Tommy Davidson
 | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification, as its only attribution is to self-published sources; articles should not be based solely on such sources. (February 2021) |
Tommy Davidson | |
|---|---|
 Davidson in 2008 | |
| Born | Anthony Reed[1] November 10, 1963 Rolling Fork, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of the District of Columbia |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1984–present[2] |
| Known for | Various roles in In Living Color Rushon in Booty Call Mitchell in Between Brothers Dexter in Malcolm and Eddie Womack/Sleep'n Eat in Bamboozled Oscar Proud in The Proud Family |
| Children | 4 |
Thomas Davidson (born November 10, 1963) is an American comedian and actor.[3] He was an original cast member on the sketch comedy TV show In Living Color, Mitchell on Between Brothers (1997-1999), Dexter on Malcolm and Eddie (1999-2000), Oscar Proud on The Proud Family (2001-2005), Rushon in Booty Call (1997), Womack in Bamboozled (2000), Black Dynamite (2009) and its subsequent television series. In 2022, Davidson appeared on Storybound (podcast) reading from his book, "Living in Color: What's Funny about Me".
Early years[edit]
Born Anthony Reed in Rolling Fork, Mississippi,[1][4] Davidson was abandoned in the trash at 18 months old, before being rescued by the woman who became his adoptive mother.[5][6] He was a child of an interracial adoption; his adoptive parents are white, and he is African-American.[5] His parents changed his name to Thomas Davidson when they adopted him.[1] He has two older white siblings, Michael and Beryle. He and his family had moved from Colorado to Wyoming to Oregon by the time he was five years old.[7]
His parents divorced when he was five years old, and his mother and the children moved to Washington, D.C.[1] They later moved to Wheaton, Maryland, then the neighborhood of Rosemary Hills in Silver Spring, and then Takoma Park.[1][5] He attended Rosemary Hills Elementary School, Sligo Middle School, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, in Bethesda, Maryland.[1][5] After graduating in 1981,[5] he studied communications and interned at the radio station of the University of the District of Columbia for one semester.[8] 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 storeroom of Hechinger in Hyattsville, Maryland.[1][5]
Early career[edit]
Davidson started his career as a stand-up comedian in 1986,[2] when a childhood friend convinced him to perform stand-up at The Penthouse strip club in Park View, Washington, D.C.[5][9] 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.[10] He performed on a fundraising telethon for WHMM in 1987.[11]
Davidson won an amateur stand-up competition at the Apollo Theater in 1987.[5] Soon afterwards, he moved to North Hollywood, California, where he met Martin Lawrence, who lived in his building.[5][12] 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.[5] After performing at Luther Vandross and Anita Baker shows, he appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show.[5]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Kid 'n Play: Funhouse | Himself | Video Short |
| 1991 | Strictly Business | Bobby | |
| 1993 | CB4 | Weird Warren | |
| A Cool Like That Christmas | Orlando (voice) | TV Movie | |
| 1995 | Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | The Tiny Warrior | |
| 1997 | Booty Call | Rushon | |
| Plump Fiction | Julius | ||
| 1998 | Woo | Tim | |
| 1999 | Pros & Cons | Ron Carter | |
| 2000 | Bamboozled | Womack / Sleep'n Eat | |
| 2002 | Juwanna Mann | Puff Smokey Smoke | |
| The Scream Team | Jumper | TV Movie | |
| 2004 | Funky Monkey | Harland | |
| 2005 | The Proud Family Movie | Oscar Proud (voice) | TV Movie |
| 2009 | Black Dynamite | Cream Corn | |
| Pimp 24/7 | Detective Bill | TV Movie | |
| 2011 | Shadow Hills | Uncredited | TV Movie |
| Dance Fu | Addict | ||
| 2012 | Who Killed Soul Glow | Uncredited | |
| 2016 | Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens | Aston Reynolds | TV Movie |
| 2018 | Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece | Homeless Comic | |
| Frat Pack | Big Daddy | ||
| 2021 | The Outlaw Johnny Black | Clancy |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Prince Tariq | Episode: "Coming to America" |
| 1990 | Kid 'n' Play | Jazzy / Acorn | TV Series Short |
| 1990–94 | In Living Color | Various Roles | Main Cast |
| 1992 | Roc | Donald | Episode: "The Hand That Rocs the Cradle" |
| 1993 | The Commish | Reese | Episode: "Rising Sun" |
| Martin | Varnel Hill | Episode: "Hollywood Swinging Parts 1 & 2" | |
| 1994 | Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man | Marvin (voice) | Episode: "Joking the Chicken" |
