Tommy Davidson
{{short description|American actor and comedian}}
{{other people|Thomas Davidson}}
{{BLP self-published|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox person
|image = CUN2008 Oscar party MosDef.jpg
|name = Tommy Davidson
|caption = Davidson in 2008
|birth_name = Anthony ReedDavidson, Tommy; Teicholz, Tom (2020). Living in Color. Kensington Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-4967-1294-3}}.
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1963|11|10}}
|birth_place = Rolling Fork, Mississippi, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|alma_mater = University of the District of Columbia
|occupation = {{hlist|Actor|comedian}}
|years_active = 1984–present
|other_names =
|spouse = {{marriage|Amanda Moore|2015}}
|children = 6
|website =
|awards =
}}
Tommy Davidson (born November 10, 1963) is an American actor and comedian.{{cite web|magazine=Jet|title=Being Adopted Into White Family Gives Tommy Davidson Unique Outlook on Race|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_GDgDAAAAMBAJ|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_GDgDAAAAMBAJ/page/n13 14]–|language=en-US|date=March 18, 1996|access-date=January 18, 2025}} He was an original cast member on the sketch comedy TV show In Living Color, and portrayed Mitchell on Between Brothers (1997–1999), Dexter on Malcolm & Eddie (1999–2000), the voice of Oscar Proud on The Proud Family (2001–2005) and its 2022 revival series, Rushon in Booty Call (1997), Womack in Bamboozled (2000), and Cream Corn in Black Dynamite (2009) and its subsequent television series. In 2022, Davidson appeared on Storybound reading from his book, Living in Color: What's Funny about Me.
Early life
Born Anthony Reed in Rolling Fork, Mississippi,{{cite news |title= Actor and comedian Tommy Davidson reminisces with Bill and Wendy about his "In Living Color" days, compares his life to Webster and talks about his upcoming show at Laugh Factory Chicago |work= WGN Radio |first1=Bill|last1=Leff|first2=Wendy |last2=Snyder|format=audio|url=https://wgnradio.com/wgn-radio/tommy-davidson-in-living-color/|language=en-US|url-status=live|date= September 18, 2013|access-date=January 18, 2024|archive-date=January 18, 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250118202038/https://wgnradio.com/wgn-radio/tommy-davidson-in-living-color/}} Davidson was abandoned in the trash at 18 months old, before being rescued by a white woman who became his adoptive mother.{{cite news |title= In Living Black-and-White: How Tommy Davidson's World Shaped His Very Funny Comedy |first= DeNeen |last= Brown |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= February 18, 1996 |page= G1 |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1996/02/18/in-living-black-and-white/4a9f253b-d9b1-44a5-a220-f5ddb4c10067/ }}Maron, Marc, [http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_605_-_tommy_davidson_phil_hendrie "Episode 605 – Tommy Davidson / Phil Hendrie"], WTF with Marc Maron, May 25, 2015. (24th minute). His parents changed his name to Thomas Davidson when they adopted him. He has two older siblings, Michael and Beryle. He and his family had moved from Colorado to Wyoming to Oregon by the time he was five years old.{{cite news |title= Tommy Davidson Looks Back On Being Adopted Into A White Family In The '60s |work= The Huffington Post |first= Rahel |last= Gebreyes |date= October 27, 2014 |url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/27/tommy-davidson-white-family_n_6055388.html }}
His parents divorced when he was five years old, and his mother and the children moved to Washington, D.C. They later moved to Wheaton, Maryland, then the neighborhood of Rosemary Hills in Silver Spring, and then Takoma Park. He attended Rosemary Hills Elementary School, Sligo Middle School, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, in Bethesda, Maryland. After graduating in 1981, he studied communications and interned at the radio station of the University of the District of Columbia for one semester.{{cite news |title= In Living Tommy |last= Brown |first= Bridgit |work= The Boston Banner |date= July 22, 2010 |pages= 11, 13 |url= https://www.baystatebanner.com/2010/07/20/well-known-comedian-tommy-davidson-is-not-afraid-to-blast-the-television-industry-impersonate-president-obama-or-praise-psychologist-franz-fanon/ }} He had jobs in the kitchen of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, cleaning at Roy Rogers, bussing tables at an IHOP in Wheaton, and working in the stockroom of Hechinger in Hyattsville, Maryland.
