Flex Alexander, also known as Flex, is an actor, comedian, and dancer who was born Mark Alexander Knox. He is well recognized for his role on One on One as Flex Washington. Knox has won the BET Comedy Awards twice and the NAACP Image Awards four times. In addition, he is the author of The Joshua Run, a graphic novel.
Flex is also known for hosting his own reality show, Flex and Shanice, which he co-hosted with his wife, Shanice, from 2014 to 2016. Alexander and his wife have faced various challenges, including going bankrupt and enduring numerous career setbacks.
The 51-year-old actor/comedian, who is a Phi Beta Sigma fraternity member, battled back hard to save his family’s finances. In the information below, learn about all of his challenges and how he overcame them. Learn about his childhood, work, personal life, and much more.
Flex Alexander’s Childhood; He Lost A Friend To Gun Violence
Alexander was born on April 15, 1970, in Harlem, New York. Alethia Knox and Robert Whitehead are his parents. His mother worked three to four jobs to provide for him and his brothers. While the exact number of Knox’s offspring is unknown, Flex does have an older brother and a younger sister.
A Troubled Childhood and a Near-Death Experience In a Fight on the Street
Robert Whitehead, Knox’s father, was a bass guitarist who died in 1989. Only three times did Flex and Whitehead cross paths. Flex described his father as a “rolling stone” who was looking for something but didn’t know what he was looking for, according to People.
Dwayne, his younger brother, became involved with bad apples and turned to the streets and illegal substances. Dwayne would succumb to AIDS later in life.
Flex Alexander was born and raised in the South Bronx
Flex Alexander attends the 12th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational (MJCI) Gala on April 5, 2013 at the Aria Resort and Casino at City Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. James Atoa/Everett Collection photo
Mark would similarly leave home at the age of 15 to become a street hustler, sleeping on subways and doing virtually everything to make money.
Things changed in 1988 when his companion was killed in a fight with a rival drug dealer.
Flex too found himself in a similar predicament. When the dealer who had held his gun to Flex’s head jammed, he managed to escape. Following that, Knox abruptly deserted the streets.
What Happened to His Name When He Started Dancing?
Mark studied architecture at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan. He began dancing in New York nightclubs as a teenager, gaining the nickname “Flex” for his acrobatic dance abilities.
DJ Spinderella later discovered him. After that, he joined the dancing troupe Salt-n-and Pepa’s toured with them for three years.
Flex choreographed for Mary J. Blige and Queen Latifah in addition to dancing.
Flex The Alexander Show has been canceled several times
Alexander made his stand-up comedy debut in 1989. He eventually transitioned to acting, making his feature film debut in 1992’s Juice. From 1992 to 1994, he was a regular cast member of the sketch comedy show Uptown Comedy Club.
Flex made his television debut in the ABC sitcom Where I Live, starring Doug E. Doug, in 1993. Despite great acclaim, the company decided to terminate it after only a year.
After that, the New Yorker comic appeared as a guest star on episodes of Sister, Sister and The Cosby Mysteries before relocating to Los Angeles in 1995 to pursue acting full-time. In 1996, the NAACP Award winner secured a leading role on another sitcom, Homeboys in Outer Space, but it, too, was short-lived.
Flex appeared in another short-lived Steven Bochco series, Total Security, later that year. Alexander made cameo appearances on Brooklyn South and The Parkers after the finale of Total Security.
He also appeared in various films, including Backroom Bodega Boyz, a 1998 direct-to-video production, and She’s All That (1999).
Other TV Shows and Movies
During the first season of the UPN sitcom Girlfriends, Shanice’s husband played Darnell, Maya Wilkes’ husband, from 2000 to 2001. He departed Girlfriends to star in the UPN series One on One as single father Mark “Flex” Washington. He devised and produced the show himself. Alexander was nominated for three NAACP Image Awards and two BET Comedy Awards for his work on One On One.
Michael Jackson was represented by the father of two in the VH1 television biography Man In The Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story in 2004. He was nominated for another NAACP Image Award as a result of this.
