The best Martin Lawrence movies and TV shows started out thanks to his television roles, but he actually got his first big break thanks to Spike Lee. While he was mostly involved in boxing when he was in school, he started working as a comedian when he got out of school and actually began to make a living working standup shows. This led to Martin moving to New York City and joining The Improv, which got him a role on Star Search. That was his true big break, as it got him noticed in Hollywood.

This earned him the attention of Spike Lee, who gave Lawrence his first movie role in the award-winning Do The Right Thing. After this, he got roles in movies like House Party and Boomerang, and he finally was able to get his own starring role when he signed on to star in the comedy sitcom Martin.