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Thomas "Tiny" Lister, Jr.[1] (June 24, 1958 - December 10, 2020)[1] was a former professional wrestler, actor and a voice actor for Regular Show.[1][2][3] He is best known for portraying Deebo in the Friday series of films and for wrestling under the ring name Zeus for the World Wrestling Federation.[4][5]
Early life[]
Thomas Lister, Jr. was born on June 24, 1958 in Compton, California, being the second of four children.[3][5] His father was a truck driver and his mother was a housewife.[5] He attended high school at Compton High School.[6] He played track and field growing up.[5] He attended college at Cal State Los Angeles, where he became the 1982 Division II national shot put champion, reaching 61 feet and 8 inches, which still remains a school record.[5][7] He tried out for the New Orleans Breakers football team of the United States Football League in 1984.[5]
Career[]
Wrestling[]
Billed at 6'6" and weighing 300 pounds, he was originally a professional wrestler, using the ring name "Zeus" in the World Wrestling Federation, being involved in feuds with Hulk Hogan, Brutus Beefcake and Randy Savage. He then wrestled in World Championship Wrestling as "Z-Gangsta" before retiring from wrestling to pursue an acting career.[2][8] During his wrestling career, he was ranked #500 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers in 1991.[9]
Acting[]
To promote the on-screen feud between himself and Hulk Hogan, they acted in the film No Holds Barred.[5] As an actor, he has been in such movies as Friday and its sequel Next Friday, and has also voice acted on Fish Hooks as Mr. Mussels. On Regular Show, he voices Muscle Man's friend, Bobby, who made his debut in "My Mom".[2][3] His favorite role he has played is Hegai in the film One Night with the King.[5]
Voice credits[]
This section may be incomplete
Season 2[]
- "My Mom" - Bobby
- "See You There" - Bobby
Personal life[]
Lister was born blind in his right eye due to his retina being detached and deformed.[5] He met his wife, Felicia Forbes, a missionary and minister, in her hometown of Cape Town, South Africa while during production of a film he acted in, Blast; they eventually married there in 2003, with fellow actor Samuel L. Jackson in attendance.[4][10] Together they have a daughter, named Faith Grace Lister.[4][5] When not acting, he and his wife serve as ministers, helping troubled youth.[2] He is a born-again Christian and also has Type 2 diabetes.[5][9]
In 2012, Lister agreed to plead guilty to mortgage fraud, which cost banks 3.8 million dollars. He, along with five other people, used falsified records to help Lister unlawfully acquire homes for $5.7 million, having a maximum sentence of five years in prison; he was later bailed out and is currently doing community service.[5][11]
He sadly died on December 10, 2020, age 62 from Atherosclerosis.[12]
External links[]
- Wikipedia article on Tiny Lister
- Tiny Lister's official website
- Tiny Lister's Facebook
- Tiny Lister's Twitter
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/tiny-lister-117.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://www.tommytinylister.com/biography.phtml
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Tiny-Lister/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://www.blackcelebkids.com/2010/05/25/tommy-tiny-lister-with-his-wife-and-daughter/
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 http://grantland.com/features/tiny-lister-deebo-friday-career-zeus/
- ↑ http://www.vladtv.com/video/195398/exclusive-tiny-lister-im-from-compton-not-bch-city-arkansas/
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1994-03-27/news/ci-39198_1_cal-state-l-a
- ↑ http://www.obsessedwithwrestling.com/profiles/z/zeus.php
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 http://dailyskewwrestling.wordpress.com/2009/01/11/wrestler-profile-zeus-tiny-lister-jr/
- ↑ http://ballerwives.com/2009/10/17/tommy-tiny-listers-wife-felicia-forbes/
- ↑ http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-08-31/news/la-fi-mo-actor-tommy-tiny-lister-in-big-trouble-with-feds-20120831_1_mortgage-fraud-scheme-that-cost-banks-home-equity-lines
- ↑ https://deadline.com/2020/12/tommy-tiny-lister-dies-played-menacing-deebo-in-friday-films-was-62-1234654735/#!