Gary Anthony Sturgis is an American actor, musician, writer, director, producer, teacher and entrepreneur,
known for his role as Bar Patron and other characters in the television series ''
America's Most Wanted'', and for providing the voice of Ebon in the animated series ''
Static Shock
''Static Shock'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero List of animated television series, animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static (DC Comics), Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the W ...
''.
Sturgis is also known by the rap moniker of Illuminati, having successfully promoted a few albums on iTunes.
Early life
Sturgis was born in
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, and is the second oldest son of four born to Abraham and Sarah Sturgis. He grew up in the
Ninth Ward of New Orleans
The Ninth Ward or 9th Ward is a distinctive region of New Orleans, Louisiana, which is located in the easternmost downriver portion of the city. It is geographically the largest of the 17 Wards of New Orleans. On the south, the Ninth Ward is bound ...
, Louisiana, and attended McDonogh Senior High School where he played piccolo and served as drum major for the band. After writing an essay for a class assignment expressing his love and desire for acting, a teacher invited him to a table read for a play, and Sturgis was cast as the understudy; later going on to play the lead role of ''A Raisin in the Sun''.
Career
Sturgis made his acting debut in the
romantic thriller
A romantic thriller is a narrative that involves elements of the romance and thriller genres.
A good thriller provides entertainment by making viewers uncomfortable with moments of suspense, the heightened feeling of anxiety and fright. A thril ...
film ''
The Big Easy'' (1986). He later starred in the film ''
Blaze'' (1989) as Marquez' Son.
Sturgis later appeared as an
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist.
Etymology
The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
in two of
Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmmak ...
's movies, ''
Diary of a Mad Black Woman
''Diary of a Mad Black Woman'' is a 2005 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Darren Grant and written by Tyler Perry. Inspired by the play of the same name, it marks the debut feature film of Perry, in addition to being the first ...
'' (2005) and ''
Daddy's Little Girls
''Daddy's Little Girls'' is a 2007 American film written and directed by Tyler Perry and produced by Perry and Reuben Cannon. The film stars Idris Elba, Gabrielle Union, Louis Gossett Jr., and Tracee Ellis Ross. It tells the story of a lawyer who ...
'' (2007),
[http://lastheplace.com/2007/08/19/gary-sturgis-the-sweet-sound-of-success Gary Sturgis: The Sweet Sound of Success] as well as the movie ''
Pride
Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...
'' (2007), starring
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films ''Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles ...
, and co-stars in the independent feature directed by
Cedric the Entertainer
Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He hosted BET's ''ComicView'' during the 1993–1994 season and ''Def Comedy Jam'' in 1995. He is bes ...
,
Chicago Pulaski Jones. He has also landed television roles in his early career such as a recurring character by the name of Caz in the ''
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...
'' spin-off, ''
Port Charles
''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...
'', as well as smaller roles on ''
The District
''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000, to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department.
Pre ...
'', ''
NYPD Blue
''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...
'', ''
Malcolm and Eddie
''Malcolm & Eddie'' is an American sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996, on UPN, and ran for four seasons, airing its final episode on May 22, 2000. This series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin in the lead roles. The program wa ...
'' and ''
Girlfriends''.
In the mid 1990s, he began booking voice-over jobs in commercials and trailers. He served as the voice of the Monday night (and later Tuesday night) lineup on the now defunct
UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...
network, promoting such series as ''
The Parkers
''The Parkers'' is an American television sitcom aired on UPN from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004. A Spin-off (media), spin-off of UPN's ''Moesha'', ''The Parkers'' features the mother-daughter team of Nikki (played by Mo'Nique) and Kim Parker ...
'', ''
Moesha
''Moesha'' () is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class famil ...
'', ''
Half & Half
''Half & Half'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeffrey Klarik that aired on UPN from September 23, 2002, to May 15, 2006. The show focuses on the lives of two paternal half-sisters in their twenties who were estranged throughout t ...
'', ''
Girlfriends'', ''
The Hughleys
''The Hughleys'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on UPN from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L. Hughley as the main character, Darryl Hughley, and Elise Neal as ...
'' and many others. Simultaneously in 1997 and 1998, he was also the daily announcer for the late night talk show, ''
VIBE
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...
'', starring
Chris Spencer and later, comedian
Sinbad. Sturgis never had a contract for either job stating that he would just "keep coming everyday until they tell me to stop." This lasted for the duration of the network and the talk show respectively.
