2023 NAACP Image Awards: Meet the Onscreen Comedic Veterans Up for ‘Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series’
The nominations for “Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series” for the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards will not disappoint. Nominees include some of the funniest names in the business, including Anthony Anderson, Donald Glover, veteran Cedric The Entertainer, and many more. So ahead of this year’s celebration of Black excellence, meet the onscreen comedian in the running for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.
Anthony Anderson / Black-ish
For eight seasons, veteran actor Anthony Anderson has portrayed wealthy advertising executive, husband, and father of five, Andre "Dre" Johnson Sr. trying to honor his Black roots while raising his family in ultra-suburban, upper-middle-class upbringing on the Golden Globe-nominated comedy series from writer and director Kenya Barriss. The role has earned the illustrious star several accolades, including several Primetime Emmy Awards nominations and several wins for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. This year, Anderson is back for another shot at success after taking home the title for the last five years.
Cedric The Entertainer / The Neighborhood
Veteran comedian and actor Cedric The Entertainer is Calvin Butler and the owner of an auto repair shop called Calvin's Pit Stop. The series follows Dave Johnson, played by Max Greenfield, the "nicest guy in the Midwest,” who moves his white family into a rough, predominantly Black neighborhood in Pasadena, CA, where not everyone isn’t too fond of his extreme neighborliness, including Butler.
Donald Glover / Atlanta
Donald Glover’s Atlanta series stood out for many reasons. With a familiar story about three friends trying to make it in the music business at its center, the critically acclaimed dark comedy became popular with how well it said the quietest conversations out loud filtered through the lens of dark and surreal humor.
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Dulé Hill / The Wonder Years
Based on the 1988 series of the same title, The Wonder Years stars Elisha "EJ" Williams as Dean Williams, a young boy growing up in Montgomery, Alabama, in the late 1960s. Veteran actor and this year’s NAACP Image Awards nominee Dulé Hill plays Dean’s father, Bill Williams, who helps navigate his family through crucial moments throughout Black history.
Mike Epps / The Upshaws
Longtime comedian Mike Epps is Bernard "Bennie" Upshaw Sr., the patriarch of the Upshaw family and owner of Bennie's Garage in the Regina Y. Hicks and Wanda Sykes-created sitcom The Upshaws, an Indiana-based family making ends meet without a blueprint. The show also stars Epps’ television wife, Kim Fields, who portrays Regina Upshaw, Bennie’s high-school sweetheart, the matriarch mom to Bernard Jr., Aaliyah, and Maya.
Watch the NAACP Image Awards live on Saturday, February 25, 2023, at 8:00 pm ET/PT on BET.
