Marcus G. Curry (born June 1, 1961), known professionally as Mark Curry, is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is best known for his role as Mark Cooper, ex-basketball player turned teacher on the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper which originally aired from 1992 to 1997.
Curry served as one of the hosts of the syndicated series It's Showtime at the Apollo during the early 1990s. Curry co-starred in all three seasons of See Dad Run, Nick at Nite's first original live-action family comedy series, from 2012 to 2015.
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Early life and education
Born in Oakland, California, Curry is the youngest of nine. Curry attended St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in neighboring Alameda, and California State University, East Bay in nearby Hayward. As a child, Curry was a participant at the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC), a local youth organization.
Career
Curry's first role was in the 1991 feature film Talkin' Dirty After Dark where he appeared alongside Martin Lawrence.
Curry's first major role was on the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper which made its debut in September 1992. On the show he played the lead role of Mark Cooper, an National Basketball Association (NBA) player-turned-substitute teacher/gym coach. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was eventually on air for five seasons with over a hundred episodes.
In 1994, Curry guest starred on the sitcom Living Single. In 1997, he made another guest appearance on the sitcom Martin.
Curry was later featured on two episodes of The Jamie Foxx Show as eccentric driving instructor Sergeant Easy.
Curry also made cameos in the 1997 feature film Switchback and 1998 feature film Armageddon.
In 2000, Curry had a recurring role on The Drew Carey Show as Robert Soulard, Drew Carey's boss.
That year he also hosted the Comedy Central game show Don't Forget Your Toothbrush and made a guest appearance on the sitcom For Your Love with his Hangin' with Mr. Cooper co-star, Holly Robinson Peete.
Curry went on to play the lead role of scientist Norton Ballard in the Disney Channel Original Movie The Poof Point. The movie reunited Curry with Hangin' with Mr. Cooper co-star Dawnn Lewis, who played his onscreen wife Marigold.
Curry was the host of the PAX-TV show Animal Tails and BET's Coming to the Stage in 2003. In 2004, he appeared on Celebrity Mole Yucatan. He came in second place to Dennis Rodman.
In 2005, Curry was featured on an episode of Less than Perfect and guest starred as Max Cooper on two episodes of Fat Actress. Curry made another guest appearance on a 2008 episode of the sitcom House of Payne.
Music
Curry was featured in the music video for Too Short's "I Ain't Trippin'". He also appeared in the music video of Bow Wow's "Take Ya Home", where he played a father trying to get his daughter a doll of the rapper.
He appeared in the 2002 song "Oakland Raiders" by Oakland rap group Luniz. Delivering a humorous monologue as the song faded out, Curry asserted his status as a pimp and stated his fondness for big dank. He can be seen in the 2015 music video "Pulled Up" by Young Dolph featuring 2 Chainz and Juicy J; a tribute to the film Coming to America.
Personal life
In May 2007, an Aerosol spray dispenser that had fallen behind a water heater exploded, and Curry, who was doing laundry at the time, was burned on more than 20% of his body, including his arm, back, and side. He spent many months recuperating at his home.
According to an Associated Press interview posted on CNN.com in February 2008, Curry went on The Montel Williams Show to discuss his recovery, and mentioned he considered suicide after waking from a three-day, medically induced coma, but decided against it with the help of friends and fellow comedians, such as Sinbad and Bill Cosby.
2015 private settlement
In August 2026, Mark Curry's name surfaced in media coverage surrounding a major civil lawsuit filed by his former The Poof Point co-star, Raquel Lee. Lee filed a negligence lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company alleging that she was repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped by an unnamed, middle-aged production employee during the film's 2001 production when she was 14 years old. The complaint details that the employee supplied her with alcohol, assaulted her in a hotel room in Salt Lake City where the cast and crew were staying, and assaulted her again on a flight back to California, while production allegedly separated her from her guardian and failed to intervene despite visible signs of intoxication and distress.
While Lee's civil suit focuses on Disney's corporate liability and failure to protect her, media reports highlighted that Lee had previously reached a private, confidential out-of-court settlement with Curry in 2015. Represented at the time by attorney Gloria Allred, Lee entered into the confidential agreement with Curry—who played her father in the Disney Channel movie and was 40 years old during the film's production—concerning separate matters related to the project. Specific details of the 2015 settlement remain private, and neither Lee nor Curry commented on the arrangement following the resurfacing of the case.
