Born Thomas B. Kin Chong in 1938 in Edmonton, Canada, Tommy Chong makes one part of the comedic partnership Cheech and Chong, the most legendary stoner duo yet.

Before Jay & Silent Bob and Harold & Kumar, there was Cheech and Chong. Starting in the 1970s, they not only sold out their live shows, but they were at the top of the comedy album charts and as well as on the top of the box-office with now-cult classic movies, “Up In Smoke” and “Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie”. 

What was different about this duo was that they were fanatical, revolutionary, and bananas (or so people thought). The popularity was in the seeming simplicity while the two Cheech and Chong presented a radical view of Los Angeles, not often seen on the big screen prior.

The famous potheads playing rock stars that were always looking for the next doobie popularized a different LA, the multiracial, downtown side that was new and funky, seldom known by outsiders before this.

 

“Up In Smoke” - The Start Of It All For Tommy Chong

Cheech Marin plays Pedro de Pacas while Tommy Chong plays Anthony “Man” Stoner, a cheeky word play for the theme of the movie.

A road trip to Mexico to pick up the first van made entirely out of marijuana ended up being the high of a lifetime for both of them. Desperate and hopeless at first, the two characteristics of personalities were inevitably the best of them as a team. Always victorious over the bad guys in the movie, in this case, the police, the two were always clueless about their mishaps, misunderstandings, or even their winnings or the how and why of it all. 

What became of it was that Cheech and Chong created a rock comedy that turned the world around and upside down.

In 7 years until 1985, the duo certified their statuses with 9 comedies, have been nominated for 4 Grammy Awards, and gained massive popularity in college towns and from word-of-mouth. The original comedy records from 1971 were largely the base of their movies, paving the way for the rest of their careers. Their stoner brand improv comedy was a first of its kind and stood alone on the top for some time after because no one wanted to be a copycat so close to the two original counterculture icons. 

 

The Life and Times of Tommy Chong

Born in 1938 in conservative Alberta, Canada, Tommy Chong grew up as the son of a Canadian mother with Celtic roots and a Chinese father. Having experienced racism from an early age, it's what has been at the core of his humor his whole life, always playing against the rules. He never cared for high school or education, leaving the school only at 16 just before he was going to be thrown out anyway.

By the start of the 1960s, Chong was already playing in bands and moving to Vancouver, playing guitar in what would become Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers, which at one point had Jackson 5 as an opening for a short while.

He was fired from the band because he had arrived late to a Friday night gig with bandmate Wes Henderson. The duo had been applying for green cards so they could become American citizens. Chong acquired his citizenship in the late 1980s, becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States. After he found out that his bandmate wasn’t fired after all, Chong stayed fired, in his own words, wanting to establish his own career and play by his own rules.

The band separated shortly after when Chong was found meddling with the contracts of the group. He wanted more recognition for the main three musicians and the others to be recognized as session artists or sidemen.

Enter Cheech Marin, and that’s when Chong’s career really began to take off. Besides being one-half of Cheech and Chong, he also directed four of their films, while co-writing and starring in all of the seven that they created. 

 

Tommy Chong On Screen

Tommy Chong’s movie career started in 1978 with “Up In Smoke” and still goes on to this day, spanning decades of entertaining film. Some of his notable filmography include:

• Up in Smoke, the movie that started it all

• Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie

• Nice Dreams

• Things Are Tough All Over

• Still Smokin’

• The Corsican Brothers

• Get Out Of My Room

• Yellowbeard

• Tripwire

• Far Out Man

• Leo in That 70s Show

• Cheech and Chong’s Animated Movie

He was also a celebrity guest in “Dancing With The Stars”, “The Masked Singer”, “It’s Gawd”, and “Color Out Of Space”.

His contributions to the industry were unparalleled, and still continue to this day.

 

It Was All About Timing

Cheech and Chong were responsible for a new wave in cinema that is still a trademark name in the industry. A “stoner movie” is its own genre, leading the way for what would be "Harold & Kumar '', Seth Rogan, and even Quentin Tarantino.

It was a crucial time in history when everybody was waking up from the aftermath of WW2, looking away and wanting to escape the turbulent times. The young people were rebelling and giving back their all, paving their own while also wanting to escape the chaos and have a moment of serenity. This new foray and slant to the hippie movement came at the right time, and the duo inspired a generation to relax. 

Staying true to his persona, being high was a part of the creative process for Tommy Chong. The more stoned they got, the crazier stuff got, and the more success it brought to the duo. Dabbling into a bit of cocaine, acid, but mostly weed, the duo stayed stoned and inseparable for over 20 years.

By the mid-80s the differences between Cheech and Chong were no longer sustainable, each with their own story as to why. As Chong put it, he was left on his own to write the movies and direct them, while Cheech was enjoying a vacation being dissatisfied with the credit he was getting for the work.

After a few years of building their own solo paths, the duo reconciled after Cheech had sent an email to Chong about their reunion and Chong’s son replied yes without even consulting his father. They started touring again in 2008.

 

Controversy

A significant part of Chong’s life was when he was jailed for 9 months. The most famous casualty of “Operation Pipe Dreams,” a nationwide investigation that targeted sellers of “drug paraphernalia” (AKA, mostly bongs and pipes), he was made an example of.

At the age of 65, in 2003 he pleaded guilty in exchange for the non-prosecution of his wife Shelby and son Paris. Paris had worked with Chong to found Nice Dreams and Chong Glass Works, two California-based companies that created high-end bongs as works of art. Running them as a family business, each glass bong from Chong Glass Works had Chong’s picture and name at the front.

He was charged for selling glass pipes on the internet being produced as collectible work of art. However, because this was classed as drug paraphernalia that could be used for smoking cannabis, Chong did a short stint. This was only the beginning of what would be a turbulent time. Having been changed physically and spiritually, the time in prison led to him writing his memoir book, "The I Chong" (2006) , his time in prison being the main focus of the book.

After prison he survived two cancers, specifically crediting hemp oil treatment for his prostate cancer in 2012 and using cannabis to endure the treatment for colorectal cancer in 2015. Afterward, he got back on the road to tour again, briefly having trouble getting back on stage due to the restrictions of his parole. 

 

The Cannabis Advocate

Chong has spent his time enjoying both the benefits and consequences of the high life. Becoming a cannabis activist, he supports legalizing the use and is a regular contributor to Cannabis Culture Magazine while also being on the advisory board of the NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). 

Partnering again with Cheech, the duo is planning to open Cheech and Chong dispensaries across the U.S., starting in Massachusetts, LA, and San Francisco. While the use was still illegal, the dispensaries were prepped and ready to go once cannabis was legalized in those states.

A far cry from the beginning of Chong’s career, the view on cannabis culture has drastically shifted since then, with cannabis now legal in 36 states for medical use and 18 states for adult recreational use. In 2016, Chong launched his own brand of marijuana under the name Chong’s Choice after the drug was legalized for recreational use in California, also selling ganja-related useful kits.

Always supporting and fighting for cannabis, Tommy Chong has the experience and survival to prove it. And at 84, he is still touring stand-up gigs, living a healthy and active life, lifting weights 4 times a week, and “smoking his body weight in marijuana,” in his own words.

And when it comes to this legendary stoner, we don’t doubt that for one second!