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Tommy Chong

Tommy Chong in New York City
Born May 24, 1938 (1938-05-24) (age 70)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Occupation Actor, Comic, Business, Musician,

Thomas "Tommy" B. The City of New York Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Comics (via Latin from the Greek "" kōmikos, of or pertaining to "comedy" from kōmos "revel" A business (also called firm or an enterprise) is a legally recognized organizational entity designed to provide goods and/or services to A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a Kin Chong (born May 24, 1938) is a Canadian-American comedian, actor and musician who is well-known for his stereotypical portrayals of hippie-era stoners. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a The Hippie Subculture was originally a Youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world He is most widely known for his role as Anthony Stoner in the marijuana-themed Cheech & Chong comedy movies with Cheech Marin. Cheech & Chong are a Comedy duo, consisting of Richard "Cheech" Marin and Tommy Chong, who found a wide audience in the 1970s and 1980s for their Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13 1946 is an American Comedian and Actor who gained recognition as part of the comedy act He played Leo Chingkwake on FOX's That '70s Show. Leonard Chingkwake is a character on the Fox Sitcom That '70s Show. That '70s Show is an American television sitcom that centered on the lives of a group of teenagers living in the fictional town of

Contents

Biography

Early life

Chong was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the son of Lorna Jean (born Gilchrist), a waitress, and Stanley Chong, a truck driver. Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. [1] Chong's father was of Chinese descent and his mother was of Scots-Irish ancestry. Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. [2][3][4] When Chong was still young, the family moved to Calgary, Alberta, to a neighbourhood Chong refers to as the Dog Patch. Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada He says that his father had "been wounded in World War II, and there was a veterans' hospital in Calgary. He bought a five-hundred dollar house in Dog Patch, and raised his family on fifty dollars a week". He later went on to graduate from Victoria School back in Edmonton, Alberta. [5]

Music career

By age eleven Chong was playing guitar, chiefly country-and-western music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Soon, he was introduced to rhythm and blues, became a professional musician, and quit school. He formed one of Calgary's earliest rock and roll/rhythm and blues bands, the Colors or the Shades, but was eventually requested by the police to leave town after a particularly rowdy gig, according to his account. Chong and the Shades then left for the closest metropolis, Vancouver, where Chong bought a club, the Elegant Parlour, and played guitar and sang in the house band, a Motown-style band named Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers were a soul band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It has been incorrectly reported that Jimi Hendrix played with the group. James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter Hendrix did briefly visit Vancouver in 1965, but did not appear with Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers. Chong disputes this ever happened and that any such appearance is a product of Taylor's "imagination. "[6]

Cheech & Chong

Main article: Cheech & Chong

Later career

Cheech and Chong, while one of the most successful comedy acts of all time, experienced creative differences and split in 1985. Cheech & Chong are a Comedy duo, consisting of Richard "Cheech" Marin and Tommy Chong, who found a wide audience in the 1970s and 1980s for their This was devastating to Chong. To him, Cheech Marin was "closer than a wife. Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13 1946 is an American Comedian and Actor who gained recognition as part of the comedy act The only thing we didn't do was have sex. " Of their split, he says, "It was like a death in the family. I don't know if I'll ever get over it". Chong was a recurring character and later a regular character as the hippie "Leo" during the second, third, fourth, seventh, and eighth seasons of That '70s Show. Leonard Chingkwake is a character on the Fox Sitcom That '70s Show. That '70s Show is an American television sitcom that centered on the lives of a group of teenagers living in the fictional town of He also played a role as a hippie in Dharma and Greg. Dharma & Greg is an American Television Situation comedy co-produced by Chuck Lorre Productions More-Medavoy Productions and In 2005, Chong returned to his role as Leo on That '70s Show.

Chong was originally going to voice the character of Shenzi the hyena in the Disney film The Lion King, which would have had him performing once more with Cheech Marin, who voiced Banzai (the Shenzi character was later changed to be female, and voiced instead by Whoopi Goldberg). Shenzi Banzai and Ed are a fictional trio of villainous Spotted hyenas who first appeared in the 1994 Disney Animated film The Lion The Lion King is a 1994 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, released in theaters on June 15 1994 Whoopi Goldberg (born Caryn Elaine Johnson; November 13, 1955) is an American actress, comedienne, and television

In September 2005 a/k/a Tommy Chong premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. a/k/a Tommy Chong is a Documentary film that chronicles a Drug Enforcement Administration raid on comedian Tommy Chong 's house and his subsequent The Toronto International Film Festival ( TIFF) is a publicly-attended Film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada The documentary, produced, written and directed by Josh Gilbert, chronicles Chong's comedic and personal history, which motivated Federal Prosecutor Mary Beth Buchanan to target him in the Justice Department's 12 million dollar sting, "Operation Pipe Dream," under Attorney General John Ashcroft. Mary Beth Buchanan, birth name "Mary Beth Kotcella" (born July 25, 1963) a United States Republican attorney Operation Pipe Dreams was the code-name for a US nationwide investigation in 2003 targeting businesses selling drug paraphernalia mostly Marijuana pipes and Bongs John David Ashcroft (born May 9 1942) is an American Politician who was the 79th United States Attorney General. The project features interviews with Cheech Marin, Bill Maher, George Thorogood, Peter Coyote, Lou Adler, Eric Schlosser and Jay Leno. William "Bill" Maher Jr, (ˈmɑɹ born January 20 1956) is an American Stand-up comedian, Television host, George Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is a Blues-rock performer from Wilmington Delaware. Peter Coyote (born October 10, 1941) is an American actor and author and has narrated many documentaries and Audio books. Lou Adler (born December 13, 1933) is an American Record producer, manager and director Eric Schlosser (born August 17, 1959) is an award-winning American journalist and Author known for investigative or Muckraking James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno (born April 28 1950 is an Emmy Award -winning American Stand-up comedian and Television host

