Martin Lawrence first appeared in the American sitcom ‘What's Happening Now!!’ in 1987. He played the role of ‘Maurice Warfield’ and remained a part of the series until it went off-air in 1988. In 1989, he made his big-screen debut in the American comedy-drama film ‘Do the Right Thing’ directed by Spike Lee. The film was a critical and commercial success and came to be regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. The following year, he starred as ‘Bilal’ in the American comedy film ‘House Party’ directed by Reginald Hudlin. The film saw critical acclaim upon release and was a commercial success. He reprised his role as ‘Bilal’ in the 1991 American comedy film ‘House Party 2,’ the sequel to the 1990 ‘House Party.’ The film was a commercial success. In 1995, he starred as ‘Detective Marcus Burnett’ in the Michael Bay-directed American buddy cop action comedy film ‘Bad Boys.’ Despite opening to a mixed reception, the film was a major commercial success. He next appeared in films like ‘A Thin Line Between Love and Hate’ (1996), ‘Nothing to Lose’ (1997), ‘Life’ (1999), and ‘Blue Streak’ (1999).
In 2000, he starred as ‘Malcolm Turner/Big Momma’ in the crime comedy film ‘Big Momma's House’ directed by Raja Gosnell. Even though the film was panned by critics, it did well at the box office. Lawrence also received several award nominations, including the ‘Blockbuster Entertainment Award’ and ‘MTV Movie Award’ nominations, for his performance in the film. He continued to star in films like ‘What's the Worst That Could Happen?’ (2001), ‘Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat’ (2002), ‘National Security’ (2003), ‘Bad Boys II’ (2003), ‘Rebound’ (2005), ‘Big Momma's House 2’ (2006), ‘Wild Hogs’ (2007), ‘Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins’ (2008), ‘Death at a Funeral’ (2010), ‘Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son’ (2011), and ‘The Beach Bum’ (2019). He was last seen in the 2020 American action comedy film ‘Bad Boys for Life’ where he reprised his role as ‘Detective Lieutenant Marcus Miles Burnett.’ The film was a critical and commercial success.