyed. During this period many Jews relocated to Poland, where they received a warm welcome from King Casimir the Great.


title: Black Death

text: One theory that has been advanced is that the devastation in Florence caused by the Black Death, which hit Europe between 1348 and 1350, resulted in a shift in the world view of people in 14th-century Italy and led to the Renaissance. Italy was particularly badly hit by the pandemic, and it has been speculated that the resulting familiarity with death caused thinkers to dwell more on their lives on Earth, rather than on spirituality and the afterlife. It has also been argued that the Black Death prompted a new wave of piety, manifested in the sponsorship of religious works of art.


title: Black Death

text: This does not fully explain why the Renaissance occurred in Italy in the 14th century. The Black Death was a pandemic that affected all of Europe in the ways described, not only Italy. The Renaissance's emergence in Italy was most likely the result of the complex interaction of the above factors, in combination with an influx of Greek scholars following the fall of the Byzantine Empire. As a result of the drastic reduction in the populace the value of the working class increased, and commoners came to enjoy more freedom. To answer the increased need for labour, workers travelled in search of the most favorable position economically.


title: Black Death

text: Prior to the emergence of the Black Death, the workings of Europe were run by the Catholic Church and the continent was considered a feudalistic society, composed of fiefs and city-states. The pandemic completely restructured both religion and political forces; survivors began to turn to other forms of spirituality and the power dynamics of the fiefs and city-states crumbled.


title: Black Death

text: Cairo's population, partly owing to the numerous plague epidemics, was in the early 18th century half of what it was in 1347. The populations of some Italian cities, notably Florence, did not regain their pre-14th century size until the 19th century. The demographic decline due to the pandemic had economic consequences: the prices of food dropped and land values declined by 30–40% in most parts of Europe between 1350 and 1400. Landholders faced a great loss, but for ordinary men and women it was a windfall. The survivors of the pandemic found not only that the prices of food were lower but also that lands were more abundant, and many of them inherited property from their dead relatives, and this probably destabilized feudalism.


title: Black Death

text: The word "quarantine" has its roots in this period, though the concept of isolating people to prevent the spread of disease is older. In the city-state of Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik, Croatia), a thirty-day isolation period was implemented in 1377 for new arrivals to the city from plague-affected areas. The isolation period was later extended to forty days, and given the name "quarantino" from the Italian word for "forty".


title: Black Death

text: The plague repeatedly returned to haunt Europe and the Mediterranean throughout the 14th to 17th centuries. According to Jean-Noël Biraben, the plague was present somewhere in Europe in every year between 1346 and 1671. (Note that some researchers have cautions about the uncritical use of Biraben's data.) The second pandemic was particularly widespread in the following years: 1360–63; 1374; 1400; 1438–39; 1456–57; 1464–66; 1481–85; 1500–03; 1518–31; 1544–48; 1563–66; 1573–88; 1596–99; 1602–11; 1623–40; 1644–54; and 1664–67. Subsequent outbreaks, though severe, marked the retreat from most of Europe (18th century) and northern Africa (19th century). The historian George Sussman argued that the plague had not occurred in East Africa until the 1900s. However, other sources suggest that the Second pandemic did indeed reach Sub-Saharan Africa.


title: Black Death

text: According to historian Geoffrey Parker, "France alone lost almost a million people to the plague in the epidemic of 1628–31." In the first half of the 17th century, a plague killed some 1.7 million people in Italy. More than 1.25 million deaths resulted from the extreme incidence of plague in 17th-century Spain.


title: Black Death

text: The Black Death ravaged much of the Islamic world. Plague was present in at least one location in the Islamic world virtually every year between 1500 and 1850. Plague repeatedly struck the cities of North Africa. Algiers lost 30,000–50,000 inhabitants to it in 1620–21, and again in 1654–57, 1665, 1691, and 1740–42. Cairo suffered more than fifty plague epidemics within 150 years from the plague's first appearance, with the final outbreak of the second pandemic there in the 1840s. Plague remained a major event in Ottoman society until the second quarter of the 19th century. Between 1701 and 1750, thirty-seven larger and smaller epidemics were recorded in Constantinople, and an additional thirty-one between 1751 and 1800. Baghdad has suffered severely from visitations of the plague, and sometimes two-thirds of its population had died.


title: Black Death

text: The third plague pandemic (1855–1859) started in China in the mid-19th century, spreading to all inhabited continents and killing 10 million people in India alone. The investigation of the pathogen that caused the 19th-century plague was begun by teams of scientists who visited Hong Kong in 1894, among whom was the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin, after whom the pathogen was named.


