Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian, writer, and game show host. He has starred in his own short-lived sitcom, All About the Andersons, as well as the ABC sitcom Black-ish and the Fox sitcom The Bernie Mac Show during its fifth and final season. He is known for his leading roles in drama series K-Ville, The Shield and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on Law & Order. He had major roles in feature films such as Me, Myself & Irene, Kangaroo Jack, , The Departed, Transformers, and Scream 4. Anderson is also a regular judge on Food Network's Iron Chef America. Since September 2014, he has served as an executive producer and starred as Andre Johnson on the ABC sitcom Black-ish. 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 guest panelist for various game shows.
Early life
Anderson was born in Compton, California. His mother, Doris, 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. According to a DNA analysis, Anderson descends from the Bubi people of Bioko Island, and from the Tikar, Hausa, and Fulani people of Cameroon. Anderson has stated that his first attempt at stand-up comedy was a failure. 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 SchoolPerforming Arts Magnet's Class of 1988 and plans on graduating with his son from Howard University in 2022.
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. He previously starred in two other crime series, Fox's K-Ville and Fox's cable channel FX's The Shield. 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 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.
Film
Since 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 which was one of his first films as a leading actor, My Baby's Daddy, Hustle & Flow, 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. 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 In The House episode "Reality Bites" on October 16, 2009.
Personal life
He is married to wife Alvina. The couple have two children, Kyra and Nathan; Nathan starred as Tahj in the Netflix sitcom Richie Rich. 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.
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. 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. 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. On July 20, 2018, it was revealed that he was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department for another sexual assault allegation. On September 4, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office decided not to press charges against Anderson due to lack of evidence.
