James Anthony Brown (born November 16, 1945 in Columbia, South Carolina) 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, after relocating there from his home in South Carolina. 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 in Atlanta, Georgia. 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, 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. After five years, Brown found other writing assignments for such sitcoms as The Parent 'Hood and Me and the Boys.
He has performed on Vibe, Def Comedy Jam, It's Showtime at the Apollo, An Evening at the Improv and The Oprah Winfrey Show, and had recurring roles on Moesha, Living Single and...More about J. Anthony Brown...
