Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor and writer, and the star of ABC's Black-ish. He has also starred in his own sitcom, All About the Andersons, as well as the Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show during the fifth and final season of the show. He is also known for his leading roles in television dramas such as K-Ville, The Shield and Law & Order. He has also had supporting roles in films such as Me, Myself & Irene, Transformers, The Departed, Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, Scream 4, and Kangaroo Jack.
Early life
Anderson was born and raised in Compton, California. His mother, Doris (née Hancox), was a telephone operator and actress, and his father, Sterling Bowman, was a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, who moved to Los Angeles to work in the steel mill industry before opening a chain of three clothing stores. According to a DNA analysis, Anderson descends from the Bubi people of Bioko Island (Equatorial Guinea), and from the Tikar, Hausa, and Fulani people of Cameroon.
Anderson has stated that his first attempt at stand up comedy was a failure. He appeared at The Comedy Act Theater billed as comedian "Tasty Tony, the One and Only, and if there's another, he's a phony." Although this experience was a blow to his ego, he did meet his future friend and fellow comedic actor Guy Torry there, who consoled him after the show and encouraged him to keep getting up on stage. He and Guy would later act together in the Eddie Murphy film titled Life. Anderson is an alumnus of the Hollywood High School Performing Arts Magnet's Class of 1988 and Howard University. He trained with actors such as Avery Brooks, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.
Acting career
Currently Anderson writes and stars alongside Laurence Fishburne and Tracee Ellis Ross for the hit ABC series, Blackish, which airs Wednesday nights. His past television work includes a lead role in the teen series Hang Time as Teddy Broadis. He had many one-off and guest roles on major series such as NYPD Blue, Malcolm & Eddie, In the House, and Ally McBeal. Recurring roles were on several series such as 'Til Death and The Bernie Mac Show. He was the central character in the series All About the Andersons, which lasted for one season on The WB. Anderson joined the cast of the long-running NBC crime drama television series, Law & Order in 2008. He previously starred in two other crime series, Fox's K-Ville (as one of the lead characters) and Fox's cable channel FX's The Shield. Anderson is in an Atom.com Web show Matumbo Goldberg.
Film
After his film debut in Liberty Heights, Anderson has been performing as an actor, often in comedic roles, for many years. Among his more prominent feature films are: Kangaroo Jack, My Baby's Daddy, Hustle & Flow, and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London. In June 2010, he was cast in a minor role in Scream 4.
Directorial work
In 2009, Anderson directed a one-minute short film featuring his Law & Order co-star, Jeremy Sisto. The short was made for the Responsibility Project, a joint initiative of NBC and Liberty Mutual Group. The short aired during the Law & Order episode "Reality Bites" on October 16, 2009.
Personal life
In 1995, he married his college sweetheart, Alvina. The couple have two children. They currently live in Hancock Park, Los Angeles. Anderson has Type 2 Diabetes, and has been active in diabetes awareness.
In 2004, Anderson was arrested, accused of raping a woman on the set of the film Hustle & Flow. The chargers were later dropped.
Filmography
Television
Anderson has also made guest appearances on Entourage, Veronica Mars, Chappelle's Show, and Food Network Star. He had a recurring role on 'Til Death. Playing for the Alzheimer's Association, Anderson won $250,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Anderson also appears on Food Network's Iron Chef as a regular guest judge. His series Eating America, with Anthony Anderson was a summer show, having him go to different towns in America which host "food festivals" highlighting a specific type of food.
Web shows
References
External links
- Anthony Anderson at the Internet Movie Database
- Anthony Anderson at AllMovie