Tommy Davidson
An actor, stand-up comedian, musician, and singer, Tommy Davidson’s exceptional range has made him a stellar force in entertainment. Perhaps best known as one of the original cast members of the hit television show In Living Color, Davidson has parlayed that success into a flourishing motion picture career.
He made an impressive film debut opposite Halle Berry in Strictly Business and next starred opposite Jada Pinkett Smith in the romantic comedy, Woo (New Line). Tommy starred in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled, where he received acclaim and praise for his turn as “Womack/Sleep ‘N Eats,” a character which showcased his comedic and dramatic acting abilities.
Davidson started his career as a standup comedian in the late 1980s throughout the Washington Metropolitan region, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, performing in various comedy clubs. Performing stand-up in local talent showcases was where he was spotted by concert promoters, who booked him as the opening act for such major music stars such as Patti LaBelle, Kenny G, and Luther Vandross. The next step was Hollywood. He performed at many small clubs, including the Comedy Act Theatre, where among others, he met Robert Townsend and Keenan Ivory Wayans, who would later prove instrumental in Davidson’s career. Davidson’s first national television appearance was a starring role in Townsend’s Partners in Crime.
Wayans, who offered him the opportunity to audition for a primetime variety show called In Living Color, which became a cult favorite and a huge ratings success, then approached Davidson. Davidson’s hilarious impressions of Sammy Davis, Jr., Michael Jackson, and others have become infamous. In Living Color led to three Showtime specials: On Strength of New York, Illin’ in Philly, and Takin’ it to DC, and a handsome film career such as a reunion with fellow In Living Color alumni, Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura II: When Nature Calls. On the small screen, Tommy’s starred as one of the leads in the Disney Channel animated series, The Proud Family.
Tommy will soon be seen in the hottest film to come out of this year’s Sundance Festival, Black Dynamite with Michael Jai White, scheduled for release September 4th from Sony Pictures. He recently completed Chicago Pulaski Jones with Cedric the Entertainer. He provides the voice for “born loser,” “harried father,” and “snack-food mogul Oscar Proud” in the hit Disney animated series The Proud Family. Davidson also provides the lead voice of Will Smith’s up-and-coming cartoon series, Youngin’s. Between acting jobs, Tommy travels internationally selling out every venue in which he headlines and participating in select high-profile industry events from Steve Harvey’s “Hoodie Awards” to Comedy Central specials.
As an infant, Davidson’s birth mother abandoned him in Greenville, Miss., in a house crawling with teenagers. Doctors say he had been left to fend for himself for as long as six months and came to them sick and with cuts on his skull, suffering from starvation. While his mother, who had suffered with drug problems, fled, the woman who would adopt him showed up to the house.
In the era in which President Kennedy called on people to get involved and be of service to their communities and country, the woman had come to Mississippi to volunteer her time immunizing children. She had come to Davidson’s home to look for him. Just as she was about to leave, something told her to look behind a tire. There was the two-and-a-half-month-old Davidson, seemingly destined to be there waiting for her. The woman who rescued and raised Davidson was white, as was her husband at the time. She passed away last year.
The couple raised Davidson primarily in Bethesda, Md. “I was raised in an atmospthere where I could become a well-rounded, responsible adult,” he said in an interview during which he broke out into loud song with Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It.” Davidson sang the song with his signature imitation of Sammy Davis Jr., and it was spot-son.
Davidson, 45, said he relates to Obama’s interracial background. “Here I am the colorless dude,” he said. “The black guy that no one knows is white. The white guy who no one knows is black. I feel human, that’s the good thing.”
The comedian is “elated” about Obama being president. “I’m more impressed by what white America has done than anything else. They elected him based on merit.” Davidson was in town to perform at various pre-Inaugural events.
Contact: Monique Moss
monique@integrated-pr.com