Career
Davidson started his career as a stand-up comedian in 1984,{{cite news |title= Laughing with Comedian Tommy Davidson: Tommy talks Obama, performing for the troops & how to start a career in comedy |date= February 1, 2012 |first= Miranda |last= Peterson |work= joonbug |publisher= SkyNet Media Group LLC |url= http://joonbug.com/national/almostfamous/Laughing-with-Comedian-Tommy-Davidson/s7PBYF99zja }} when a childhood friend convinced him to perform stand-up at The Penthouse strip club in Park View, Washington, D.C.{{cite news |title= Comedian Tommy Davidson Comes to Richmond |work= Richmond Times-Dispatch |first= Christine |last= Stoddard |date= May 15, 2013 |url= http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/article_6fc4e1d8-bca2-11e2-9ef6-0019bb30f31a.html }} He continued performing in various comedy clubs throughout the Washington Metropolitan region, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. He opened concerts for Patti LaBelle, Starpoint, and Kenny G.{{cite news |title= From strip joint to Fox: He's 'In Living Color' |work= The Washington Times |date= April 20, 1990 |first= Sean |last= Piccoli |url= http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0EB0EEC096E34CAA&p_docnum=899&p_queryname=3 |page= E1 }} He performed on a fundraising telethon for WHMM in 1987.{{cite news |title= WHMM Kicks Off Spring Membership Drive |work= Washington Informer |date= March 11, 1987 |page= 18 |url= https://www.proquest.com/docview/340433732/ }}
Davidson won an amateur stand-up competition at the Apollo Theater in 1987. Soon afterwards, he moved to North Hollywood, California, where he met Martin Lawrence, who lived in his building.{{cite news |title= The Fresh Face of Fame |first= Liz |last= Doup |work= The Sun-Sentinel |date= January 8, 1991 |url= http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1991-01-08/features/9101020136_1_tommy-davidson-comedy-corner-celebrity |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150227041648/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1991-01-08/features/9101020136_1_tommy-davidson-comedy-corner-celebrity |url-status= dead |archive-date= February 27, 2015 }} He performed at the Comedy Store, where Robert Townsend heard of him and asked him to be the warm-up comic for an HBO special. After performing at Luther Vandross and Anita Baker shows, he appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show.
Personal life
Davidson and his wife Amanda Moore married in 2015. They have two children.{{cite web | url=https://news.amomama.com/298480-tommy-davidsons-wife-is-a-business-owner.html | title=Amanda Moore is Tommy Davidson's Wife Who Owns a Business | date=24 January 2024 }}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1991
| Bobby | |
| 1993
| CB4 | Weird Warren | |
| 1995
| Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | The Tiny Warrior | |
| rowspan=2| 1997
| Rushon | |
| Plump Fiction
| Julius | |
| 1998
| Woo | Tim | |
| 1999
| Ron Carter | |
| rowspan=2| 2000
| Womack/Sleep'n Eat | |
| Santa Who?
