50 Fun Facts About Famous Chrises

Chris Rock voices Marty, who slips out of the Central Park Zoo, as which animal in Madagascar?

A zebra called Marty has grown tired of zoo life and wants to roam free. When he gets out on his tenth birthday, Alex the lion, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo go after him.

Chris Pratt played lovable slacker Andy Dwyer on which sitcom before leading Guardians of the Galaxy?

Parks and Recreation meant Andy to be a temporary character, but Pratt impressed the producers so much that they made him a series regular.

Before playing Thor, Chris Hemsworth spent three years as Kim Hyde on which Australian soap opera?

Home and Away cast him as Kim Hyde after he auditioned for a different part, Robbie Hunter, and missed out. He also competed on Australia's Dancing with the Stars.

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield filmed a music video in orbit in 2013, covering which David Bowie song?

Space Oddity was his farewell to the International Space Station, released just after he handed over command. Hadfield was also the first Canadian to walk in space.

Chris Martin formed which band with three fellow students at University College London in the late 1990s?

Coldplay played their first gig under the name Starfish, chosen in a panic a few days before the show. Martin is the singer and pianist as well as a co-founder.

Before Captain America, Chris Evans played which Marvel character in two Fantastic Four films?

Human Torch Johnny Storm was his first comic-book role, in 2005 and again in 2007. Evans at first turned down Captain America, until Robert Downey Jr. encouraged him to take it.

Home Alone director Chris Columbus wrote which 1984 film about creatures never to be fed after midnight?

Gremlins began as a script he dreamed up in a loft apartment, and Steven Spielberg phoned to buy it. Columbus then moved to Los Angeles and wrote The Goonies for Spielberg's company.

Chris Pine took over which Starfleet captain, first played by William Shatner, in the 2009 Star Trek reboot?

James T. Kirk was a part Pine turned down another film to accept. He later sat down with Shatner himself for The Captains, a documentary that Shatner wrote and directed.

Seth Green voices Chris Griffin, a teenager tormented by the monkey in his closet, in which animated sitcom?

Family Guy later reveals that the monkey is no villain after all. Green based the voice on how Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs might sound over a McDonald's PA system.

Chris Sanders co-directed which 2002 Disney film and also provides the voice of its blue alien star?

Lilo & Stitch grew from a character Sanders had created back in 1985, and he has voiced Stitch in most appearances since. He went on to co-direct How to Train Your Dragon.

Chris Farley and David Spade starred in which 1995 comedy about an heir saving an Ohio auto parts firm?

Tommy Boy was the first of his two films with Spade, a close friend from Saturday Night Live. Farley disliked the follow-up, Black Sheep, the studio's attempt to recapture the chemistry.

Chris Tucker played LAPD detective James Carter opposite Jackie Chan in which action-comedy film series?

Rush Hour nearly went to Martin Lawrence, who was first considered for the part of Carter. Its success let Tucker command $25 million for the third film.

Bradley Cooper played Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in which 2014 Clint Eastwood film, named after Kyle's own memoir?

American Sniper reached cinemas after its subject's death. Kyle was murdered at a shooting range in Texas in 2013, the year before the film came out.

Will Smith played Chris Gardner, a salesman left homeless with his young son, in which 2006 film?

The Pursuit of Happyness takes its misspelt title from the word as it appears outside the daycare that Gardner's son attends. The real Gardner makes a cameo in the final scene.

Chris McCandless, who starved in an abandoned bus in Alaska, is the subject of which Jon Krakauer book?

Into the Wild became a 2007 film directed by Sean Penn, with Emile Hirsch in the lead. In 2020 the Alaska Army National Guard airlifted the bus away by Chinook helicopter.

Chris Cornell sang for which Seattle band behind Black Hole Sun before fronting Audioslave?

Soundgarden won Grammys for two singles from the album Superunknown. Cornell also co-wrote and sang the theme song for the James Bond film Casino Royale.

Chris Christie's second term as governor of which state was dogged by the Bridgegate lane-closure scandal?

