Anthony AndersonSpeaker and Booking Agent Information

Anderson was born and raised in Compton, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. 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. Anderson has stated that his first attempt at stand up comedy was a failure. He appeared at The Comedy Act Theater billed as comedian Tasty Tony, the One and Only, and if theres another, hes a phony.[citation needed] When his stage name was announced, he was booed off the stage before ever saying a word. 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 School Performing Arts Magnets Class of 1988 and Howard University. He trained with actors such as Avery Brooks, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.

Acting career

Anderson in July 2006

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. He was the central character in the 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, Foxs K-Ville (as one of the lead characters) and Foxs cable channel FXs The Shield.

Anderson is in an Atom.com Web show Matumbo Goldberg.

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, My Babys Daddy, Hustle & Flow, and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London. 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 Law & Order episode Reality Bites on October 16, 2009.