| Max The Elf | TV movie |
| rowspan=2| 2002
| Puff Smokey Smoke | |
| The Scream Team
| Jumper | TV movie |
| 2004
| Harland | |
| 2005
| Oscar Proud (voice) | TV movie |
| rowspan=2| 2009
| Cream Corn | |
| Pimp 24/7
| Detective Bill | TV movie |
| 2011
| Dance Fu | Addict | |
| 2012
| Who Killed Soul Glow | Himself | |
| 2016
| Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens | Aston Reynolds | TV movie |
| rowspan=2| 2018
| Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece | Homeless Comic | |
| Frat Pack
| Big Daddy | |
| 2021
| Miracles Across 125th Street | Bishop Wishoff | TV movie |
| rowspan=2| 2023
| Clancy | |
| So Fly Christmas
| Pastor | TV movie |
| rowspan=2| 2024
| The Realtor | Bruce Kevin | |
| Mr. Santa: A Christmas Extravaganza
| Mr. Burns | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1989
| Prince Tariq | Episode: "Coming to America" |
| 1990–94
| Himself/Cast Member | Main cast |
| 1992
| Roc | Donald | Episode: "The Hand That Rocs the Cradle" |
| rowspan=2| 1993
| Reese | Episode: "Rising Sun" |
| Martin
| Varnel Hill | Episode: "Hollywood Swinging Parts 1 & 2" |
| rowspan=2| 1994
| Himself | Episode: "Episode #9.1" |
| Duckman
| Marvin (voice) | Episode: "Joking the Chicken" |
| 1995
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Jester (voice) | Episode: "The Frog Prince" |
| 1996
| Sammy Mantis (voice) | Episode: "Sammy and Me" |
| rowspan=3| 1997
| MADTv | Himself/Host | Episode: "Episode #2.14" |
| Space Ghost Coast to Coast
| Himself | Episode: "Pavement" |
| Boston Common
| Darrell | Episode: "Soup to Nuts" |
| 1997–99
| Mitchell Ford | Main cast |
| rowspan=3| 1999
| All That | Himself | Episode: "All That Live! (100th Episode)" |
| Premium Blend
| Himself/Host | Main host: Season 3 |
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
| Cassim (voice) | Episode: "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" |
| 1999–2000
| Dexter Sherman | Guest: Season 3, Recurring cast: Season 4 |
| rowspan=2| 2000
| - | Episode: "The Feminine Ms. Skeet" |
| The Wonderful World of Disney
| Max (Head Elf) | Episode: "Santa Who?" |
| rowspan=2| 2001
| The Test | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "The Fatal-Attraction Test" |
| Weakest Link
| Himself | Episode: "Comedians Special" |
| 2001–03
| Himself/Panelist | Recurring guest |
| 2001–05
| Oscar Proud (voice) | Main cast |
| rowspan=2| 2002
| Himself | Recurring guest |
| MADTv
| Woogie Jones Johnson | Episode: "Episode #8.11 & #8.19 & #9.6" |
| 2004
| Himself/Guest Host | Episode: "March 29, 2004" |
| 2004–05
| Lou | Guest cast: Seasons 3–4 |
| rowspan=3| 2005
| The Drop | Himself | Episode: "Episode #2.8" |
| Poorman's Bikini Beach
| Himself | Episode: "La Bamba Tour, Internet Modelpalooza, and Benchwarmer Party" |
| Lilo & Stitch: The Series
| Oscar Proud (voice) | Episode: "Spats" |
| 2006
| Himself | Episode: "Episode #2.5" |
| 2006–07
| Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.19" & "#2.1" |
| 2007
| Eddie | Episode: “Everybody Hates Houseguests” |
| rowspan=2| 2008
| Himself/Host | Episode: "Episode #3.4" |
| Battleground Earth
| Himself | Episode: "Finale at the Greek" |
| rowspan=3| 2009
| {{nowrap|Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America}} | Himself | Recurring guest |
| For the Love of Ray J
| Himself | Episode: "The Foxes are Feuding" |
| Comedy.TV
| Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.8" |
| 2009–18
| Himself | Recurring guest |
| 2010
| Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | Himself | Episode: "The Johnson Family" |
| 2011
| Comedy All-Stars | Himself/Host | Main host |
| 2011–15
| Cream Corn (voice) | Main cast |
| 2013
| Himself | Episode: "Coco/Craig Kilborn/Diana DeGarmo/Tommy Davidson" |
| rowspan=2| 2014
| Himself/Host | Episode: "Tommy Davidson" |
| Chopped
