Age: 56
male
Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his roles in family and comedy films and his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, and three Golden Globe Award nominations. After portraying supporting roles in films including Dead Man Walking (1995), The Cable Guy (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), and Enemy of the State (1998), Black had his breakout role in the musical film High Fidelity (2000). This led to larger roles in films like Shallow Hal (2001) and Orange County (2002) before he solidified his leading-man status with his starring role in School of Rock (2003). Black has since starred in King Kong (2005), The Holiday (2006), Nacho Libre (2006), Tropic Thunder (2008), Bernie (2011), Goosebumps (2016), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), its sequel Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) and A Minecraft Movie (2025). He has also voiced Po in the Kung Fu Panda franchise (2008–present) and Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie franchise (2023-present). Black is the lead vocalist of the duo Tenacious D, which he formed in 1994 with long-time friend Kyle Gass. In 2015, they won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for "The Last in Line." Since 2018, Black has run a YouTube channel called Jablinski Games. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jack Black, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (released July 25, 2025) reboot‑reintroduces Marvel’s First Family in an alternate, retro‑futuristic Earth‑828 inspired by 1960s aesthetics. Directed by Matt Shakman, the film skips the traditional origin story, presenting Reed Richards and Sue Storm as established heroes already expecting their first child, Franklin. Their team—including Ben Grimm (The Thing) and Johnny Storm (Human Torch)—must suddenly confront the cosmic threat of Galactus and his herald, Silver Surfer (Shalla‑Bal). The story mainly revolves around the family’s struggle to protect Earth by constructing massive teleportation “bridges” that could relocate the entire planet—and ultimately leveraging Franklin’s nascent reality‑warping powers to outwit the world‑devouring deity . Critics have praised the film’s vibrant production design, nostalgic tone, and strong performances—especially by Pedro Pascal (Reed), Vanessa Kirby (Sue), Ebon Moss‑Bachrach (Ben), and Joseph Quinn (Johnny)—but many fault it for its more serious, exposition‑heavy storytelling and minimal character arc development. Reviews note that humor and emotional nuance—hallmarks of previous Fantastic Four adaptations—are largely absent, creating a more somber, streamlined tone. Still, the retro‑futuristic visuals, Michael Giacchino’s score, and a hopeful message about family and unity elevate it as a “promising revitalization” of the franchise, even if it feels tonally uneven at times.
