Anthony Alexandre Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He has starred his own sitcom All About the Andersons, as well as dramas such as K-Ville and Law & Order. He has also had supporting roles in films such as Transformers, and The Departed.

Early life

Anderson was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Dora, a telephone operator and actress; his stepfather, Sterling Bowman, owns a chain of clothing stores.¹ Anderson is an alumnus of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and Howard University. He trained with actors such as Avery Brooks, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.²

Career

He first achieved recognition in the NBC television show Hang Time (1995–2000). He had a serious breakout in 2000's Romeo Must Die. Since then, Anderson has starred in a number of films, including Me, Myself & Irene, Malibu's Most Wanted,³Exit Wounds, Barbershop, Kangaroo Jack and Cradle 2 The Grave. In 2003, he got his own sitcom on The WB, All About the Andersons, co-starring John Amos. The series was cancelled after only one season. In March 2005, Anderson began co-starring in The Shield's fourth season as Antwon Mitchell, an ex-convict who poses as a community leader while still running his old street gang. His performance on The Shield earned him much acclaim from critics who had previously dismissed him as a light comedy actor, resulting in him returning to The Shield during the show's fifth and sixth seasons for a few episodes. Anderson also starred in the animated family film Hoodwinked!, and had a supporting role in the Best Picture Academy Award-winning film The Departed.

He starred in the live-action Transformers film, based on the 1980s cartoon Transformers. The spring of 2007 saw Anderson in another regular television role, this time as a cast member of the FOX police drama K-Ville. In 2007, Anderson was also a stand-out emcee on a number of episodes of It's Showtime at the Apollo.

Anderson was cast in the NBC crime drama Law & Order in 2008, replacing Jesse L. Martin. Anderson plays the role of Kevin Bernard, a policeman fresh from Internal affairs. He premiered on April 23, 2008. ⁴ Before this, Anderson had previously played a one-episode role as Detective Lucius Blaine in a 7th season episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, "Fat".

In the game Def Jam: Icon, he provides his voice and likeness to Troy Dollar, a fighter and the leader of a rival record label.⁵

He has won awards and recognition for his acting roles. He has won 2005, Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for : Hustle & Flow and 2001 Rising Star award.⁶⁷⁸

Personal life

In 1995, he married his college sweetheart, Alvina. The couple have two children. They currently live in Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California.

Controversy

On July 28, 2004, Anderson was charged with aggravated rape of a woman who police say was assaulted after being lured into a production trailer on a Memphis movie set. According to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, Anderson and Wayne Witherspoon attacked the woman, who was a movie extra. The woman told police that Witherspoon forcibly removed her clothes once she was inside the trailer. She told investigators that Anderson, who was already in the trailer at the time, joined the assault, according to a graphic criminal complaint. The woman told cops that Anderson and Witherspoon "both assaulted her with their hands and took pictures of her while she was nude." A witness told officers that he heard the woman screaming and managed to unlock the trailer's door. At that point, the naked woman ran from the vehicle, which was parked on the grounds of the Shelby County Corrections Center, where scenes from director Craig Brewer's "Hustle & Flow" were being shot.⁹ However, on October 5, 2004, a judge dismissed the charges of rape by actor/comedian Anthony Anderson and said that testimony by the accuser was some of the most "suspicious" he has ever heard. Judge Anthony Johnson said the accuser's testimony fell short of producing the probable cause needed to support the charge.¹⁰

On September 16, 2004, Anderson and Warner Bros Television were named in a $900,000 suit by a woman who claimed Anderson made suggestive comments, grabbed her genitalia and sexually assaulted her in his dressing room on the All About The Andersons set.¹¹

Filmography

References

External links

• Anthony Anderson at the Internet Movie Database
• Anthony Anderson at Allmovie