title: Black Death

text: Twelve plague outbreaks in Australia between 1900 and 1925 resulted in well over 1,000 deaths, chiefly in Sydney. This led to the establishment of a Public Health Department there which undertook some leading-edge research on plague transmission from rat fleas to humans via the bacillus "Yersinia pestis".


title: Black Death

text: The first North American plague epidemic was the San Francisco plague of 1900–1904, followed by another outbreak in 1907–1908.


title: Black Death

text: Modern treatment methods include insecticides, the use of antibiotics, and a plague vaccine. It is feared that the plague bacterium could develop drug resistance and again become a major health threat. One case of a drug-resistant form of the bacterium was found in Madagascar in 1995. A further outbreak in Madagascar was reported in November 2014. In October 2017, the deadliest outbreak of the plague in modern times hit Madagascar, killing 170 people and infecting thousands.


title: Black Death

text: An estimate of the case fatality rate for the modern bubonic plague, following the introduction of antibiotics, is 11%, although it may be higher in underdeveloped regions.


title: Kevin Hart

text: Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums.


title: Kevin Hart

text: After winning several stand-up comedy competitions, Hart had his first breakthrough when Judd Apatow cast him in a recurring role on the TV series "Undeclared" (2001). He has since had roles in films such as "Paper Soldiers" (2002), "Scary Movie 3" (2003), "Soul Plane" (2004), "In the Mix" (2005), "Little Fockers" (2010), "Think Like a Man" (2012), "Grudge Match" (2013), "Ride Along" (2014) "About Last Night" (2014), "Get Hard" (2015), "Central Intelligence" (2016), "The Secret Life of Pets" film franchise (2016–2019), "Ride Along 2" (2016), "" (2017), the "Jumanji" film franchise (2017–present), and "Night School" (2018). He also created and starred as a fictionalized version of himself in "Real Husbands of Hollywood" (2013–2016).


title: Kevin Hart

text: Hart's comedic reputation continued to grow with the release of his first stand-up album "" (2009). He has since released four more comedy albums: "Seriously Funny" (2010), "" (2011), "" (2013), and "" (2016). In 2015, "Time" Magazine named him on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2017, he launched the Laugh Out Loud Network, a subscription video streaming service in partnership with Lionsgate.


title: Kevin Hart

text: Kevin Darnell Hart was born in Philadelphia on July 6, 1979, the son of Nancy (died 2007) and Henry Hart. He has an older brother named Robert. He was raised in a single-parent household by his mother, who worked as a systems analyst for the Office of Student Registration and Financial Services at the University of Pennsylvania. His father was a cocaine addict who was in and out of jail throughout most of Hart's childhood, prompting Hart to use humor as a way to cope with his troubled family life. His relationship with his father improved after his father recovered from his addiction. He would also later talk about his mother in his stand-up routine, portraying her as a loving yet intimidating woman. After graduating from George Washington High School, Hart briefly attended the Community College of Philadelphia before dropping out and moving to New York City. He then moved to Brockton, Massachusetts, and found work as a shoe salesman.


title: Kevin Hart

text: Hart's first stand-up performance took place at The Laff House in his native Philadelphia under the name of Lil Kev, which did not go well. His career suffered a slow start and he was booed offstage several times, once even having a piece of chicken thrown at him. After those initial unsuccessful shows, he began entering comedy competitions throughout Massachusetts, with audience receptions eventually improving. It took time for Hart to develop a unique comedic style. After an early period of attempting to imitate comedians like Chris Tucker, he found his own rhythm by delving into his insecurities and life experiences. He said, "Because of what I do, it has to be an open book. But right now this is a book that is being written."


title: Kevin Hart

text: Hart's comedy tours began in 2009 with his act titled "", followed by "Seriously Funny" in 2010, "Laugh at My Pain" in 2011, and "" in 2013, the last two of which were also released as features in movie theaters. Hart grossed over $15 million from "Laugh at My Pain", making it one of the year's top-selling comedy tours. Hart also has a game available through iTunes called "Little Jumpman". His Facebook page, Twitter account, and YouTube channel are all connected to and accessible through this app. Most overseas fans of Hart discovered him on YouTube, as well.


title: Kevin Hart

text: On April 9, 2015, Hart embarked on a comedy world tour titled the What Now? Tour at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, which concluded on August 7, 2016, at the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia. On July 16, 2015, Universal Pictures announced that "", a stand-up comedy film featuring a performance of Hart's What Now? Tour, would be theatrically released in the United States on October 14, 2016. The show was filmed live on August 30, 2015, in front of 53,000 people, at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.


