īlack briefly attended New York University, but dropped out to portray Raphael in the promotional campaign for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles concert tour. He changed his name to Michael Ian Black to avoid confusion with the actor Mike Schwartz. His birth name, Schwartz, is derived from the German word schwarz, which means black.
Black's father died at age 39 due to a head injury apparently suffered in an assault and allergic reaction during subsequent surgery. His parents divorced when he was three years old his mother, Jill, later came out as a lesbian. He grew up in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey, where he attended Hillsborough High School. Black was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Jill and Robert Schwartz, a store owner and an executive, respectively.
