Tahj Mowry
{{short description|American actor (born 1986)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Tahj Mowry
| image = File:Tahj Mowry performing November 2009 (Cropped).jpg
| caption = Mowry performing in November 2009
| birth_name = Tahj Dayton Mowry{{cite web|title=Tahj Mowry Biography (1987-)|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/79/Tahj-Mowry.html|publisher=Advameg, Inc|access-date=May 4, 2014}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1986|5|17}}
| birth_place = Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| other_names =
| alma_mater = Pepperdine University
| occupation = {{cslist|Actor|singer}}
| years_active = 1990–present
| partner =
| relatives = Tia Mowry (sister)
Tamera Mowry (sister)
| website =
| imagesize =
}}
Tahj Dayton Mowry ({{IPAc-en|t|ɑː|ʒ|_|'|m|ɔːr|i}}; born May 17, 1986) is an American actor and singer. He is the brother of identical twin actresses Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry and is known for his role on the show Smart Guy as the main character TJ on The WB, though the show gained later recognition on Disney Channel. Mowry was cast as the voice of ten-year-old super genius Wade Load on Kim Possible as a nod to this role. He is also known for his roles as Michelle Tanner's best friend Teddy on Full House and Tucker Dobbs on Freeform's comedy show Baby Daddy.
Early life
Tahj Dayton Mowry was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on May 17, 1986. His mother, Darlene Renée (née Flowers), managed her children's careers. His father, Timothy John Mowry, became a custody officer/jailer with the City of Glendale Police Department when the family moved to California.{{cite web |title=Tia and Tamera Interview |url=http://www.geocities.com/tiaandtameramowryonline/pw_interview1994.html |access-date=May 4, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091019170627/http://geocities.com/tiaandtameramowryonline/pw_interview1994.html |archive-date=October 19, 2009 }}
His father has British and Irish ancestry, and his mother is of Afro-Bahamian descent.During an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show in 2010, it was stated that for years that the Mowrys believed they had Italian ancestry on their father's side. However, after researching their family tree on Ancestry.com, they discovered that their father has British ancestry: "We're actually British."{{Cite web|url=https://atlantablackstar.com/2020/01/14/my-ancestors-live-in-me-tia-mowry-hardrict-gets-emotional-over-dna-ancestry-results/|title='My Ancestors Live in Me': Tia Mowry-Hardrict Gets Emotional Over DNA Ancestry Results|website=Atlanta Black Star|date=January 14, 2020 }} His parents met in high school in Miami, Florida. Both joined the U.S. Army, and eventually reached the rank of Sergeant.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080109235123/http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2005/002/14.42.html Double Devotion – Today's Christian]. Web.archive.org (January 9, 2008). Retrieved on July 5, 2011. His older twin sisters are Tia and Tamera Mowry and he also has a younger brother named Tavior. He played football at Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa before transferring to Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, California, and one season of football at Savannah State University and the University of Wyoming. He attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where his sisters Tia and Tamera both graduated.
Career
Mowry starred and is perhaps best known as T.J. Henderson, a child prodigy, on the sitcom Smart Guy. He also played Teddy on the sitcom Full House. Mowry has appeared in Disney Channel movies such as Hounded and The Poof Point. He had a guest role on the Disney Channel Original Series, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and in a Star Trek: Voyager episode titled "Innocence". Mowry appeared in the movie Are We Done Yet? as Danny Pulu and in Seventeen Again as Willie Donovan. Mowry also had an appearance in one episode in the fourth season of Desperate Housewives. He guest-starred on an episode of The Game as Melanie Barnett's brother, acting alongside his real-life sister Tia who played Melanie Barnett in the series. Mowry performed the voice of Wade in the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible.
He sang "Shine Your Light On Me" for School's Out! Christmas, "Circle of Life'" on the Disney Channel Circle of Stars recording of The Lion King included on the Platinum Edition DVD, and was featured on a single called "Kick It Out" with Boom Boom Satellites and Flo Rida. Mowry also appeared in an episode of Friends where Phoebe sings to kindergartners.
