Introduction
Flex Alexander is a face most would recognize. His comedy and dancing skills have earned him a prominent career and fame, however, his life hasn’t been without struggles. How old is Flex Alexander? What is his net worth in 2020? Keep on reading to find out.
Early life and Dancing
Mark Alexander Knox was born on 15 April 1970, in Harlem, New York City USA, to parents Robert Whitehead and Alethia Knox. He grew up in New York, where he made his pocket money as a dancer in night-clubs. It was then when he became known as “Flex”, thanks to his extraordinary dance skills.
He was discovered while still a teen by Deidra Muirel Roper, better known as DJ Spinderella, who connected him with a rap dance group Salt-n-Pepa. Flex stayed with the group for three years, and at the same time he was a choreographer for Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige.
Career
Flex’s stand-up comedy debut was in 1989 and he quickly became a regular at Uptown Comedy Club, the skit comedy show that lasted from 1992 ‘til 1994. After this, he pursued further his acting career, which ended up being the right choice. His first time on television screens was in the ABC short-lived television series “Where I Live”, with Doug E. Doug in a main role.
The sitcom was cancelled later that year, despite gaining positive reviews from both critics and audience. After that, he went on to guest star in “The Cosby Mysteries” and “Sister, Sister”. In 1995 he moved to Los Angeles, and the next year had a main role in the show “Homeboys in Outer Space”, but this series flopped with both charts and the critics and was canceled after a short while. The same year, Flex joined the cast of Steven Bochco’s “Total Security”, but he was followed by the same bad luck as this show was cancelled as well.
By the end of the ‘90s, he had guest-starred in “The Parkers” and “Brooklyn South”, while also landing roles in a number of movies such as “Backroom Bodega Boys” and “She’s All That”. He started the next millennium playing Darnell, Maya Wilkes’ husband, in the UPN sitcom “Girlfriends”, but left the series to focus on his own project – another UPN sitcom called “One on One”, in which he played Mark “Flex” Washington, a single father. This project earned him three nominations for NAACP Image Awards. He also won BET Comedy Awards in two categories.
Flex also got recognition for portraying Michael Jackson in “Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story”, a VH1 television biopic from 2004. This role also helped him achieve another nomination for an NAACP Image Award. After “One on One” ended in 2005, Flex continued in numerous films, including “Snakes on the Plane” from 2006 next to Samuel L. Jackson, and “The Hills Have Eyes 2”, an unsuccessful horror movie from the same year. He was also a guest in two episodes of the TV series “CSI: Miami”, and played Demarcus King in the pilot episode of “Blue Bloods” in 2010.
He also acted in the 2012 television series “Single Ladies”, as well as in other sitcoms such as “Masters of Sex”, “Lucifer”, “In the Cut” and “Grey’s Anatomy”. He performed in several movies as well, including “My Sister’s Wedding”, “Grandma’s House” and “Maybe I’m Fine”. He was also a host of “Lawd Have Mercy”, a comedy TV show that aired in 2017, in which a satirical look is taken at religion.
Relationship
After dating for over five years, Flex married Grammy-nominated R&B singer Shanice Wilson, on Valentine’s Day of 2000. As of today, the couple is still apparently happily married.
They welcomed their first child, daughter Shekinah Alexander Knox, on 23rd August 2001, and their son Elijah Alexander Knox was born three years later, on 5th March 2004. The couple had their own reality TV show called “Flex and Shanice” that aired on Oprah Winfrey Network for three seasons from November 2014 until August 2016.
Personal Life
Flex keeps his personal life rather private. Known facts are that he is a born-again Christian, and that he is also a proud disciple of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. After his show “One on One” was finished, he and his wife were faced with bankruptcy, having big trouble with their finances.
They even had to spend their retirement savings to cover their LA home mortgage and other expenses, and moved in with some of their family members to save some money. They kept their struggles private until they opted to show everything in their “Flex and Shanice” show. He and his wife Shanice celebrated their daughter’s prom in 2019 and bragged about her being top of her class.
Net worth
Information about Flex’s finances are hard to find.
He even kept his bankruptcy a secret until his reality show premiered in 2014. Still, taking into consideration his numerous acting roles as well as his career as a choreographer, his net worth is estimated by sources at around $250,000 as of early 2020, which shows that his finances are starting to improve.
Physical characteristics
Flex holds American nationality and his ethnicity is black. He is rather tall with a height of 6ft 3ins (1.9m). He has a healthy, good looking body and weighs around 85 kilograms (183lbs). His black hair is cut short, and his eyes are dark.