It would be hard to guess that Jack Black’s parents were satellite engineers just by looking at the career path their son choose. Black has amassed more than 160 acting credits and has acted in successful films like School of Rock, Kung Fu Panda, Jumanji, Tropic Thunder, and more. Not to mention the fact that he sings in his rock band Tenacious D too.
But people still get surprised hearing that his mother, Judith Love Cohen, and father, Thomas William Black, worked on the Hubble Space Telescope. Also, his mom was part of a team that developed a mechanism that basically saved the crew of Apollo 13. Now those are achievements that are hard to beat.
Jack Black Admits He Didn’t Get His Parents’ Brain Power
In a 2003 interview with Newsweek, Jack Black admitted that even though his parents are famous rocket scientists, he didn’t inherit their dedication to science. He said:
“I didn’t inherit any of their brainpower. But I have the power to rock. They’re rocket scientists. I’m a rock scientist.”
This isn’t the only time The Super Mario Bros. Movie actor referred to his parents. In an interview with NBC’s Stone Phillips, he revealed that his parents worked on famous and super secret projects. Black said:
“My mom worked on the Hubble Space Telescope. And my dad worked on some stuff that he can’t talk about. He told me secretly. But I can’t tell you. Oh, I shouldn’t have told you that he told me. He might lose his special clearance. Doesn’t matter, he’s retired.”
Not much information is available on the work done by Jack Black’s father, but his mother was part of the team that made a system that ended up saving the Apollo 13 crew. The award-winning film, Apollo 13, is based on this incident.
Jack Black’s Mom Was The Inspiration For A Film Made On Apollo 13
Judith Love Cohen was part of the Apollo 13 mission. She and her team designed a mechanism that saved the crew on board. The Apollo 13 film is inspired by this moment. USA Today stated that “Judith Love Cohen helped create the Abort-Guidance System which rescued the Apollo 13 astronauts.”
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She was an electrical engineer with Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Southern California. Love Cohen was employed by the TRW company and worked on aerospace projects. Her oldest son, Neil Siegel, wrote that her contribution to the Apollo program is the highlight of her long career.
She allegedly loved working. Love Cohen even took a work problem with her to the hospital when she was pregnant and due to give birth to Jack Black. After his birth, she phoned in the answer. Guess Jack Black’s parents are cooler than the actor indeed. At least a tad bit at least.
Source: NBC, Newsweek, and USA Today