New Jersey appointees closed toll lanes at the George Washington Bridge to create traffic jams in the town of Fort Lee. Christie served as governor from 2010 to 2018.

Chris Bosh won two NBA titles as part of the Big Three with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade at which team?

Miami Heat teams with Bosh reached four straight NBA Finals before a blood clotting condition cut his career short. He had spent his first seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors.

Chris Froome, who won the Tour de France four times riding for Britain, was born in which African country?

Kenya was the country he first raced for, before he switched to a British licence. Froome's parents were of British origin, and he grew up partly in South Africa.

Daniel Kaluuya played Chris Washington, who visits his girlfriend's parents, in which Jordan Peele film?

Get Out won Jordan Peele the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, a first for an African-American writer. Kaluuya was nominated for Best Actor for the role.

Chris Hipkins became prime minister of which country in January 2023 after Jacinda Ardern resigned?

New Zealand's Labour Party elected him leader unopposed, so he took the top job without a contest. Hipkins is nicknamed Chippy, a play on his initials.

Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova's greatest rival, won seven singles titles at which Grand Slam tournament?

French Open victories made up seven of her 18 major singles titles, with six more coming at the US Open. Evert also finished seven different years as the world number one.

Chris Paul's alley-oop passes to Blake Griffin earned which NBA team the nickname Lob City?

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin coined the name when news of Paul's trade reached the team. An earlier deal sending Paul to the Lakers had been voided by the NBA.

Chris Harrison hosted which ABC reality dating show for its first 25 seasons, from 2002 until 2021?

The Bachelor also handed Harrison its spin-offs to host, among them The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. He stepped down for good in June 2021.

Chris Hughes co-founded which social network at Harvard before volunteering for Barack Obama's 2008 campaign?

Facebook recruited him through Mark Zuckerberg, whom he met at Harvard, and he was its spokesman until 2007. In 2012 Hughes bought a majority stake in The New Republic magazine.

Chris Carter created which 1990s Fox series about the FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully?

The X-Files was rejected when Carter first pitched it to Fox. He had come to television after thirteen years at Surfing Magazine, where he became editor at the age of 28.

Chris Van Allsburg wrote which picture book about a magical Christmas Eve train, later a Tom Hanks film?

The Polar Express won him a second Caldecott Medal, after Jumanji. The story grew from his mental image of a child in foggy woods wondering where a train was headed.

Ellen Burstyn played Chris MacNeil, whose daughter Regan becomes possessed, in which 1973 horror film?

The Exorcist cast relative unknowns such as Burstyn and Linda Blair instead of major stars, a choice that drew opposition from executives at Warner Bros.

River Phoenix played Chris Chambers in which 1986 film based on Stephen King's novella The Body?

Stand by Me follows four friends who set out to find a missing boy's body, believing it will make them local heroes. It is set in 1959 in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon.

Chris Redfield, who explores a zombie-filled mansion with Jill Valentine, debuted in which video game series?

Resident Evil later had him punch a boulder into lava, a scene from the fifth game that became an internet meme. He began in 1996 as one of the original game's two playable characters.

Chris Colfer, author of The Land of Stories books, played Kurt Hummel in which musical TV series?

Glee won Colfer a Golden Globe in 2011 for his performance as Kurt. His grandmother was his first editor, encouraging the fairytale novel he began writing in elementary school.

Chris Elliott played mayor Roland in which Canadian sitcom starring Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara?

Schitt's Creek came decades after his first break, as a writer and performer on Late Night with David Letterman. That writing won him four consecutive Emmy Awards.

Chris O'Donnell first played Robin, the Boy Wonder, opposite Val Kilmer's caped crusader in which 1995 film?

Batman Forever was followed by a famous near miss: he turned down the part of Agent J in Men in Black, which went to Will Smith. O'Donnell returned as Robin two years later.

Saturday Night Live alumnus Chris Parnell voices hapless father Jerry Smith in which adult animated series?