Personal life

Chong was married to his first wife, Maxine Sneed from 1960 until their divorce in 1970. Their children were Rae Dawn and Robbi. Rae Dawn Chong (born February 28, 1961) is a Canadian -born American actress Robbi Lynn Chong (born May 28, 1965) is a Canadian Actress and former model. He married his second wife Shelby in 1975. He has three children with her: sons Paris and Gilbran, and daughter Precious. Precious (b. 1968) was born to Chong and Shelby while he was still married to Maxine. Marcus (b. Marcus Chong (born Marcus Wyatt on July 8, 1967) is an American Actor. Marcus Wyatt, 1967) is Chong's son by adoption.

Both Robbi and Rae Dawn have pursued careers in acting. Although not widely recognized or active in the Asian Canadian community, Chong is certainly one of the most famous of Asian Canadian hippies, and among the most famous Asian Canadian comics of all time. In the late 1980s, Chong became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Naturalization is the acquisition of Citizenship or Nationality by somebody who was not a citizen or national of that country when he or she was born The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Chong is a marijuana activist and is a supporter of marijuana legalization & medical use of marijuana. [7] He is a regular contributor to Cannabis Culture Magazine and sits on the NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) advisory board. Cannabis Culture Magazine is a bimonthly magazine which is devoted to Cannabis and the worldwide cannabis culture The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws ( NORML, ˈnɔrməl is a Washington D

Legal trouble

US vs. Chong

In 2003, Chong was targeted by two American investigations code-named Operation Pipe Dream and Operation Headhunter, which sought out businesses selling drug paraphernalia, mostly water pipes. Operation Pipe Dreams was the code-name for a US nationwide investigation in 2003 targeting businesses selling drug paraphernalia mostly Marijuana pipes and Bongs Operation Pipe Dreams was the code-name for a US nationwide investigation in 2003 targeting businesses selling drug paraphernalia mostly Marijuana pipes and Bongs Drug paraphernalia is defined by the American Federal Drug Enforcement Administration as any equipment product or material that is modified for making using or concealing See also Bong (disambiguation A bong, also commonly known as a water pipe, is a smoking device generally used to smoke cannabis, Tobacco Operation Pipe Dream was run out of Pittsburgh, PA. US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan oversaw the case. Mary Beth Buchanan, birth name "Mary Beth Kotcella" (born July 25, 1963) a United States Republican attorney The estimated costs of Operation Pipe Dream was over $12 Million and included the resources of 2,000 law enforcement officers. [8]

Tommy Chong was charged for his part in financing and promoting Chong Glass/Nice Dreams, a company started by his son Paris. Mr. Chong’s case never went through a federal trial; instead Mr. Chong came to a settlement with US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan’s office in which he admitted to distributing 7,500 bongs and water pipes on the Internet through Nice Dreams, a family company that was named for one of his movies. Chong agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute drug paraphernalia in exchange for non-prosecution of his wife, Shelby, and his son, Paris. Tommy fully cooperated with the government and was the first of Operation Pipe Dreams’ defendants to plead guilty. [8]

At Mr. Chong’s sentencing, Assistant US Attorney Mary McKeen Houghton stated in her sentencing arguments that Tommy Chong "used his public image to promote this crime" and marketed his products to children. [9] US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan also was present at the sentencing of Mr. Mary Beth Buchanan, birth name "Mary Beth Kotcella" (born July 25, 1963) a United States Republican attorney Chong and released a statement to the press stating, "there are consequences for violating the law, even if the violator is a well-known entertainer like Thomas Chong. " [8]

While Mr. Chong argued for community service and home detention at his sentencing, the district judge denied Mr. Chong’s requests and sentenced him to 9 months in federal prison, a fine of $20,000, forfeiture of $103,514, and the loss of all merchandise seized during the raid of his business. [9] Chong served his sentence from October 8, 2003 to July 7, 2004. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

Controversy

While government officials denied that Chong was treated any differently from the other defendants, many felt that he was made an example of by the government. Soon afterwards, marijuana advocates started the Free Tommy Chong! movement that called for his release. The controversy over Tommy Chong’s prosecution centered on the rationale behind focusing on Tommy Chong as opposed to his son, Paris, the disparity in sentences that Tommy Chong received compared to other defendants, and the tactics that the DEA utilized in carrying out the investigation. [8]