title: Kevin Hart

text: Hart came to prominence from his guest appearance in "Undeclared". He made his film debut in the film "Paper Soldiers". Hart then gained further recognition from his other films such as the "Scary Movie" franchise, "Soul Plane", "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", "Death at a Funeral" and "Little Fockers". He turned down a role in the 2008 film "Tropic Thunder" because the character is gay, citing his own "insecurities".


title: Kevin Hart

text: He played Doug in the film "The Five-Year Engagement" (2012) and appeared in "Think Like a Man" which was a box office success. He also appeared in the sequel. He had a cameo as himself in "This Is the End". In 2013, Hart played a boxing promoter in "Grudge Match" and appeared in "Exit Strategy" as Mannequin Head Man. He also appeared in "35 and Ticking".


title: Kevin Hart

text: In 2014, Hart starred as Ben in "Ride Along", opposite Ice Cube. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, but was a major box office success. Hart returned in the sequel, "Ride Along 2", which was released on January 15, 2016.


title: Kevin Hart

text: In 2013, Hart co-created "Real Husbands of Hollywood" with Chris Spencer. The show follows Hart along with other married celebrities (each playing a comical fictionalized version of themselves) within the series including: Boris Kodjoe, Nelly, Duane Martin, J.B. Smoove, Nick Cannon and Robin Thicke. Thicke didn't return for the second season due to his music career, though Hart has stated that the door is open for Thicke to return. The series is intentionally filmed in a style similar to Bravo's "The Real Housewives". Episodes often hinge on the "real" Hart's desperately unsuccessful attempts to climb Hollywood's celebrity social ladder (which always backfire in humiliating ways), and the character's barely-hidden jealousy of his more successful celebrity friends. A sneak peek was shown as a segment during the 2012 BET Awards and the official promo was released in October 2012.


title: Kevin Hart

text: In 2015, Hart starred in the films "Get Hard" with Will Ferrell and "The Wedding Ringer". In 2016, he starred in the movies "Central Intelligence", with Dwayne Johnson and the animated "The Secret Life of Pets". In 2017, he starred in the movies "", in a voice role, and "" with Jack Black, Karen Gillan, and reteaming again with Johnson. He earned an estimated $32.5 million in 2017.


title: Kevin Hart

text: In 2018, he produced his first film under his production company HartBeat Productions, "Night School". In October 2018, it was announced that through his production company, he has signed a first-look deal with Nickelodeon. Under the deal, Hart and his HartBeat Productions banner will develop and produce live-action, scripted kids content for the network. Hart also has a first-look film deal with Universal Studios.


title: Kevin Hart

text: In 2019, Hart's film "The Upside", his first headlining role in a drama, was theatrically released. It also starred Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman. Hart also reprised his role of Snowball in the sequel "The Secret Life of Pets 2".


title: Kevin Hart

text: In 2021, Hart starred in "Fatherhood", a drama about a man whose wife dies shortly after childbirth, leaving him to raise their daughter on his own. It premiered on Netflix on June 18, 2021.


title: Kevin Hart

text: In 2020, his series "Die Hart" premiered on Quibi on July 20 and had a great first weekend, with numerous households streaming the series. On June 9, ROKU and Hart's multi-platform comedy brand Laugh Out Loud returned the series to Roku with a second season.


title: Kevin Hart

text: In addition to returning to his starring role, Hart will also executive produce the second season; Laugh Out Loud CEO and Hart’s longtime business partner, Jeff Clanagan, will serve as a producer on the project.


title: Kevin Hart

text: Hart later played Arnold Drummond in the "Diff'rent Strokes" portion of the third edition of "Live in Front of a Studio Audience"


title: Kevin Hart

text: In 2022, Hart starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in the comedy film, "Me Time". The movie shows how Sonny experiences a wild journey with his friend after finding a much-longed free weekend.


title: Kevin Hart

text: As of October 2016, Hart was set to portray Santa Claus in "Dashing Through the Snow", a planned 2017 Disney Christmas-themed film. In October 2018, it was reported that Chris Rock will direct Hart in a movie based on an original idea by the both of them. The film will be written by "Black-ish" writer Yamara Taylor and the film will revolve around a stay at home dad who raises the kids while his star CEO wife serves as the breadwinner. The man finds himself in emotional and public turmoil when his wife kicks him to the curb, and they engage in a bitter divorce and custody battle. In 2019, Hart signed on to star in and produce "Monopoly", "Black Friday", an untitled international romantic comedy, "Extreme Job", and "Scrooged." He signed a first look deal with Netflix in January 2021. Hart will star as a master thief in the Netflix comedy heist film "Lift" directed by F. Gary Gray alongside Úrsula Corberó from "Money Heist" and Vincent d'Onofrio.


