Anthony Anderson
Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970)[1][2] is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in television shows such as Andre "Dre" Johnson on the comedy series Black-ish (2014–2022), Marlin Boulet on the drama series K-Ville (2007), and NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama Law & Order (2008–2010, 2022). He has also 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).
This article is about the American actor and comedian. For other people named Anthony Anderson, see Anthony Anderson (disambiguation).
Anthony Anderson
August 15, 1970
- Actor
- comedian
- game show host
1995–present
2
Anderson is currently the host of the Fox game show We Are Family. He has appeared as a regular judge on Food Network's Iron Chef America and had roles on other television programs such as All About the Andersons, The Bernie Mac Show, Guys with Kids, and The Shield. From 2016 to 2022, Anderson served as host of the ABC version of the game show To Tell the Truth and was a guest panelist on various game shows. In 2024, he hosted the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Early life[edit]
Anderson was born in Compton, California.[1][2][3] His mother, Doris Bowman (née Hancox), was a telephone operator and actress. 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. Sterling died in 2022. Anderson has a younger half-brother, Derrick Bowman, who works as an ICU nurse.[4] Growing up, Anderson's nickname was "Tugga" because he could not pronounce sugar.[5] 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.[6][7]
Anderson has stated that his first attempt at stand-up comedy was a failure.[5] Although this experience was a blow to his ego, he met 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 Torry later acted together in the 1999 film Life, alongside Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence.[8]
Anderson is an alumnus of the Hollywood High School Performing Arts Magnet's Class of 1988. He initially enrolled at Howard University as a theater major but faced financial difficulties, leading him to leave after his junior year. Nearly three decades later, inspired by his son Nathan's acceptance to the university, he returned to Howard to complete his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts in 2022.[9]