Anthony Anderson

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 brother Sterling died in 2002. His nickname was “Tugga” because he couldn’t 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 plans on graduating with his son from Howard University in 2022.[8]

Anderson in 2006

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. 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.[9]

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 also is a regular judge on Iron Chef America. Anderson is 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[10] produced by Endemol USA for NBC where one family attempted to answer pop culture trivia questions while also guessing whether members of the celebrity "Wall of Fame" delivered the correct answers to those same questions. Eight one-hour episodes were taped at the time, however, the series was never aired later on.

He is married to wife Alvina.[13] The couple have two children, Kyra and Nathan; Nathan starred as Tahj in the Netflix sitcom Richie Rich.[14]

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.[15]

Anderson is an honorary member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; he was inducted on July 30, 2020.[16]

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