James Anthony Brown (born November 16, 1945 in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

) is an American comedian, actor and radio personality. He received the Peabody Award and the NAACP Image Award.

Biography

Early life

Brown started his career in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, after relocating there from his home in

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. Having attended Denmark Technical College, an HBCU in Denmark, South Carolina, Brown was a tailor by trade and aspired to be a clothing designer before putting together a comedy routine after entering a local 'gong show' contest in a local nightclub, Mr. V's Figure Eight. Invited back to host on a regular basis, Brown became a fixture, performing there for the next two years.

Professional career

He left Atlanta for

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, in 1989 to pursue work in television, quickly finding a job as a staff writer for the nationally syndicated, late-night talk show, ''

The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, ...

''. After five years, Brown found other writing assignments for such sitcoms as ''

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 ...

'' and '' Me and the Boys''. He has performed on Vibe,

Def Comedy Jam ''Def Comedy Jam'' is an HBO television series produced by Russell Simmons. The series had its original run from March 7, 1992 to May 2, 1997. Simmons was inspired to make Def Comedy Jam by The Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem, New York and Jerry L ...

, ''

It's Showtime at the Apollo English auxiliary verbs are a small set of English verbs, which include the English modal verbs and a few others. Although definitions vary, as generally conceived an auxiliary lacks inherent semantic meaning but instead modifies the meaning of an ...

'', ''

An Evening at the Improv The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s. History Originally, it was a single venue founded in ...

'' and ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...

'', and had recurring roles on '' Moesha'', ''

Living Single ''Living Single'' is an American television sitcom created by Yvette Lee Bowser that aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who shared personal and profes ...

'' and ''The Parenthood'', as well as guest spots on ''

The Parkers ''The Parkers'' is an American television sitcom aired on UPN from August 30, 1999, to May 10, 2004. A spin-off of UPN's ''Moesha'', ''The Parkers'' features the mother-daughter team of Nikki (played by Mo'Nique) and Kim Parker (played by Counte ...

'' and '' Sparks''. His motion picture work includes roles in ''

Def Jam's How to Be a Player ''Def Jam's How to Be a Player'' is a 1997 sex comedy film, starring Bill Bellamy, Natalie Desselle and Bernie Mac. The film was directed by Lionel C. Martin, and written by Mark Brown and Demetria Johnson. The '' How to Be a Player Soundtrack'' ...

'', ''Pay the Price'', ''

Drumline Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...

'' and ''

Mr. 3000 ''Mr. 3000'' is a 2004 American sports comedy film directed by Charles Stone III. It stars Bernie Mac and Angela Bassett. The film's plot surrounds a retired Major League Baseball player who makes a comeback at age 47 in order to attain 3,000 h ...

''. He has also warmed up audiences at the tapings of ''

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

'', '' Sister, Sister'', '' Roc'' and '' Hangin' with Mr. Cooper''. From 1996 until 25 November 2016, Brown appeared on the ''

Tom Joyner Morning Show The ''Tom Joyner Morning Show'' is an American nationally syndicated radio program, hosted by veteran broadcaster Tom Joyner. The program, which aired on Urban contemporary- and Urban adult contemporary-formatted stations across the United States, ...

'', a nationwide radio show broadcast from Dallas, Texas. Brown is currently on the national radio show

The Steve Harvey Morning Show ''The Steve Harvey Morning Show'' is a national radio program which is currently broadcast from Los Angeles. The nationally syndicated show features host Steve Harvey and a team of comedians and commentators. The show runs approximately four ...

. Brown was awarded a NAACP Image Award and Peabody Award in 1993 for his contribution to reconstruction after the 1992 LA uprising. Brown is working as executive producer for an upcoming reality competition TV show In February 2020, it was announced that Brown has been cast in ''

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living ''Tyler Perry's Assisted Living'' is an American television sitcom created and produced by Tyler Perry that premiered on BET on September 2, 2020. David Mann and Tamela Mann reprised their roles from '' Meet the Browns''. On May 3, 2021, BET ann ...

'' which is set to air on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

on 2 September 2020.

Personal life

Brown was initiated into Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, Eta Beta Sigma alumni chapter in Nashville. He is the owner of the J. Anthony Brown Collection, The J. Spot Clothing Store, and The J. Anthony Brown Comedy Store in Los Angeles, California.Holmes, Tamara E. (June 2009) "Funny Business" ''Black Enterprise'' 39(11): p. 36 Both of Brown's parents died from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

Notes

References

*Christian, Margena A. (15 December 2008) "Comedian J. Anthony Brown Controls His Destiny As Entrepreneur", ''Jet'' 114(22): p. 30 *Staff (17 April 2000) "J. Anthony Brown Pens Book Based on His Popular 'Rev. Adenoids' Radio Sketch" ''Jet'' 97(19): p. 36 *Staff (1999) "The house that J. Anthony built" ''Black Elegance'' Jul/Aug 1999, Issue 121, pp. 58–61 {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, J. Anthony Living people Male actors from Columbia, South Carolina Denmark Technical College alumni Comedians from South Carolina 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors American male television actors American male film actors 1950 births