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Alex Thomas Jr. is an American actor and stand-up comedian from South Central Los Angeles. He began his entertainment career as a teenage dancer on the long-running TV show Soul Train, where he formed a close friendship with star Rosie Perez. After high school, Perez became the choreographer for the popular TV show In Living Color, and Alex served as her assistant choreographer during the first two seasons. While working there, he met producers Keenan Ivory Wayans and Damon Wayans, who encouraged him to pursue stand-up comedy, launching his career.
Two years later, Thomas appeared on numerous comedy shows, including BET's Comic View, Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, An Evening at the Improv, The Arsenio Hall Show, The Jay Leno Show, and eventually starred in his own one-hour Showtime comedy special, "Straight Clownin’." The special featured guest appearances by Tyra Banks, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Dr. Dre.
In 1994, Will Smith discovered Thomas performing at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood and invited him to join the writing staff of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, where he contributed for the last three seasons. Alongside his stand-up career, opening for stars like Damon Wayans, Mark Curry, and Bill Cosby, Thomas acted in films such as Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, BAPS, The Players Club, Two Can Play That Game, The Wash, Just Married, Women Thou Art Loosed, Why Do Fools Fall in Love, and others.
Thomas made guest appearances on TV shows including Moesha, Martin, The Parkers, All of Us, and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. He later became a series regular on The Jamie Foxx Show as the character "Phil," also known as "Phino." He voiced recurring roles on Family Guy and appeared in animated series like Batman Beyond, King of the Hill, and The Cleveland Show.
In 2001, Thomas hosted the legendary "Up in Smoke Tour," featuring artists such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Eminem, performing stand-up comedy in all 49 cities on the tour. Between 2009 and 2010, he was voted "College Comic of the Year," performing at over 100 colleges. Currently, Thomas stars in the CW Network show Mr. Box Office alongside Bill Bellamy, Jon Lovitz, Tim Meadows, Vivica A. Fox, Essence Atkins, Rick Fox, Tony Roberts, and Gary Busey.
He has four brothers: Jelani, Omari, Shomar, and Iman. Raised by his parents Mary and Alex Sr., his mother was a classical pianist, and his father was an accomplished R&B musician and producer who worked with the early lineup of Earth, Wind & Fire. Alex attended Berkeley Hall, an all-white private school in Beverly Hills, as his parents wanted to protect him from the gang culture of South Central Los Angeles. One of his earliest stand-up jokes was, "By 13, I had been to more Bar Mitzvahs than Bar-B-Qs!" He graduated from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles and briefly attended Santa Monica College and Cal State Northridge before leaving college to focus on his entertainment career.
Alex founded "The Alex Thomas Foundation," a pediatric cancer charity. He hosts the annual "Alex Thomas Celebrity Classic" golf tournament in Los Angeles, which raises funds for pediatric cancer research. An avid 15-handicap golfer, he has played courses worldwide, including St. Andrews in Scotland, Pebble Beach in California, and Bethpage in New York. Known as "The Ghetto Tiger Woods," he is also affectionately called "Inglewood's" by fans.
