Anthony Anderson

Anderson was born in Compton, California. His mother, Doris Bowman (née Hancox), was a telephone operator and actress. 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. Sterling died in 2022. Anderson has a younger half-brother, Derrick Bowman, who works as an ICU nurse. Growing up, Anderson's nickname was "Tugga" because he could not pronounce sugar. According to a DNA analysis, Anderson descends from the Bubi people of Bioko Island (Equatorial Guinea), and from the Tikar, Hausa, and Fulani people of Cameroon. Anderson has stated that his first attempt at stand-up comedy was a failure. Although this experience was a blow to his ego, he met 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 Torry later acted together in the 1999 film Life, alongside Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. Anderson is an alumnus of the Hollywood High School Performing Arts Magnet's Class of 1988. He initially enrolled at Howard University as a theater major but faced financial difficulties, leading him to leave after his junior year. Nearly three decades later, inspired by his son Nathan's acceptance to the university, he returned to Howard to complete his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts in 2022.