title: Kevin Hart

text: In 2017, Hart founded Laugh Out Loud, a global media and production company to provide opportunities for top comedic talent of all ethnicities worldwide.  Originally partnered with Lionsgate, Hart became majority owner in 2019 after buying out most of the Liongate’s stake. LOL spans the full range of media channels, including digital, audio, linear and experiential, with four divisions: LOL Network, LOL Studios, LOL Audio and LOL X!


title: Kevin Hart

text: Hart has aggressively expanded LOL's reach since its founding, securing partnership deals with PlutoTV, Roku, Snap, Facebook, Peacock, and YouTube. In 2020, he extended his company's agreement with Sirius XM. The network has launched successful programming, including "Cold As Balls" which has amassed over one billion YouTube views, "Kevin Hart: Lyft Legend", "What the Fit", and "Straight From The Hart". LOL has won numerous accolades, including nominations and awards from the Producers Guild of America, Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Realscreen, Streamy, and Webby.


title: Kevin Hart

text: Known for content such as "Cold As Balls", "What the Fit", "Die Hart", and more, the company has amassed more than 1 billion video views across its digital platforms and has worked with brand partners such as AT&T, Headspace, Lyft, Old Spice, P&G, and Viacom.


title: Kevin Hart

text: In addition to acting, Hart has also hosted various ceremonies. Hart first hosted the "2011 BET Awards". Hart then hosted the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. His longtime friend Judd Apatow, the director who gave him his first big on-screen break in the TV series "Undeclared", was the one who recommended him for the gig. Hart hoped that this would project him further into a side career as an emcee, stating, "Hopefully after MTV, of course we're talking Emmys, Oscars, whatever." He has hosted three episodes of "Saturday Night Live". In 2015, Hart hosted the "Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber". In 2016, Hart co-hosted the 2016 MTV Movie Awards with Dwayne Johnson.


title: Kevin Hart

text: Hart has also hosted on HQ Trivia and gave away $100,000 to one person with Scott Rogowsky on September 26, 2018, which had 699K players.


title: Kevin Hart

text: On December 4, 2018, Hart was announced as the host of the 2019 Academy Awards. Two days later, however, he withdrew from hosting duties in the wake of backlash against him over several homophobic tweets he had posted between 2010 and 2011. He characterized the protest as unconstructive and argued, "If you don't believe people change, grow as they get older, I don't know what to tell you". On December 7, he tweeted an apology to the LGBTQ community following criticism for not issuing one the previous day. On January 3, 2019, Hart stated that he was going to reconsider stepping down as host, after openly lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who has hosted the Academy Awards multiple times, expressed support for him to do so and said she had contacted the Academy to ask if Hart would be able to reverse his decision if he wished and, according to DeGeneres, they said he would be able to do so. On January 8, following backlash for what was perceived as an insincere apology by critics, Hart confirmed that he would not be hosting the Academy Awards. That year's ceremony was ultimately held without a host.


title: Kevin Hart

text: On September 9, 2020, executives from the Muscular Dystrophy Association announced plans to relaunch their annual MDA telethon, move it to October 2020, and make Hart its new host, taking over duties that had been previously held from 1966 to 2010 by comedian and former National MDA Chairman, Jerry Lewis. Entitled "The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon", the new two-hour telethon will be seen exclusively through participating social media platforms; the event was held on October 24, 2020, at 8 p.m. EDT.


title: Kevin Hart

text: As Chocolate Droppa, his alias, he signed to Motown Records and released "", the soundtrack to his stand-up . He released the singles "Push It On Me" featuring Trey Songz and "Baller Alert" with Migos & T.I.


title: Kevin Hart

text: In August 2022, Hart debuted a vegetarian restaurant, Hart House, intended to be the start of a restaurant chain able to compete with fast-food chains by "offering flavorful plant-based alternatives". The restaurant opened in Los Angeles, California, about a mile from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), with a simple menu of veggie burgers and Chick'n products. The restaurant's offerings are claimed to be "entirely free of cholesterol, antibiotics, hormones, artificial colors, preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup, or trans fats", and inspired by Hart's own "health nut" lifestyle.


title: Kevin Hart

text: Hart has cited George Carlin, Dave Chappelle, Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy, Patrice O'Neal, Richard Pryor, Keith Robinson, Chris Rock, and Jerry Seinfeld as his influences.