Alexander stayed on for two more seasons on One on One. However, for the program’s revival, the show wrote out his character and demoted him to a recurrent role during the previous season.
Following the conclusion of One On One, Alexander starred in the 2006 film Snakes on a Plane, in which he co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson, and the 2007 horror picture The Hills Have Eyes 2.
He also appeared with Danny Glover in Clement Virgo’s Poor Boy’s Game and in a 2007 episode of CSI: Miami. The six-foot-three-inch actor and his wife, Shanice, recently had their own reality program, Flex & Shanice, which aired on the OWN channel.
He’s also been DJing on Zoom these days
They used to share an apartment complex in the San Fernando Valley. According to HuffPost, the Grammy nominee singer and the Huffington Post reporter met in an elevator.
The diva has stated in multiple interviews that Flex’s devotion for God was the first thing that drew her to him. Initially, the two were just pals. Mel’s Diner in Studio City, California was where they had their first date.
Flex’s wife had three Billboard #1 singles in 1991: “I Love Your Smile,” “Silent Prayer,” and “Saving Forever for You.” Mrs. Knox had another success song in 1999 with “When I Close My Eyes,” which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Shanice’s coloratura soprano voice and ability to sing in the whistle register have made her famous.
Together, they have two children, daughter Imani Shekinah Alexander-Knox (born August 23, 2001) and son Elijah Alexander-Knox (born March 5, 2004). (born March 5, 2004). Imani, their daughter, graduated from high school in June of this year.
Why Did Flex and Shanice Get Married So Quickly?
Prior to their wedding, Mark and Shanice had only been dating for around three months. The pastor was lecturing about “ghetto engagements” when the former invited his fiancee to church. Shanice told Oprah that the pastor was tired of couples who were engaged for five or six years.
As a result, he coined the term “ghetto engagement” to describe couples who took too long to tie the knot. Once they left church, they climbed into the car after which Flex looked at Shanice and asked her to marry him then and there to which she consented.
They were evicted from their home; it was the worst time of their marriage.
During an interview with Page Six, the One on One actor reflected on how difficult it was for him and his family to lose their house in Los Angeles in 2010.
It was a real estate crash, according to the actor. He and his wife had amassed a sizable property portfolio, so when the going became tough, he clung to it and drew on his savings. Alexander believed real estate was a terrific way to build money at the time, and it was something he wanted to pass down to his family and children. So he made an effort to hang on.
The crash had a significant impact on the family, and he and his wife had financial difficulties as a result. On their OWN reality program “Flex & Shanice,” the pair opened up about their problems. Even Shanice and Flex pawned their wedding bands, which they later retrieved.
Alexander, on the other hand, claims he has no regrets about going public with their bankruptcy story. He stated that he had no regrets. Alexander stated that he hails from the South Bronx projects and that such things do not bother him.
The family survived, and their professions are now back on track, and they are now living the billionaire lifestyle. Flex had to enlist the help of a friend to take his wife out on an anniversary date during one of their difficult periods.
In May 2020, while speaking on Instagram live with one of his friends, Chris, the Bronx native stated that it was their anniversary and that he couldn’t do anything for Shanice.
Flex went on to say that Chris was the one who provided him $350 so he and Shanice could enjoy their day. On camera, the actor sobbed and expressed his gratitude for his friends.
Are they still together, and what are Flex and his wife up to these days?
Fans and the Alexander couple both had their happy ending when the latter overcame their difficulties on stage. While still married to one other, the pair is currently enjoying their steady existence and working on each of their ventures.
Alexander disclosed in April 2020, when speaking with Fox 5, that he was working on a streaming platform called CEEK with several men from DC. The service, according to Shanice’s spouse, concentrates on eyewear and virtual reality. His Miami-based startup, CEEK, focuses on connecting musicians and digital content providers with their audience directly.
Flex’s 20-year-old wife, on the other hand, revealed that she was working on her own lipstick line, Smell by Shanice. She stated that the product is vegan and non-toxic. During epidemic 2020, the pair say they came up with their ideas.
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