| Himself/Contestant | Episode: "Chopped Tournament of Stars: Comedians!" |
| rowspan=2| 2015
| Himself | Episode: "Corey Feldman and Tommy Davidson" Hughes, Mike (August 18, 2015). "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/122028332/ Tommy Davidson just a normal guy on 'Celebrity Wife Swap']". Lansing State Journal (Lansing, Michigan). p. D3. |
| Real Husbands of Hollywood
| Himself | Episode: "Kevin Davis Jr." |
| rowspan=2| 2016
| Himself | Episode: "Tommy Davidson vs. Kristi Yamaguchi/Dave Foley vs. Jalen Rose" |
| Worst Cooks in America
| Himself/Contestant | Main contestant: Season 9 |
| 2016–17
| Himself/Celebrity Player | Episode: "Melissa Peterman & Tommy Davidson 1-3" |
| 2016–18
| Himself/Host | Main host |
| 2017–19
| Himself | Recurring cast: Season 1, guest: Season 2 |
| 2018
| Alan Lucas | Episode: "Plus One" |
| rowspan=3| 2021
| Dark Humor | Himself | Recurring guest |
| Soul of a Nation
| Himself | Recurring guest: season 1 |
| Uncensored
| Himself | Episode: "Tommy Davidson" |
| 2021–24
| Marcus | Guest cast: Seasons 1–2 & 4 |
| rowspan="4"| 2022
| The Real | Himself/Guest Co-Host | Episode: "Men of Comedy Week - Day 3" |
| Phat Tuesdays: The Era Of Hip Hop Comedy
| Himself | Main guest |
| The Neighborhood
| Jordan | Episode: "Welcome to the Feud" |
| A Black Lady Sketch Show
| Jimothy James Paul | Episode: "Y'all Want Some Blood Juice?" |
| 2022–present
| The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder | Oscar Proud (voice) | Main cast |
| rowspan="4"| 2023
| See It Loud: The History of Black Television | Himself | Episode: "Laughing Out Loud" |
| Celebrity Squares
| Himself | Episode: "Can't Have No Cold Hot Sauce" |
| Disney How NOT to Draw
| Oscar Proud (voice) | Episode: "Suga Mama" |
| Disney Theme Song Takeover
| Oscar Proud (voice) | Episode: "LaCienega's Theme Song Takeover" |
| 2025
| Oscar Proud (voice) | Episode: "Penny and the Chibi Scouts" |
=Comedy specials=
| class = "wikitable sortable plainrwheaders"
! Year ! Title ! Role |
| 1990
| Takin' It To D.C. | Stand-up Special |
| 1991
| Illin' in Philly | Stand-up Special |
| 1996
| On The Strength | Stand-up Special |
| 2009
| Shaq & Cedric the Entertainer Present: All Star Comedy Jam | Stand-up Special |
=Music videos=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;" |
| Year
! Artist ! Song ! Role |
|---|
| 1990
| "Fun House" | Devil |
| 1998
| Queen Latifah featuring Apache | "Bananas (Who You Gonna Call?)" | Himself |
| 2001
| Dr. Dre featuring Knoc-turn'al | "Bad Intentions" | Himself |
Book
- Davidson, Tommy; Teicholz, Tom (2020). Living in Color. Kensington Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-4967-1294-3}}.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.thetommydavidson.com/ The Tommy Davidson]
- [https://www.tommydavidsonmusic.com/ Tommy Davidson Music]
- {{IMDb name|id=0203508|name=Tommy Davidson}}
- [https://www.wishtv.com/news/allindiana/comedy-legend-tommy-davidson-to-perform-in-indianapolis/ Tommy Davidson] on WISH-TV
{{Commons category|Tommy Davidson}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Tommy}}
Category:African-American male actors
Category:African-American male comedians
Category:African-American comedians
Category:American male comedians
Category:21st-century American comedians
Category:American sketch comedians
Category:American stand-up comedians
Category:American male voice actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School alumni
Category:People from Rolling Fork, Mississippi
Category:People from Greenville, Mississippi
Category:People from Wheaton, Maryland
Category:People from Takoma Park, Maryland
Category:Male actors from Mississippi
Category:Male actors from Silver Spring, Maryland
Category:University of the District of Columbia alumni
Category:21st-century African-American people
Category:20th-century African-American people