Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in comedy series such as Andre "Dre" Johnson on Black-ish, drama series such as Marlin Boulet on K-Ville, and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama Law & Order and comedy sitcom television series Guys with Kids. He had major roles in feature films such as Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Kangaroo Jack (2003), Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004), The Departed (2006), Transformers (2007), and Scream 4 (2011). Anderson is also a regular judge on Food Network's Iron Chef America and also has more roles on other television programs such as All About the Andersons, The Bernie Mac Show, and The Shield. Since June 2016, he has served as host of the ABC version of the game show To Tell the Truth. In addition, he has served as a guest panelist for various game shows. Early life Anderson was born in Compton, California. His mother, Doris (née Hancox), was a telephone operator and actress, and 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. He has a half-brother, Derrick Bowman. His stepfather died in 2002. 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 Guy later acted together in the Eddie Murphy film titled Life. Anderson is an alumnus of the Hollywood High School Performing Arts Magnet's Class of 1988 and graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2022. Career His television work includes a lead role in the teen series Hang Time as Teddy Broadis. He had many one-off and guest roles on major series such as NYPD Blue, Malcolm & Eddie, In the House, and Ally McBeal. Recurring roles were on several series