Rick and Morty is one of several cartoon jobs for Parnell, who also voices Cyril Figgis in Archer. On screen he played the dubious Dr. Leo Spaceman in 30 Rock.

Chris Stapleton sang Tennessee Whiskey at the 2015 CMA Awards in a duet with which pop star?

Justin Timberlake also shared his own song Drink You Away with Stapleton that night. Stapleton's cover of Tennessee Whiskey went on to earn a diamond certification.

Guitarist Chris Stein co-founded which New York new wave band with singer Debbie Harry in the 1970s?

Blondie's founders met in 1973, when Stein joined the Stillettoes as guitarist and Harry was one of the singers. A photographer too, he documented New York's early punk scene.

Chris Lowe, who trained as an architect, formed which British synth-pop duo with singer Neil Tennant?

Pet Shop Boys began after the pair met in a hi-fi shop on King's Road in London in 1981. During his studies Lowe designed a staircase for an industrial estate in Milton Keynes.

Chris de Burgh topped the UK chart in 1986 with which ballad, written about his wife Diane?

The Lady in Red recalls the first time he saw Diane, who used to come and watch him perform at his parents' hotel. It also reached the top three in the United States.

Chris Webber led a University of Michigan freshman class to two NCAA title games under which nickname?

Fab Five memories are dominated by the 1993 final, where Webber called a timeout his team did not have. The technical foul effectively handed the game to North Carolina.

Chris Blackwell founded which record label in Jamaica in 1959, later signing Bob Marley and U2?

Island Records began by recording the Jamaican music that became known as ska. Blackwell later became the owner of Goldeneye, the house where Ian Fleming wrote the James Bond books.

Chris Patten was the last British governor of which territory, handed over to China in 1997?

Hong Kong locals nicknamed him Fat Pang, making him the only governor with a widely recognised Chinese nickname. After the handover he sailed away on the royal yacht Britannia.

Chris Moneymaker, an accountant who got in via an $86 online qualifier, won the 2003 World Series of which game?

Poker boomed after the unknown amateur took the $2.5 million first prize, a surge the press called the Moneymaker effect. Moneymaker really is his surname.

Chris Daughtry formed his self-named band after placing fourth on the fifth season of which TV talent show?

American Idol brought him an unusual offer in mid-season. The band Fuel, whose song he had covered on the show, invited him to become its new lead singer.

Olympic champion Chris Hoy took up cycling after seeing the BMX bikes in which Spielberg film?

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial sent the young Hoy off on a first bike that cost £5. He raced BMX for years before turning to the track, where he won his gold medals.

Chris Sarandon, Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride, is the speaking voice of which animated character?

Jack Skellington has stayed with Sarandon beyond The Nightmare Before Christmas, into video games such as Kingdom Hearts. He was Oscar-nominated for Dog Day Afternoon.

Chris Cooper won an Oscar for playing John Laroche in which 2002 film written by Charlie Kaufman?

Adaptation grew out of Kaufman's own writer's block as he struggled to turn Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief into a script. Cooper won for Best Supporting Actor.

Chris Isaak had a sleeper hit after David Lynch used which of his songs in a 1990 film?

Wicked Game drew little attention as a single until an Atlanta radio music director, a Lynch fan, heard it in the film and put it on air. Lynch also directed its first video.

Wrestler Chris Jericho became lead vocalist in 1999 of which heavy metal band that began by playing covers?

Fozzy started out as Fozzy Osbourne, a play on the name of the singer Ozzy Osbourne. Their first two albums were mostly cover songs before original material took over.

Turner Prize winner Chris Ofili is known for paintings that incorporate lumps of which unusual material?

Elephant dung on his painting The Holy Virgin Mary led to a lawsuit between New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and the Brooklyn Museum of Art when it was shown there in 1999.

Chris Kraft, NASA's first flight director, is remembered as the father of which NASA institution?

Mission Control's building in Houston was named after Kraft in 2011. A decade earlier he had published a memoir called Flight: My Life in Mission Control.