Anthony Anderson
Anderson in 2010
Born	(1970-08-15) August 15, 1970 (age 53) Compton, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Howard University (BFA)
Occupations	Actor comedian game show host
Years active	1995–present
Spouse	Alvina Stewart ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2023)​
Children	2

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 comedy series such as Andre "Dre" Johnson on Black-ish (2013–2022), drama series such as Marlin Boulet on K-Ville (2007), and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama Law & Order (2008–2010, 2022–). 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).

Anderson is the host for the Fox game show We Are Family and he’s 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, Guys with Kids, and The Shield. From 2016 to 2022, he served as host of the ABC version of the game show To Tell the Truth and as a guest panelist for various game shows. He hosted the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2024.

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. He has a half-brother, Derrick Bowman. His stepfather died in 2002. Growing up, Anderson's 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 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 Guy later acted 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.

Anderson 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.^[8]

Career

1995–2004: Early roles

His 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. Anderson has worked as an actor since his film debut in Liberty Heights (1999), often in comedic roles. In 2002, he voiced Ray Ray in an episode of the Disney Channel animated series The Proud Family. He will reprise the role in an episode of the second season of its revival series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, airing in 2023.^[9] He was the central character in the short-lived series All About the Andersons from 2003 to 2004, which lasted for one season on The WB. He had leading film roles in the comedy films Kangaroo Jack (2003), My Baby's Daddy (2004), and King's Ransom (2005), with supporting roles in the family adventure film Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004).

2005–2012: Rise to prominence

Anderson took supporting roles in the drama Hustle & Flow (2005), and Martin Scorsese's crime film The Departed (2006).^[10] Additionally, Anderson had a supporting role in Scary Movie 3 (2003) and Scary Movie 4 (2006). He was originally set to return in Scary Movie 5 (2013) with Regina Hall and Kevin Hart.^[11] 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.^[12][13][14] 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. In June 2010, he was cast in a minor role in Scream 4.^[15]

Before his work in Law & Order, 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.^[16] Anderson's series Eating America with Anthony Anderson was a summer show in 2014. He visited different towns in America that host "food festivals" highlighting a specific type of food. He was a frequent judge on Iron Chef America, and was 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^[17] 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 and never aired. He also starred in the sitcom Guys with Kids, which lasted a single season.^[18][19]

2014–2022: Black-ish

In 2014, Anderson began starring as Andre "Dre" Johnson on the ABC sitcom Black-ish,^[20] which completed its eight-season run in 2022.^[21] During its run Anderson received 11 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations.^[22] 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."^[23] He also serves as executive producer on its spinoffs Grown-ish, which premiered on Freeform in 2018,^[24] and Mixed-ish, which ran on ABC for two seasons from 2019 to 2021.^[25] He also played Dre in episodes of both series.^[26] Since 2016, he has been the host of To Tell the Truth, which also airs on ABC.^[27] In 2019, Anderson was a guest panelist in season two of The Masked Singer. He later competed in season ten as "Rubber Ducky" and was eliminated in the first episode when competing in Group A.^[28] In October 2022, Anderson and his mother Doris began filming Anthony Anderson and Mom: European Vacation to be aired on the E! nework.^[29]

2023–present

In November 2023, it was announced that Anderson and his mother Doris will host the upcoming game show We Are Family for FOX, which will premiere on January 3, 2024.^[30] Jamie Foxx and his daughter, Corinne, were originally set to host the show.^[31] In 2024 he was named as the host of the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards. The decision for Anderson to host was met with controversy due to his allegations of sexual assault. The Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA) urged the Emmys and Fox, the network set to air this year's ceremony, to reconsider Anderson as host writing, "The entertainment industry has the power and responsibility to protect individuals from sexual violence...the Emmys and Fox to not only remove Anderson as host, but to also conduct their due diligence going forward when selecting hosts."^[32] The telecast was met with mixed reviews with some criticism, in particular regarding a recurring bit which involved Anderson's mother to interrupt the speeches that go too long. Anderson's mother interuppted a speech given by Jennifer Coolidge who won for The White Lotus. Some on social media cited the moment as being "rude" and "disrespectful".^[33][34]

Personal life

Anderson was married to Alvina Stewart from September 1999 to September 2023.^[35] They have two children.^[36] Their son Nathan starred as Tahj in the Netflix sitcom Richie Rich^[37] and guest starred in Black-ish. Stewart initially filed for divorce in September 2015 citing irreconcilable differences, after having been separated since April 2014.^[38] They reconciled in January 2017 and she withdrew her petition. On March 25, 2022, she filed for divorce again, and it was granted by a judge the following year in September.^[39]

Anderson has type 2 diabetes and has been active in diabetes awareness.^[40]

Playing for the Alzheimer's Association, in 2011, Anderson won $250,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.^[41]

Anderson is an honorary member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity; he was inducted on July 30, 2020.^[42] In 2019, a star was named after Anderson in the International Star Registry.^[43]

Divorce settlement

Nineteen months after their second split, Anderson and his ex-wife Alvina finalized their divorce in September 2023. The actor was ordered to pay more than $200,000 a year in spousal support as per their divorce settlement, with a base amount of $20,000 monthly. The court documents caveat that should the actor's gross income exceed $2,000,000 per year, he is to pay 20% of the gross amount to the estranged mother to his children. Further settlement agreements stated that Anderson was to relinquish his Glock 19 firearm to law enforcement within 30 days of the divorce finalization. Anderson was set to keep their home in Encino and a 2004 Land Rover, while Alvina will keep possession of their home in Houston and their 2022 Mazda. They will also split their cemetery plots located in LA's Inglewood Park Cemetery.^[44]

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 sexually assaulting 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.^[45] The charges were dropped on October 6, 2004, because the judge ruled that there was no probable cause to try the case.^[46]

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.^[47]

On July 20, 2018, it was revealed that he was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department for another sexual assault allegation.^[46] Due to lack of evidence on September 4, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office decided not to press charges against Anderson.^[48]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

Awards and nominations