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What is the most important character trait of a human being? Of course, everyone has their own answer to this question, but there is one essential quality for most people - never give up.
This is inherent in Mark Alexander Knox, now better known as Alexander Flex. He was born on April 15, 1970, in New York City. Since childhood, Alexander was interested in everything. He was interested in movies, dance, sports, comedy, music, and more. Early on, he began to work actively on physical fitness. Such training allowed him to get his current name - Flex. The fact is that Alexander often visited nightclubs, where he constantly demonstrated his skills. His athletic body composition and skillful dance movements also brought him a new name.
His first significant change for his professional career was meeting Deidra Muriel Roper, better known as Dj Spinderella. She was already quite famous at that time, as she was a member of the hip-hop band Salt-N-Pepa. Roper was also one of those who noticed Flex's professional dance moves and decided to invite him to perform with them as a dancer. He understood that this could be the first step to a professional career and agreed. Flex proved to be a fantastic dancer and was even able to become a choreographer for the American singer Queen Latifah. Alexander worked with Salt-N-Pepa for three years, but he felt he was capable of more. Although he liked dancing, Flex didn't want to focus only on them because there were so many other things he wanted to try. After much deliberation, he decided to take a risk and left the dance group.
One of his old hobbies was comedy. Flex loved this genre and always wanted to try himself in it. It was this desire that made him try something entirely new for himself: stand-up comedy. Although he had never performed in a comedy genre before, it didn't stop him, and in 1989 he performed his first stand-up show. As a beginner, it was received quite well, but Flex decided to try something new again in the near future, and as it turned out, it was an excellent decision.
Two years later, Flex decided to try himself as an actor. Such a constant change of professions may seem strange to many, but he did not care. He knew exactly what he was doing and was not going to give up. Already in 1992, albeit in a cameo role, he was able to get on the big screen in the film Juice, starring Omar Epps and Tupac Shakur. Even though his role was only episodic, his future in cinema depended heavily on how the film would be perceived. It is possible that if the movie failed, there would be no acting future, but everything worked in his favor. The film received positive reviews from the mass audience.
The next in line was television, where he was able to get the role of Reggie Coltrane in a grid called "Where I Live". Although the show was not popular, it was able to last on the air for 2 seasons. Over the next few years, Flex tried his hand at several movies and TV shows, but mostly it was only episodic roles that did not seem to him an achievement. However, soon everything changed. In 1996, a comedy sci-fi grid called "Homeboys in Outer Space" was released. In it, Flex was able to get one of the leading roles, namely the astronaut Tyberius Walker or simply Ty. Although this sitcom was not so bad, critics gave it very low scores, and despite the fan base, the series lasted only one season. But for Flex, it was not a defeat. Now that he was in the lead role and liked the audience, his chances of participating in more popular movies and series have increased significantly.
In 2001, Flex was lucky enough to win one of the leading roles in a new grid called "One on One". The results of the show exceeded all expectations. The show was extremely successful, and already the first season was watched by 4 million people. The simple and at the same time engaging story of the father and daughter was so liked by the audience that the show was continued for the second season without hesitation. The second season was even more successful than the first, and now the popularity of Flex & Shanice has grown exponentially. One on One lasted on the air for five seasons and was able to win the love of many fans. In addition to the audience’s love, this show and its actors received a large number of nominations from the Image Award, BET Comedy Awards, and others.
In 2006, another film starring Flex was released, which created a sensation among viewers. Of course, we are talking about Snakes on a Plane directed by David R. Ellis. Even before its release, the film attracted viewers’ attention both because of its title, which was very unusual for 2006, and more reminiscent of the films of the 1960s and the cast, starring Samuel L. Jackson. In this film, Flex Alexander played the role of the famous rapper Three G's, who had mysophobia, i.e., fear of germs. Although his box office was not as good as expected, the film became almost cult-like eventually.
Since 2006, in addition to Snakes on a Plane, Flex has also starred in films such as The Hill Have Eyes 2, The List, My Sister's Wedding, and Maybe I'm Fine, as well as television shows such as CSI: Miami, Single Ladies, and In The Cut. Their family reality show called Flex & Shanice was also an unexpected success. The show launched on the Oprah Winfrey Network and was able to win the love of many viewers. Flex & Shanice was able to stay on the air for three seasons and ended in 2016.
In addition to his career, Flex is a family man. He is married to singer Shanice and has two children, namely a daughter Imani and a son Elijah. Reading all this, you might think that he had no problems in life and success came quickly enough, but this is far from the case. For every new, even small success, Flex worked hard even when it had no strength left. Around 2010, he and his family suffered from serious financial problems, and at one time, even ran out of money, but Flex never lost hope. He knew this was a temporary hardship, and he would do whatever it took to secure a good future for his family. Now, as he promised, things are going much better for him. Flex has been successful in many areas of work, including finance and marketing. It has once again proved one important truth: no matter how difficult times are, no matter how hopeless the situation may seem, you don't have to give up. Hard work and self-belief will help to overcome any obstacles.