ANTHONY ANDERSON

Set your heights more than what you see around you, see beyond.

Anthony Anderson was born on August 15, 1970, in Augusta, Maine, but was raised in Compton, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. His mother, Dora, was a movie extra, so young Anthony literally grew up on film sets. By the age of five, Anderson followed in his mother's footsteps and began appearing in television commercials. He showed such promise as an actor that he attended a Los Angeles performing arts high school, where he won an award given by the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), a program sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The annual award recognizes students in grades nine through twelve "who exemplify scholastic and cultural excellence."

Anderson won the ACT-SO award for a monologue, or short speech, which he performed from the play The Great White Hope (1968), written by American playwright Howard Sackler (1929–1982). The play is based on the life of Jack Johnson (1878–1946), the first African American heavyweight-boxing champion. Jackson was portrayed by James Earl Jones (1931–) both on the stage and in the film version of the play. Anderson considers Jones to be his favorite actor, and credits him as his inspiration. "I really respect and admire his work," Anderson commented to O'Connell. "It's why I do what I do."

"This is what my energy was created to do—entertain, to have an effect on people's lives with my work."

As a result of his talent, Anderson earned a drama scholarship to attend Howard University, a prestigious African American college in Washington, D.C. It was also a result of Anderson's determination and drive, since life could have been quite different for a child raised in Compton. The suburb is known for its gang violence, and frequently makes the news for incidents of drive-by shootings and drug arrests. In a 2002 interview appearing on the Femail magazine Web site, Anderson commented, "You were either made a ward of the court, on parole, or dead at 21 if you grew up in Compton, Los Angeles."

After graduating from Howard, Anderson paid the usual dues of an actor, taking such bit parts as that of Alley Hood #2 in the 1996 television movie Alien Avengers. His work on Avengers helped land him his first major job, as a regular on the NBC morning teen sitcom Hang Time. From 1996 to 1998 Anderson played the role of Teddy Brodis, a bumbling high school basketball player. He was in his mid-twenties at the time, but with his baby face and knack for comedy, no one would have guessed it. During his Hang Time days, Anderson also popped up on other television shows, including In the House, which starred rapper LL Cool J (1968–), and on NYPD Blue.

In 1999 Anderson made the leap to the big screen in the 1930s prison comedy Life, playing opposite established stars Eddie Murphy (1961–) and Martin Lawrence (1965–). That same year he also appeared in director Barry Levinson's 1950s coming-of-age movie Liberty Heights. In 2000 Anderson had what many consider to be his breakthrough year, when he played opposite Martin Lawrence in the hit comedy Big Momma's House. He also appeared in Me, Myself, and Irene, which starred Jim Carrey (1962–), one of Hollywood's biggest box office draws. Critics claimed it was a forgettable Carrey film, but Anderson, as Carrey's son, Jamaal, drew rave reviews.

Not all of Anderson's movies were comedies. Some were dramas, like Kingdom Come (2001). Some were action films such as Romeo Must Die (2000) and Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), both starring Jet Li (1963–), and Exit Wounds (2001), a Steven Seagal (1951–) thriller. In these films Anderson usually provided the comic relief, and he was consistently singled out over the stars with bigger billing. For example, in Cradle, many reviewers felt that as Tommy, the wisecracking henchman, Anderson's acting stole the show.