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Anthony Johnson

Anthony Johnson built a screen career around comic energy, sharp character work and an ability to make even a relatively brief appearance register. Born in Compton, California, on May 5, 1965, he entered acting in his early twenties. His father, stuntman and Black Stuntmen’s Association co-founder Eddie Smith, helped him find work on film productions and gain an early foothold in the industry. Comedy was another important route into performing. Johnson credited comedian Robin Harris with supporting him early in his stand-up career, including giving him another opportunity after a poorly received performance. That persistence became part of Johnson’s career shape: film roles and live comedy developed alongside each other rather than as separate paths. In 1990, Johnson landed a starring role as E.Z.E. in House Party. After the film, he performed stand-up in bars around Los Angeles. His subsequent screen work moved comfortably between comedy, action and drama. He appeared as a drug dealer in Lethal Weapon 3 and had a role in Menace II Society, placing his distinctive comic presence against much harder-edged material. His biggest role came in the 1995 comedy Friday, where he played Ezal, a thief and crack addict whose hustling, unpredictable presence became one of the film’s memorable comic threads. Johnson also appeared in Panther, The Players Club, B*A*P*S, I Got the Hook-Up, Def Jam’s How to Be a Player and Repos. His character work extended into music videos as well. In Dr. Dre’s 1992 video for “Dre Day,” Johnson played Sleazy-E, a parody of Eazy-E. He returned as the character in Eazy-E’s 1993 video for “Real Muthaphuckkin G’s,” this time becoming the target of the video’s retaliation. Across films, television and music videos, Johnson found a durable lane playing heightened personalities with the timing of a stand-up comedian and the directness of a character actor.