Sturgis appeared on the cover of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' in 2002 in celebration of his voice over efforts. In addition to promos for network television, he also did several Hollywood movie trailers such as ''
Bones
A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...
'', ''
The Wood
''The Wood'' is a 1999 American coming-of-age comedy drama film directed by Rick Famuyiwa and starring Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs. It was written by Famuyiwa and Todd Boyd.
Plot
Roland is getting married and is currently missing. ...
'', ''
Crossroads
Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to:
* Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet
Film and television Films
* ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa
* ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
'', ''
Two Can Play That Game'' and ''
The Others''.
Gary was interviewed by fashion editor
Antoine Von Boozier exclusively fo
Floss Magazinethat was published on March 7, 2016. During the interview, Gary reveals he is venturing more into producing and directing the many screenplays and television series he have penned over the years. Sturgis says “I am currently in editing on my directorial debut in 2016, and shooting CainAbel a film I star in as well as HOWARD HIGH, a new musical offering from Chris Stokes. I appreciate all the love and support from my fans!”
[http://www.flossmagazine.com/garysturgis/ (link error)]
He played several animated roles landing himself in cartoons, feature films and in video games. A partial list includes, ''
Static Shock
''Static Shock'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero List of animated television series, animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static (DC Comics), Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the W ...
'', ''
Avatar: The Last Airbender
''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' (abbreviated as ''ATLA''), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Aang'' in some regions or simply ''Avatar'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and ...
'', ''
Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase
''Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase'' is a 2001 American direct-to-video animated science fiction comedy mystery film, and the fourth in a series of direct-to-video animated films based on Hanna-Barbera's ''Scooby-Doo'' Saturday morning cartoons. It ...
'', ''
Batman Beyond
''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration ...
'', ''
Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' and ''
The Fairly OddParents: Wishology''. Video game titles include ''Shout About Music'', ''
True Crime: New York City'', ''
Evil Dead
''Evil Dead'' is an American horror film franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of four feature films and a television series. The series revolves around the ''Necronomicon Ex-Mortis'', an ancient Sumerian text that wreaks havoc upon a gro ...
'', ''
Spider-Man 2
''Spider-Man 2'' is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Michael Chabon. Based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name, it is the ...
'' and ''
Red Faction
''Red Faction'' is a series of shooter video games developed by Volition and owned by Koch Media. Originating in 2001, the ''Red Faction'' games have spanned Microsoft Windows, macOS and consoles, including the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, P ...
''. His role in ''
Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' as the DC Comics anti-hero
Bronze Tiger
Bronze Tiger is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dennis O'Neil, Leopoldo Dirampma, and Jim Berry, he first appeared in ''Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter'' #1 (May 1975). The character's re ...
was also reprised in the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS video game ''
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate''.
In February 2009, he worked on ''
Blokhedz
''Blokhedz'' is an independent comic book/graphic novel series created by the Madtwiinz, Mark and Mike Davis. Since the release of Issue #1 in 2004, the 4-book comic series has developed a small but dedicated underground fanbase. It is characteri ...
'' animated web series o
Missiong.comand did the voice of Biskit, the leader of the biker gang Wild Dawgs.
In October 2008, Sturgis began working as a staff writer for
Tyler Perry Studios
Tyler Perry Studios (TPS) is an American film production studio in Atlanta, Georgia founded by actor, filmmaker, and playwright Tyler Perry in 2006.
In 2019, Perry celebrated the grand opening of his newest Atlanta studio location; he purchased ...
on the series ''
Tyler Perry's House of Payne
''House of Payne'' is an American sitcom television series created and produced by Tyler Perry that premiered in syndication on June 21, 2006.
The series revolves around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta led by patriarc ...
'' and ''
Meet the Browns'', both on
TBS. This would mark his first professional writing job. His first credited episode of ''Tyler Perry's House of Payne'' aired on December 16, 2008.
Personal life
In 1992, Sturgis married his college sweetheart, Jennifer Grimes, whom he met at
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the University of Louisiana System and the Urban 13 association. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High rese ...
. The pair moved to Los Angeles where she landed a job as an assistant talent agent at a top-tier talent agency. Shortly thereafter, Sturgis was signed at the agency. They have two sons, Evan and Dane. Sturgis is also a member of
Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Web
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturgis, Gary
Living people
American male film actors
American male voice actors
African-American male actors
Male actors from New Orleans
American male writers
American directors
American producers
American male musicians
1966 births
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people