| 1995 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Jester (voice) | Episode: "The Frog Prince" |
| 1996 | The Ren & Stimpy Show | Sammy Mantis (voice) | Episode: "Sammy and Me/The Last Temptation" |
| 1997 | Boston Common | Darrell | Episode: "Soup to Nuts" |
| Space Ghost Coast to Coast | Himself | Episode: "Pavement" | |
| 1997–99 | Between Brothers | Mitchell Ford | Main Cast |
| 1999 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Cassim (voice) | Episode: "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" |
| 1999 | Premium Blend | Self | Host |
| 1999–00 | Malcolm & Eddie | Dexter Sherman | Guest: Season 3, Supporting Cast: Season 4 |
| 2000 | Cousin Skeeter | Uncredited | Episode: "The Feminine Ms. Skeet" |
| The Wonderful World of Disney | Max (Head Elf) | Episode: "Santa Who?" | |
| 2001–05 | The Proud Family | Oscar Proud (voice) | Main Cast |
| 2002 | The Proud Family Shorties | Oscar Proud (voice) | Television Mini-Series |
| 2002 | MADTv | Woogie Jones Johnson | Episodes "8.11, 8.19 & 9.6" |
| 2004–05 | The Bernie Mac Show | Lou | Episode: "Who Gives This Bride" & "Family Reunion" |
| 2005 | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Oscar Proud (voice) | Episode: "Spats: Experiment #397" |
| 2007 | Everybody Hates Chris | Eddie | Episode: “Everybody Hates Houseguests” |
| 2011–15 | Black Dynamite | Cream Corn / Scarecrow (voice) | Main Cast |
| 2015 | Celebrity Wife Swap | Himself | Episode: "Corey Feldman and Tommy Davidson" [13] |
| 2016–18 | Vacation Creation | Host | TV Series |
| 2018 | I'm Dying Up Here | Alan Lucas | Episode: "Plus One" |
| 2020 | Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine | John | Television special |
| 2021 | The Ms. Pat Show | Marcus | Episode: "Brotha Poppins" |
| 2022 | The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder | Oscar Proud (voice) | Main Cast |
Comedy specials[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Takin' It To D.C. | Himself | Stand-Up Special |
| 1991 | Illin' in Philly | Himself | Stand-Up Special |
| 1996 | On The Strength | Himself | Stand-Up Special |
| 2009 | Shaq & Cedric the Entertainer Present: All Star Comedy Jam | Himself | Stand-Up Special |
Book[edit]
- Davidson, Tommy; Teicholz, Tom (2020). Living in Color. Kensington Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4967-1294-3.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g Davidson, Tommy; Teicholz, Tom (2020). Living in Color. Kensington Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4967-1294-3.
- ^ a b Peterson, Miranda (February 1, 2012). "Laughing with Comedian Tommy Davidson: Tommy talks Obama, performing for the troops & how to start a career in comedy". joonbug. SkyNet Media Group LLC.
- ^ Company, Johnson Publishing (1996). Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. pp. 14–.
- ^ Leff, Bill; Snyder, Wendy (September 18, 2013). "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" (audio). WGN Radio.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Brown, DeNeen (February 18, 1996). "In Living Black-and-White: How Tommy Davidson's World Shaped His Very Funny Comedy". The Washington Post. p. G1.
- ^ Maron, Marc, "Episode 605 – Tommy Davidson / Phil Hendrie", WTF with Marc Maron, May 25, 2015. (24th minute).
- ^ Gebreyes, Rahel (October 27, 2014). "Tommy Davidson Looks Back On Being Adopted Into A White Family In The '60s". The Huffington Post.
- ^ Stoddard, Christine (May 15, 2013). "Comedian Tommy Davidson Comes to Richmond". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
- ^ Piccoli, Sean (April 20, 1990). "From strip joint to Fox: He's 'In Living Color'". The Washington Times. p. E1.
- ^ "WHMM Kicks Off Spring Membership Drive". Washington Informer. March 11, 1987. p. 18.
- ^ Doup, Liz (January 8, 1991). "The Fresh Face of Fame". The Sun-Sentinel.
- ^ Hughes, Mike (August 18, 2015). "Tommy Davidson just a normal guy on 'Celebrity Wife Swap'". Lansing State Journal (Lansing, Michigan). p. D3.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tommy Davidson. |
| General | |
|---|---|
| National libraries | |
| Other | |
- 1963 births
- African-American male actors
- African-American male comedians
- 21st-century American comedians
- American stand-up comedians
- American male voice actors
- American male television actors
- American male film actors
- American adoptees
- Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School alumni
- Living people
- People from Rolling Fork, Mississippi
- People from Greenville, Mississippi
- People from Wheaton, Maryland
- People from Silver Spring, Maryland
- People from Takoma Park, Maryland
- Male actors from Mississippi
- University of the District of Columbia alumni
- 21st-century African-American people
- 20th-century African-American people