Paris, Tommy’s son, had started the Nice Dreams in 1999. At the time of the indictment period, Paris was the CEO of the company that was the center of the investigation. Paris was never charged with a crime in relation to the investigation. When asked why the government had focused on Tommy Chong opposed to the company’s CEO, Paris, US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan responded that “Tommy Chong was the more responsible corporate officer because he financed and marketed the product. ” [8]

Of the 55 people targeted in the investigation, Tommy Chong was the only one without previous convictions that received jail time. [8] When questioned on the disparity between sentences/fines that the other 54 individuals received compared to Mr. Chong, US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan stated, "He (Tommy Chong) wasn't the biggest supplier. He was a relatively new player, but he had the ability to market products like no other. " [10]

In investigating the operations of Nice Dreams, federal agents posed as head-shop owners from Pittsburgh’s neighboring Beaver County and plead with Paris to sell them his pipes through the mail to a fictitious shop in Beaver Falls. Paris had set in place a company prohibition against selling to Pittsburgh or anywhere in western Pennsylvania. [8] The prohibition was put in place in response to the successful federal prosecution of Akhil Kumar Mishra and his wife, Rajeshwari, whose two head shops sold drug paraphernalia in the city’s downtown. [8] To date, it is unclear how the prohibition was broken and there exists differing accounts as to who broke the company policy which resulted in the action that brought about the ability of the US Attorney to argue that jurisdiction for the crime rests in Pittsburgh opposed to California, the base of operations for Nice Dreams. [8]

Aftermath

Since his release, Tommy Chong has been an avid critic of the case that has been brought against him. In December 2004, Mr. Chong was to appear in an off-Broadway in a show entitled The Marijuana-Logues, a parody of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues. The Marijuana-Logues is an Off-Broadway Comedy show in New York City. Eve Ensler (b May 25 1953 in New York) is an American Playwright, Performer, Feminist and Activist The Vagina Monologues is an Obie Award -winning episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off-Broadway Westside Theatre His legal concerns, including that audiences were actually smoking marijuana in some of the shows early in its tour ultimately caused him to cancel the show. [11]

In 2006, Chong wrote a book about his experiences in jail and his interest in meditation, called The I Chong: Meditations From The Joint (ISBN 1-4169-1554-0). There was also a documentary film chronicling the Drug Enforcement Administration raid on comedian Tommy Chong's house and his subsequent jail sentence for trafficking in illegal drug paraphernalia entitled a/k/a Tommy Chong. a/k/a Tommy Chong is a Documentary film that chronicles a Drug Enforcement Administration raid on comedian Tommy Chong 's house and his subsequent Tommy Chong has stated publicly that he has no ownership in the film.

Seizure of a/k/a Tommy Chong DVDs

On May 7th, 2008, federal agents raided Spectrum Labs on an investigation related to Spectrum Labs’ detoxication products. The raid, one of nine during the day, was part of Operation True Test, an investigation being led by U. Operation True Test was the code-name for a nationwide investigation in 2008 targeting businesses selling "masking products" that are supposed to help drug-users pass employer S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan. Mary Beth Buchanan, birth name "Mary Beth Kotcella" (born July 25, 1963) a United States Republican attorney The investigation targeted companies that sell "masking products" that are supposed to help drug-users pass employer drug tests. Of the nine search warrants issued, none were for businesses within Mary Beth Buchanan's district, the Western District of Pennsylvania. [12]

In executing their search warrant, the federal agents seized over 10,000 copies of Tommy Chong’s yet to be released documentary, a/k/a Tommy Chong. [13] It has yet to be determined exactly why the DVDs were seized during the raid. Tommy Chong has speculated that the seizure may rest with prohibitions against one benefiting financially from a crime; however Mr. Chong has not released publicly that he has been charged with such an offense. In a statement released to the press, Tommy Chong stated "It's (the seizure of the DVDs) a way to punish the distributor financially. There's no way to get the DVDs back until the investigation is over. " Chong also stated that he has no ownership in the film, a/k/a Tommy Chong. [12]

Filmography

TV Series

Voices

Movies

References

  1. ^ Tommy Chong Biography (1938-)
  2. ^ http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7072
  3. ^ http://tv.yahoo.com/thomas-chong/contributor/264446
  4. ^ http://www.mahalo.com/Tommy_Chong
  5. ^ Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong Biographies
  6. ^ Kayce, Aaron (2007). Tommy Chong: From Guitar to Bong. Harp. HarpMagazine. com. Retrieved on 2007-09-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina.
  7. ^ Tommy Chong - NORML
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Chong Family Values", LA Weekly Times, 4th December 2003.  
  9. ^ a b "Chong Actor Tommy Chong gets nine months for selling pot pipes", Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 13th September 2003.  
  10. ^ "Tommy Chong’s Bongs", Reason Magazine, may 2004.  
  11. ^ ""The Marijuana-Logues" up in smoke; Tommy Chong cancels tour", The Seatle Times, 28th February 2005.  
  12. ^ a b "Buchanan picks new target: products that mask drug use", Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 11th May 2008.  

External links

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