Thomas B. Kin Chong is a Canadian-American comedian, actor, writer, musician, and cannabis rights activist, known for his comedy albums and films Cheech & Chong on a marijuana theme with Cheech Marin, as well as playing the character Leo on Fox's That '70s Show. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in the late 1980s. Early life Chong was born at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, on May 24, 1938. His mother was Lorna Jean, a waitress of Scotch-Irish descent, and his father was Stanley Chong. As a young man, Tommy Chong moved with his family to Calgary, settling in a conservative neighborhood that Chong called the "Dog Patch". He said his father had "been wounded in the Second World War and there was a veterans hospital in Calgary. He bought a $500 house in Dog Patch and raised his family on $50 a week." before taking on the nickname Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers. After the band released two more singles, Chong and Wes Henderson were fired by Chris Clark and Motown producer Johnny Bristol for missing an appointment to apply for green cards to allow them to live in the United States. The group disbanded shortly thereafter when Chong attempted to reduce the number of players covered by Vancouver's contract. He wanted himself, Taylor and Henderson to make up the group, while the other members would be classified as sidemen and session artists. Cheech & Chong co-wrote and performed on many Cheech & Chong comedy albums, four of which were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. He and Cheech Marin shared the award in 1973 in this category for Los Cochinos. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. He also directed four of the duo's films, while co-writing and starring in all seven films with Cheech. After Cheech & Chong Cheech & Chong, despite being a highly successful comedy, split in 1985 due to creative differences and Marin's desire to focus on a mainstream acting career. This began a difficult period for Chong. He didn't act regularly until he held the recurring role of the fun-loving, aging hippie "Leo" on That '70s Show. Chong was absent during the show's fifth and sixth seasons as he was serving a short prison sentence; upon his release, he returned to the series for the final two seasons. He also played a hippie role in Dharma and Greg. Chong was originally supposed to voice the character of Shenzi, the hyena in Disney's The Lion King. Cheech Marin voiced Banzai. Chong provided the voice of the character Yax in the 2016 Disney film Zootropolis. In September 2005, a/k/a Tommy Chong premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The documentary, produced, written and directed by Josh Gilbert, tells Chong's comedic and personal story. Includes material relating to his prosecution by the US Department of Justice and his imprisonment. The project includes interviews with Cheech Marin, Bill Maher, George Thorogood, Peter Coyote, Lou Adler, Eric Schlosser and Jay Leno. In 2011, Chong appeared as a judge on an episode of Franklin & Bash. On September 4, 2014, Chong was announced as one of the celebrity contestants on the nineteenth season of Dancing with the Stars. He teamed up with professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd. Despite being at the bottom of the table several times, Chong and Murgatroyd managed to make it to the semi-final night but were eliminated at the end of that night. Chong is the oldest contestant to have made it to the semi-finals of the show. The 4th.