Tommy Davidson
Encyclopedia
Tommy Davidson is an American
comedian, film and television actor
.
Born in Washington, D.C.
, Davidson was adopted when he was 2-years-old. He was a child of an interracial adoption
, with his parents being Caucasian and he being African-American. He attended high school at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
, in Bethesda, Maryland
. After graduating, he enrolled at the University of the District of Columbia
, but dropped out shortly thereafter.
and Philadelphia. His first major exposure came on the variety show In Living Color
, where he played various characters, including his impersonations of Sammy Davis, Jr.
and Sugar Ray Leonard
, and being the victim of Homey D. Clown.
In 1991, he released Illin in Philly, a VHS
tape of a stand-up performance, which was aired regularly on Comedy Central
in the 1990s, and "On The Strength", another stand-up performance, this time filmed in New York City. He has also appeared in the films Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
, Strictly Business, Booty Call
and Juwanna Mann
.
Davidson provided the voice for "Oscar Proud," the father in the Disney animated series The Proud Family
. He was also a recurring character on MADtv
's Real M*****F***ing Talk sketches. In an episode of Comedy Central
's Live at Gotham
, Davidson hosted the show with amateur acts trying to make names for themselves. He was also a guest on an episode of Cartoon Network
's animated/live action talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast
.
More recently, Tommy Davidson played the role of Cream Corn in Black Dynamite
and has currently finished production on a full length feature with childhood friend and current roommate Steve Kuflik called Black Scabbith.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian, film and television actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Born in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Davidson was adopted when he was 2-years-old. He was a child of an interracial adoption
Interracial adoption
Interracial adoption refers to the act of placing a child of one racial or ethnic group with adoptive parents of another racial or ethnic group....
, with his parents being Caucasian and he being African-American. He attended high school at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School is a Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, public school named for two of the towns it serves along with Kensington and Silver Spring, Maryland. It is located at 4301 East-West Highway, in Bethesda, an unincorporated community in Montgomery County...
, in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
. After graduating, he enrolled at the University of the District of Columbia
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
, but dropped out shortly thereafter.
Career
Davidson started his career as a stand-up comedian in the mid 1980s, performing in various comedy clubs throughout the Washington Metropolitan region, BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
and Philadelphia. His first major exposure came on the variety show In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
, where he played various characters, including his impersonations of Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
and Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
, and being the victim of Homey D. Clown.
In 1991, he released Illin in Philly, a VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
tape of a stand-up performance, which was aired regularly on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in the 1990s, and "On The Strength", another stand-up performance, this time filmed in New York City. He has also appeared in the films Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is the sequel to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective . Jim Carrey reprises his role as the title character Ace Ventura, a detective who specializes in retrieval of tame or captive animals. This is the only sequel to a film starring Carrey in which Carrey reprised his role...
, Strictly Business, Booty Call
Booty Call
Booty Call is a 1997 comedy film, written by J. Stanford Parker and Takashi Bufford, and directed by Jeff Pollack. The film stars Jamie Foxx, Tommy Davidson, Vivica A. Fox and Tamala Jones.-Plot:...
and Juwanna Mann
Juwanna Mann
Juwanna Mann is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Jesse Vaughan. The movie stars Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. as Jamal Jeffries, a basketball star turned female impersonator after being banned from men's basketball. The film also stars Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Pollak, Tommy Davidson, Kim Wayans,...
.
Davidson provided the voice for "Oscar Proud," the father in the Disney animated series The Proud Family
The Proud Family
The Proud Family is an American animated television series that premiered on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005.-Production:...
. He was also a recurring character on MADtv
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
's Real M*****F***ing Talk sketches. In an episode of Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
's Live at Gotham
Live At Gotham
Live at Gotham is a standup comedy television show airing on Comedy Central in the United States. The show features up and coming stand up comedians performing live at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City. It premiered on July 21, 2006....
, Davidson hosted the show with amateur acts trying to make names for themselves. He was also a guest on an episode of Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's animated/live action talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
.
More recently, Tommy Davidson played the role of Cream Corn in Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite is a 2009 American film starring Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson, Arsenio Hall, Kevin Chapman and Tommy Davidson. It is a spoof of 1970s blaxploitation films...
and has currently finished production on a full length feature with childhood friend and current roommate Steve Kuflik called Black Scabbith.
Characters
- "Angel" (The Prison Cable Network)
- "Annoying Waiter"
- "Byron Hedley" ("Hey Mon")
- "Howard Tibbs III" (Funky Finger Productions/B.S. Brothers)
- "Little Kid" (Homey the Clown)
- "Main ManMain Man"Main Man" is a rock song by American singer-actress Cher from her nineteenth studio album, Cher. It was written and produced by Desmond Child.It was released as a promotional single from the album in 1988 by Geffen....
" - "Pookie"
- "Luther (Snack 'n Shack)
- "Sweet Tooth Jones" (Hollywood School of Self Defense)
- "Continuous Victim" (Wanda)
- "Varnel Hill" (Martin)
Impersonations
- Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
- Al JarreauAl JarreauAlwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
- Anita BakerAnita BakerAnita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
- Antonio FargasAntonio FargasAntonio Juan Fargas is an American actor famous for his roles in 1970s blaxploitation movies, as well as his portrayal of Huggy Bear in the 1970s TV series Starsky and Hutch.-Biography:...
- Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
- Emmanuel LewisEmmanuel LewisEmmanuel Lewis is an American actor, best known for playing the title character in the 1980s television sitcom Webster. He is tall. Lewis graduated from Midwood High School in 1989 and then Clark Atlanta University in 1997...
- K-Ci
- Jaleel WhiteJaleel WhiteJaleel Ahmad White is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel from Family Matters and voicing the character of Sonic the Hedgehog and other characters for Sonic the Hedgehog media....
- MC HammerMC HammerStanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
- Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
- Michael McDonaldMichael McDonald (singer)Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
- PrincePrince (musician)Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
- Sammy Davis, Jr.Sammy Davis, Jr.Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
- Spike LeeSpike LeeShelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
- Tupac ShakurTupac ShakurTupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
- RockyRockyRocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
- RamboJohn RamboJohn Rambo is an iconic fictional character and the basis of the Rambo saga. He first appeared in the 1972 novel First Blood by David Morrell, but later became more famous in the film series, played by Sylvester Stallone...
- Sugar Ray LeonardSugar Ray LeonardSugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
- Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
- Sylvester StalloneSylvester StalloneMichael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
- John MaddenJohn Madden (American football)John Earl Madden is a former American professional football player in the National Football League, a former Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and later the NFL, and a former color commentator for NFL telecasts. In 2006, he was inducted into...
- CherCherCher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
- "Straight"
- Sue Johannson
- Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
- Rick AstleyRick AstleyRichard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
- Rick JamesRick JamesJames Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
- Puff Smokey Smoke