Faizon Andre Love (born Langston Faizon Santisima; June 14, 1968) is a Cuban-born American actor and comedian. He is best known for his roles in the comedy films '' The Meteor Man'', ''

Don't Be a Menace ''Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood'' (or simply ''Don't Be a Menace'') is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Paris Barclay in his feature film directorial debut, and produced by Keenen Ivory Wayan ...

'', ''

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth d ...

'', ''

B*A*P*S ''B.A.P.S'' (an acronym for '' Black American Princesses'') is a 1997 American female buddy comedy film directed by Robert Townsend and starring Halle Berry, Natalie Desselle, and Martin Landau. The film was written by Troy Byer and was her fir ...

'', ''

Elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

'', '' The Replacements'', ''

Made Made or MADE may refer to: Entertainment Film * ''Made'' (1972 film), United Kingdom * ''Made'' (2001 film), United States Music * ''Made'' (Big Bang album), 2016 * ''Made'' (Hawk Nelson album), 2013 * ''Made'' (Scarface album), 2007 *'' M.A.D.E. ...

'', and ''

Couples Retreat ''Couples Retreat'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Billingsley marking his directorial debut, and written by Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, and Dana Fox. Vaughn and Favreau star with Jason Bateman, Faizon Love, Kristin Da ...

'', as well as the voice of Sean "Sweet" Johnson in the video game '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' and his role as Wendell Wilcox on ''

The Parent 'Hood ''The Parent 'Hood'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 18, 1995, to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas. Originally to be titled ''Father Knows Nothing'' (a parody of t ...

''.

Early life

Love was born Langston Faizon Santisima in

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

on June 14, 1968. He has described himself as a

military brat A military brat ( colloquial or military slang) is a child of serving or retired military personnel. Military brats are associated with a unique subcultureDavid C. Pollock, Ruth E. van Reken. ''Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds'', Rev ...

who was raised in Southeast San Diego, California and

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

. He graduated from Morse High School in Southeast San Diego.

Career

Love got his start as a stand-up comedian at age 15 and made his acting debut in an

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at the age of 19. His film debut, '' Bebe's Kids'', saw him provide the voice of comedian

Robin Harris Robin Hughes Harris Sr. (August 30, 1953 – March 18, 1990) was an American comedian and actor, best known for his recurring comic sketch about "Bébé's Kids". He was posthumously nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting ...

, who died before production began on the film; Love offered a close vocal impression of Harris. He then had a role in '' The Meteor Man'', starring Robert Townsend. Townsend then cast Love in a co-starring role on his sitcom ''

''. He followed up this role with a breakout performance as the drug supplier Big Worm in the 1995 film ''

''. Follow-up films have included '' 3 Strikes'', ''

'', ''

Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood ''Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood'' (or simply ''Don't Be a Menace'') is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Paris Barclay in his feature film directorial debut, and produced by Keenen Ivory Way ...

'', '' Money Talks'', '' Wonderland'', ''

The Fighting Temptations ''The Fighting Temptations'' is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn, written by Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson, and distributed by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films. The main plot revolves around Darrin Hill (C ...

'', and '' Idlewild''. In 2001, Love guest-starred in the

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

single "Freaky Thangs" from the album ''

Word of Mouf ''Word of Mouf'' is the second studio album by American rapper Ludacris; it was released on November 27, 2001, by Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South. It contains the singles, "Rollout (My Business)", "Area Codes", "Move Bitch", and "Saturday ( ...

''. The same year, he made a cameo appearance as a bus driver, in the music video for Lil Jon & The East Side Boys' single "

Put Yo Hood Up ''Put Yo Hood Up'' is the third studio album by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. It was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies. Track listing # "Y'all Ain't Ready" # "Uhh Ohh"(featuring Khujo Goodie of Goodie Mob & Bo Hagon) ...

". Love lent his voice to the video game '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' (2004), portraying Sean "Sweet" Johnson, the leader of the Grove Street Families and the older brother of the game's protagonist. He co-starred in ''

'' (2009), a comedy film chronicling four couples who partake in therapy sessions at a tropical island resort. In 2012, he played

Stringer Bell Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character in ''The Wire'', played by Idris Elba. He is a secondary antagonist for season 1 and 2, later being the main antagonist for season 3. In the criminal world of early 2000s Baltimore, Bell serves as ...

in a satirical trailer for ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...

: The Musical''. In June of that year, he started to appear in a series of commercials for Boost Mobile, promoting its new 4G phones.

Controversy and arrest

In 2014, Love posted a series of controversial tweets in the wake of the sexual assault allegations against

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

. Defending Cosby against the charges, he used profanity and racial slurs against Cosby's accusers as well as comedian Hannibal Buress, who had been credited with bringing wider attention to the allegations in a stand-up routine. In 2015, Love once again posted tweets in defense of Cosby, dismissing his fellow African-Americans who believed the allegations as "spineless monkeys". On March 7, 2017, Love was arrested on a charge of

misdemeanor assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. An altercation with a valet had occurred at

John Glenn Columbus International Airport John Glenn Columbus International Airport is an international airport located east of downtown Columbus, Ohio. Formerly known as Port Columbus International Airport, it is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which also ove ...

, with video evidence showing Love grabbing the valet behind the neck in the baggage claim area and throwing him onto the ground and into a desk. Love pled not guilty, but later pled no contest and received a $500 fine and a 180-day suspended jail sentence.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video game

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Love, Faizon 1968 births Living people 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors African-American male actors African-American male comedians African-American stand-up comedians American entertainers of Cuban descent American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors American stand-up comedians Comedians from California Cuban emigrants to the United States Male actors from Newark, New Jersey Male actors from San Diego People from Santiago de Cuba