Reintroducing Cedric The Entertainer as "The Soul Man"

Cedric 'The Entertainer' will play Reverend Boyce 'The Voice' Ballentine in TV Land's new original sitcom, "The Soul Man". The show revolves around Reverend Boyce, an R&B superstar-turned-minister who relocates to St. Louis with his family to preach in his father's church.

Charismatic actor and comedian Cedric "The Entertainer" is best known for his many crowd-pleasing performances in such hit films as "Barbershop," "Be Cool" with John Travolta, "Madagascar," "Intolerable Cruelty" with George Clooney, "Johnson Family Vacation," (the 2004 box office hit in which Cedric was both star and producer), and "The Original Kings of Comedy," MTV'S phenomenally successful documentary feature directed by Spike Lee, to name a few.

Additionally, on the big screen, Cedric has also been seen in "Cadillac Records" co-starring Adrien Brody and Beyonce Knowles, "Street Kings" opposite Keanu Reeves, "Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins" with Martin Lawrence, "Talk to Me" starring Don Cheadle, "Code Name: The Cleaner" opposite Lucy Liu, "The Honeymooners," "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" with Jim Carrey, "Man of the House" with Tommy Lee Jones, "Barbershop 2," "Big Momma's House," "Kingdom Come" with Whoopi Goldberg, "Serving Sara" with Matthew Perry, as well as displaying tremendous voiceover talent in the beloved family features "Madagascar 2," "Charlotte's Web," "Dr. Dolittle 2" and "Ice Age."

In 2006, Cedric's first-ever HBO comedy special, "Cedric The Entertainer: Taking You Higher", was the highest-rated special of the year for the network. In 2008, Cedric made his Broadway debut in David Mamet's masterpiece "American Buffalo," and his performance was singled out for critical praise.

Cedric's universal appeal, versatility, and remarkable career successes spanning television, live performances and film have solidified his standing as one of the premiere entertainers in the world.

As for more big screen credits, Cedric recently co-starred with Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks in the comedy feature "Larry Crowne," and appearing opposite Christina Ricci in "All"s Faire in Love: Romance Has a Renaissance." He will soon be seen in the political drama "Grass Roots," directed by Steven Gyllenhaal, and will return once again to voice Maurice in Dreamworks Animation"s "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted."

Some notable career accolades for the multi-talented funny man include nabbing The AFTRA Award of Excellence in Television Programming for his FOX Television series "Cedric the Entertainer Presents," and a record-breaking four consecutive NAACP Image Awards for 'Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series' for his portrayal of the lovable Coach Cedric Robinson on the WB's #1-rated "The Steve Harvey Show," which ran for six seasons.

His first comedy book, "Grown-Ass Man", was released in January 2002 and sold out across the country. In 2001, a viewing audience of over 144 million saw Cedric star in the Bud Light commercial that landed in the #1 spot during the Super Bowl broadcast, which led USA Today to dub him "Madison Avenue's Most Valuable Player." And, in 1994, Cedric received The Richard Pryor Comic of the Year Award from Black Entertainment Television for his ground-breaking work as host of "Def Comedy Jam" and BET's "Comic View."

Now helming his own production company, A Bird And A Bear Entertainment, Cedric develops and produces feature films, including "Johnson Family Vacation," which was the first under the banner. In 2009, he made his directorial debut overseeing the dance-film spoof "Dance Fu" starring rising comic actor Kel Mitchell.

The 2011 launch of his WHOCed designer hat line marks yet another facet of the busy and creative comedy star. As a philanthropist, Cedric founded The Cedric The Entertainer Charitable Foundation, which provides scholarships and outreach programs to enhance the lives of inner-city youth and their families in his hometown of St. Louis, MO. Cedric has awarded over 100 scholarships and countless incentives through his foundation, and plans to extend its reach to a national level.