title: Kevin Hart

text: On April 14, 2013, Hart was charged on suspicion of drunk driving after his black Mercedes nearly collided with a tanker truck on a Southern California freeway. He failed a field sobriety test and was booked for misdemeanor DUI. On August 5, he was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading no contest to one count of driving under the influence of alcohol.


title: Kevin Hart

text: Hart married Torrei in 2003, and they filed for divorce in 2010 after citing irreconcilable differences. Hart requested joint custody of their two children, daughter Heaven Leigh (born March 22, 2005) and son Hendrix (born October 8, 2007). The divorce was finalized in November 2011.


title: Kevin Hart

text: On August 18, 2014, Hart became engaged to Eniko Parrish. They were married near Santa Barbara, California, on August 13, 2016. Their son was born on November 21, 2017. A month later, he publicly admitted to having cheated on her while she was pregnant with their son. They reconciled and their second child together, a daughter, was born on September 29, 2020.


title: Kevin Hart

text: An avid poker player since around 2010, Hart has entered major tournaments such as the WSOP, cashing in one event for $4,783 in 2014. He also plays cash games, like the ones organized by PokerStars, and actually became their Brand Ambassador in 2017. As such, he was featured in PokerStars ad campaigns and promotional content, alongside Usain Bolt. As of September 2020, he has earned $47,828 in live tournament cashes.


title: Kevin Hart

text: On September 1, 2019, Hart was a passenger in a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda that went off Mulholland Highway and rolled down an embankment near Calabasas, California. He and the driver reportedly suffered "major back injuries" and were taken to separate hospitals. Hart was released from the hospital ten days later, and continued recovery at a rehabilitation facility.


title: Sharon Tate

text: Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she played small television roles before appearing in films and was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover girl. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic and dramatic acting performances, Tate was hailed as one of Hollywood's most promising newcomers.


title: Sharon Tate

text: She made her film debut in 1961 as an extra in "Barabbas" with Anthony Quinn. She next appeared in the horror film "Eye of the Devil" (1966). Her most remembered performance was as Jennifer North in the 1967 cult classic film "Valley of the Dolls", which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination. That year, she also performed in the film "The Fearless Vampire Killers", directed by her future husband Roman Polanski. Tate's last completed film, "12+1", was released posthumously in 1969.


title: Sharon Tate

text: On August 9, 1969, Tate and four others were murdered by members of the Manson Family, a cult, in the home she shared with Polanski. She was eight-and-a-half months pregnant.


title: Sharon Tate

text: Sharon Marie Tate was born on January 24, 1943, in Dallas, Texas, the eldest of three daughters to Colonel Paul James Tate, a United States Army officer, and his wife, Doris Gwendolyn (née Willett). The family are of English, Scottish, Swiss-French, and Swiss-German descent. At six months of age, Tate won the "Miss Tiny Tot of Dallas Pageant", but her parents had no show business ambitions for their daughter. Paul Tate was promoted and transferred several times. By the age of 16, Tate had lived in six cities and reportedly found it difficult to maintain friendships. Her family described her as shy and lacking in self-confidence. As an adult, Tate commented that people would misinterpret her shyness as aloofness until they knew her better.


title: Sharon Tate

text: Tate attended Chief Joseph Junior High School (now Chief Joseph Middle School) from September 1955 to June 1958, and Columbia High School (now Richland High School) in Richland, Washington, from September 1958 to October 1959. She attended Irvin High School in El Paso, Texas, from late fall 1959 to April 1960; and Vicenza American High School in Vicenza, Italy, from April 1960 to June 1961. Tate graduated from Vicenza American High School in 1961.


title: Sharon Tate

text: As she matured, people commented on Tate's beauty; she began entering beauty pageants, winning the title of "Miss Richland" in Washington in 1959. She spoke of her ambition to study psychiatry and also stated her intention to compete in the "Miss Washington" pageant in 1960; however, before she could do either, her father received orders to be stationed in Italy. With her family relocating to Verona, Tate learned that she had become a local celebrity owing to the publication of a photograph of her in a swimsuit on the cover of the military newspaper "Stars and Stripes". She discovered a kinship with other students at the American school she attended in nearby Vicenza, recognizing that their backgrounds and feelings of separation were similar to her own, and, for the first time in her life, began to form lasting friendships.


title: Sharon Tate

text: Tate and her friends became interested in the filming of "Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man," which was being made nearby with Paul Newman, Susan Strasberg and Richard Beymer, and obtained parts as film extras. Beymer noticed Tate in the crowd and introduced himself, and the two dated during the production of the film, with Beymer encouraging Tate to pursue a film career. In 1960, Tate was employed by the singer Pat Boone and appeared with him in an episode of the television series "The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom" which was filmed in Venice.