Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970)[1][2] is an American actor and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in drama series such as Marlin Boulet on K-Ville, and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama Law & Order and comedy sitcom television series Guys with Kids as well as leading roles in comedy series such as Andre 'Dre' Johnson on Black-ish. He had major roles in feature films such as Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Kangaroo Jack (2003), Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004), The Departed (2006), Transformers (2007), and Scream 4 (2011).

Anthony Anderson
Anderson in 2010
Born	(1970-08-15) August 15, 1970 (age 52) Compton, California, U.S.
Education	Hollywood High School
Alma mater	Howard University (BFA)
Occupation	Actor game show host
Years active	1995–present
Spouse	Alvina Anderson ​ ​ (m. 1999; separated 2015)​
Children	2

Anderson is also a regular judge on Food Network's Iron Chef America and also has more roles on other television programs such as All About the Andersons, The Bernie Mac Show, and The Shield. Since June 2016, he has served as host of the ABC version of the game show To Tell the Truth. In addition, he has served as a guest panelist for various game shows.

Early life

Anderson was born in Compton, California.[1][2][3] His mother, Doris (née Hancox), was a telephone operator and actress, and his stepfather, 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; Anthony has a half brother named Derrick Bowman. His stepfather Sterling died in 2002. His nickname was "Tugga" because he could not pronounce sugar.[4] 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.[5][6]

Anderson has stated that his first attempt at stand-up comedy was a failure.[4] 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.[7] Anderson is an alumnus of the Hollywood High School Performing Arts Magnet's Class of 1988 and graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2022.[8][9]

Career

Anderson stars in and executive produces the hit ABC series Black-ish, alongside Laurence Fishburne and Tracee Ellis Ross. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for this role. 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 short-lived 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. After three seasons (18, 19, and 20) as Kevin Bernard, he reprised the role upon the series's revival in 2022, concurrent with the final episodes of Black-ish.[10][11] Only signed for one year, it was confirmed after the season he would not be returning for season 22.[12] Before the initial stint, he 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.[13]

Anderson's series Eating America with Anthony Anderson was a summer show in 2014, having him go to different towns in America which host "food festivals" highlighting a specific type of food. He was frequently a judge on Iron Chef America, one of the few judges to taste dishes from all the Iron Chefs on the show. In the Ultimate Bar Food battle, he served as bartender/sous-chef for Iron Chef Bobby Flay opposite Masaharu Morimoto and fellow judge Simon Majumdar.

In 2013, Anderson signed on to host the celebrity-driven, family game show called Wall of Fame[14] which was produced by Endemol USA for NBC. One family attempts to answer pop culture trivia questions while also guessing whether members of the celebrity "Wall of Fame" answered the same questions correctly. Eight one-hour episodes were taped at the time, however, the series was never aired. He also starred in the sitcom Guys with Kids, which lasted a single season.[15][16]

In 2014, Anderson began starring as Andre "Dre" Johnson on the ABC sitcom Black-ish,[17] which completed its eight-season run in 2022.[18] During its run Anderson received 11 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations.[19] In 2022, Anderson was not nominated as a producer or actor for its final season. He reacted to the news while guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! joking, "Can you believe that shit? Now I'm not saying the voters were stupid for not nominating me or Black-ish or Tracee, I'm just saying they're racist."[20]

He also serves as executive producer on its spinoffs Grown-ish, which premiered on Freeform in 2018,[21] and Mixed-ish, which ran on ABC for two seasons from 2019 to 2021.[22] He also reprised Dre in episodes of both series.

Since 2016, he has been the host of To Tell the Truth, which also airs on ABC.[23]

Film

Anderson has been performing as an actor for many years since his film debut in Liberty Heights, often in comedic roles. Among his more prominent feature films are: Kangaroo Jack, which was one of his first films as a leading actor; My Baby's Daddy; Hustle & Flow; Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London; and King's Ransom, which to date is his only starring role. Anderson had a small role in the Academy Award-winning Martin Scorsese film The Departed.[24] Additionally, Anderson had a supporting role in Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4. He was originally set to return in Scary Movie 5 with Regina Hall and Kevin Hart, however, everything regarding scripting and filming changed.[25] In June 2010, he was cast in a minor role in Scream 4.[26]

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 In The House episode "Reality Bites" on October 16, 2009.

Personal life

He has been married to wife Alvina since September 1999.[27] The couple have two children, Kyra and Nathan; Nathan starred as Tahj in the Netflix sitcom Richie Rich[28] and guest starred in Black-ish. His wife initially filed for divorce in September 2015, after having been separated since April 2014.[29] However, the couple reconciled in January 2017 and she withdrew her petition. She filed for divorce for the second time on March 25, 2022.[30]

Anderson has Type 2 diabetes and has been active in diabetes awareness.

Playing for the Alzheimer's Association, in 2011, Anderson won $250,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.[31]

Anderson is an honorary member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity; he was inducted on July 30, 2020.[32]

Rape and sexual assault allegations

Anderson was accused of raping a 25-year-old extra in a trailer on the film set of Hustle & Flow on July 27, 2004. The alleged victim accused Anderson and assistant director Wayne Witherspoon of forcibly removing her clothing, photographing her naked body, and digitally penetrating her.[33] A witness claimed to have heard the alleged victim's screams and to have seen her run naked from the trailer, and she was treated at St. Francis Hospital. The charges were dropped on October 6, 2004, because the judge ruled that there was no probable cause to try the case.[34]

Anderson was sued for sexual assault in September 2004 by another woman who claimed that Anderson made sexually suggestive remarks and then assaulted her in his dressing room on the set of All About the Andersons.[35]

On July 20, 2018, it was revealed that he was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department for another sexual assault allegation.[34] Due to lack of evidence on September 4, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office decided not to press charges against Anderson.[36]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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