From sociopathic mercenaries, fearsome gangsters, and frightening bodyguards, to wonderfully comedic and often quirky performances, TOMMY
TINY LISTER JR. has done it all. Born in June 1958 in Compton, California, Lister's brief stint with the professional wrestling circuit in the late 1980s was a precursor to minor parts such as
Andy Garcia's bodyguard in 8 Million Ways to Die (1986) and
Powers Boothe's bodyguard in Extreme Prejudice (1987). Well known for his role as Deebo, the neighborhood bully in the series of Friday movies, the 6'7" actor's film and TV credits totals well over 100. Lister, who grew up thrilling to performances by
Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart,
Charlton Heston, and
Errol Flynn, has now played opposite contemporary greats such as
Jon Voight in Runaway Train (1985),
Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987),
Johnny Depp and
Marlon Brando in Don Juan De Marco (1995),
Bruce Willis in the Fifth Element (1997), and
Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, and Rachel Weiss in Confidence (2003). He's also worked with director
Quentin Tarantino in Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead (1995) and Jackie Brown (1997). Recently, Lister played opposite
Adam Sandler in Little Nicky (2000),
Mike Myers in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), as well as having appeared in a long list of B-horror films. A prolific actor, Lister has completed seven films since his role as Hagai in One Night with the King (2006).
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