Chris Rock has learned that his great-great-grandfather was a slave, who became a politician after fighting in the American civil war.

The comic was left stunned by the news, unearthed by a TV show, and said he may never have gone into stand-up had he known his family history.

The PBS series African American Lives 2 discovered that Julius Caesar Tingman spent 21 years in forced servitude, then fought against slavery as a soldier in the Union Army’s, before going into politics. He served in the South Carolina Legislature and died owning dozens of acres of land.

‘I'm going to cry. I can't believe this,’ an overwhelmed Rock said. ‘I never knew any of this.’

The comic, who was brought up in a poor Brooklyn district, said the revelation made him realise he was not pre-destined to remain in dead-end jobs.

‘Until I lucked into a comedy club at age 20, just on a whim, I assumed I would pick up things for white people for the rest of my life,’ he said. ;If I'd have known this, it would have taken away the inevitability I was gonna be nothing.

‘I mean it's weird, if I'd have known this, there's a good chance I wouldn't be a comedian.’