Anthony Anderson

Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and game show host.

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.

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.

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.

His stepfather died in 2002.

Growing up, Anderson's nickname was "Tugga" because he could not pronounce sugar.

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.

Anderson has stated that his first attempt at stand-up comedy was a failure.

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.

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.

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).

Additionally, Anderson had a supporting role in Scary Movie 3 (2003) and Scary Movie 4 (2006).

Anderson took supporting roles in the drama Hustle & Flow (2005), and Martin Scorsese's crime film The Departed (2006).

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.

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.

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.

He was originally set to return in Scary Movie 5 (2013) with Regina Hall and Kevin Hart.

He is best known for his leading roles in comedy series such as Andre "Dre" Johnson on Black-ish (2014–2022), 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).

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.

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.

Anderson was born in Compton, California.

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.