He starred as Tucker Dobbs in the ABC Family sitcom Baby Daddy, which premiered on June 20, 2012. Mowry released his debut single called "Flirt", produced by Excel Beats, in April 2015.{{cite web|last1=Monaé|first1=Ashley|title=Tahj Mowry Wants To 'Flirt' With You (Video)|url=http://www.vibe.com/2015/04/tahj-mowry-wants-to-flirt-with-you-video/|website=Vibe|date=April 29, 2015}} He released a six-song EP titled Future Funk on August 4, 2015. It featured tracks like "Bossy", "Dancing Alone", and "End of the Road".{{cite web|last1=Shine on Media|title=Tahj Mowry Talks New Music, "Babby Daddy" & "Fuller House"|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtO7pixLSBM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/PtO7pixLSBM| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|website=Youtube|date=July 2, 2015}}{{cbignore}} He appeared on the daytime talk show The Real with his sister and co-host Tamera Mowry and was a guest co-host for three episodes. In 2023, he began starring in the Disney+ series The Muppets Mayhem.{{cite web|title='The Muppets Mayhem': Tahj Mowry Joins Lilly Singh For Disney+ Comedy Series|url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/the-muppets-mayhem-tahj-mowry-lilly-singh-disney-comedy-series-1234994836/|work=Deadline Hollywood|last=Del Rosario|first=Alexandra|date=April 5, 2022|access-date=April 5, 2022}}
Personal life
Mowry dated actress Naya Rivera between 2000 and 2004, after the two worked together on Smart Guy in the 1990s. Rivera remained close with Tahj and his sisters, Tia and Tamera, until Rivera's death, and had once helped the sisters find an apartment when they got kicked out of their house.{{cite web|last=Alexander|first=Bryan|title='Rest sweet Naya': Ricky Martin, 'Glee's Lea Michele, more stars react to Naya Rivera's tragic death|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/07/13/naya-rivera-dies-glees-jane-lynch-lili-reinhart-react-tragedy/5430972002/|access-date=July 14, 2020|website=USA Today}}
On July 12, 2020, Mowry posted an Instagram tribute to Rivera, while search operations were underway for her after she went missing while swimming on July 8 at Lake Piru in Southern California.{{cite web|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/naya-rivera-ex-tahj-mowry-update-t186523|title=Tahj Mowry says Naya Rivera was his 1st love in heartbreaking tribute|work=Today|last=Gariano|first=Francesca|date=July 11, 2020|access-date=July 12, 2020}} Rivera's body was recovered the next day.
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1991
| Rappin' N' Rhymin' | Himself | |
| 1994
| Disney Sing Along Songs : Let's Go to the Circus | Himself | |
| 1999
| We Wish You a Merry Christmas | Ollie |
| 2000
| Willie Donovan | |
| 2001
| Hounded | Jay Martin | |
| 2001
| Eddie Ballard | |
| 2003
| Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time |Wade Load |
| 2004–2005
|Hermie series |Webster |
| 2005
| Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama |Wade Load |
| 2007
| Danny Pulu | |
| 2021
| Matt |
| 2021
| Let's Get Merried | Finn | |
| 2022
| Me Time | Kabir | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1990
| Greg | Episode: "Who's Minding the Kid?" |
| 1991–1995
| Teddy | 14 episodes |
| 1992–1993
| Shavon | 5 episodes |
| 1993
| Jimmy | Episode: "The Terminator" |
| 1994
| Young Sonic (voice) | Episode: "Blast to the Past" |
| 1994–1995
| King Mamoud, Tanti | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 1995–1998
| Cousin Tahj | 4 episodes |
| 1995–1999
| The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa | Nefu | Episode: "Rafiki's Apprentice"; Credited, presumably replaced by Dana Hill |
| 1995
| Additional voices |Season 3 |
| 1996
| Corin | Episode: "Innocence" |
| 1996
| Kenny | Episode: "A Christmas Story" |
| 1996
| Friends | Kid | Episode: "The One After the Superbowl (Part one)" |
| 1997
|Himself |Episode: "Because I Said So" |
| 1997–1999
| T.J. Henderson | Main role; 51 episodes |
| 2001–2005
| Express Yourself | Himself | Interstitial series |
| 2002–2007
| rowspan=2|Wade Load (voice) |
| 2005
| Episode: "Rufus" |
| 2006
| The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Brandon | Episode: "Scary Movie" |
| 2007
| Matt | Episode: "Smiles of a Summer Night" |
| 2012–2017
| Tucker Dobbs | Main role; 100 episodes |
| 2015
| The Real | Himself | Guest Co-Host |
| 2021
| Mr. Dean | Episode: "Remember When Shaka Did the Robot?" |
| 2021
| Black Don't Crack | Khalil Grant | Main role; Unsold pilot |
| 2022
| Lew |
| 2023
| Gary "Moog" Moogowski |
Awards
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="5" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|Awards |
| Year
! style="width:50px;"| Result ! style="width:150px;"| Award ! style="width:425px;"| Category ! style="width:200px;"| Nominated Work |
|---|
| 1992
| {{nom}} | Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Under 10 |
| rowspan=2 | 1998
| {{nom}} | Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Performer | rowspan=4 | Smart Guy |
| {{nom}}
| YoungStar Awards | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series |
| 1999
| {{nom}} | Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress |
| 2000
| {{nom}} | Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress |
| 2001
| {{nom}} | Best Performance in a TV Movie (Comedy): Supporting Young Actor |
| 2013
| {{nom}} | Scene Stealer: Male | rowspan=2 | Baby Daddy |
| 2014
| {{nom}} | Scene Stealer: Male |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name}}
- {{YouTube|h=TahjDMowry}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mowry, Tahj}}
Category:20th-century African-American male actors
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century African-American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:African-American Christians
Category:African-American male child actors
Category:African-American male dancers
Category:American male child actors
Category:American male dancers
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American people of Bahamian descent
Category:American people of English descent
Category:American people of Irish descent
Category:Male actors from Honolulu