Faizon Love

Last updated

Faizon Love
Faizon Love at Porn Star Karaoke.jpg
Love in 2005
Born
Langston Faizon Santisima

(1968-06-14) June 14, 1968 (age 56)
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
Years active1983–present

Faizon Andre Love (born Langston Faizon Santisima; June 14, 1968 [1] ) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his roles in the comedy films The Meteor Man , Don't Be a Menace , Friday , B*A*P*S , Blue Crush , The Replacements , Made , Mr Bones , and Couples Retreat , as well as the voice of Sean "Sweet" Johnson in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and his role as Wendell Wilcox on The Parent 'Hood .

Contents

Early life

Love was born Langston Faizon Santisima [2] in Santiago de Cuba on June 14, 1968. He has described himself as a military brat who was raised in Southeast San Diego, California and Newark, New Jersey because of his father's career in the U.S. Navy. [2] He graduated from Morse High School in Southeast San Diego.

Career

Love got his start as a stand-up comedian at age 15 and made his acting debut in an off-Broadway at the age of 19. [3] His film debut, Bebe's Kids , saw him provide the voice of comedian Robin Harris, who died before production began on the film; Love offered a close vocal impression of Harris. He then had a role in The Meteor Man , starring Robert Townsend. Townsend then cast Love in a co-starring role on his sitcom The Parent 'Hood .

He followed up this role with a breakout performance as the drug supplier Big Worm in the 1995 film Friday . Follow-up films have included 3 Strikes , Elf , Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood , Money Talks , Wonderland , The Fighting Temptations , and Idlewild . [4] [5] [6] [7] In 2001, Love guest-starred in the Ludacris single "Freaky Thangs" from the album Word of Mouf . The same year, he made a cameo appearance as a bus driver, in the music video for Lil Jon & The East Side Boys' single "Put Yo Hood Up".

Love lent his voice to the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004), portraying Sean "Sweet" Johnson, the leader of the Grove Street Families and the older brother of the game's protagonist. He co-starred in Couples Retreat (2009), a comedy film chronicling four couples who partake in therapy sessions at a tropical island resort. [8]

In 2012, he played Stringer Bell in a satirical trailer for The Wire: The Musical. In June of that year, he started to appear in a series of commercials for Boost Mobile, promoting its new 4G phones.

Controversy and arrest

In 2014, Love posted a series of controversial tweets in the wake of the sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby. Defending Cosby against the charges, he used profanity and racial slurs against Cosby's accusers as well as comedian Hannibal Buress, who had been credited with bringing wider attention to the allegations in a stand-up routine. [9] [10] In 2015, Love once again posted tweets in defense of Cosby, dismissing his fellow African-Americans who believed the allegations as "spineless monkeys". [11]

On March 7, 2017, Love was arrested on a charge of misdemeanor assault in Columbus, Ohio. An altercation with a valet had occurred at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, with video evidence showing Love grabbing the valet behind the neck in the baggage claim area and throwing him onto the ground and into a desk. Love pled not guilty, [12] but later pled no contest and received a $500 fine and a 180-day suspended jail sentence. [13]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1992 Bebe's Kids Robin Harris (voice)
1993 The Meteor Man Husband
1994 Fear of a Black Hat Jam Boy
1995 Friday Big Worm
1996 Don't Be a Menace Rufus
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate Manny
1997 B*A*P*S Tiger J
Money Talks Cellmate
1998 The Players Club Officer Peters
2000 3 Strikes Tone
The Replacements Jahmal Abdul Jackson
2001Inhumanity-Video
Made Horrace
Mr Bones Fats Pudbedder
2002 Play'd: A Hip Hop Story Domino BreedTV movie
Blue Crush Leslie
2003 Wonderland Greg Diles
The Fighting Temptations Luther Washington
Elf Wanda
Ride or Die David RabinawitzVideo
2004 Torque Sonny
2005The LuauHustle
Animal Double TVideo
2006 Just My Luck Damon Phillips
All You've Got Coach HarlanTV movie
Idlewild Sunshine Ace
2007 Who's Your Caddy? Big Large
The Perfect Holiday Jamal
2008Of Boys and MenRoman
Days of Wrath Cash Flow
2009 A Day in the Life "Black" Ike Smith
Steppin: The Movie -
Couples Retreat Shane
2010 Life as We Know It Cab Driver
2011 Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son Kurtis Kool
King of the UndergroundFaizon
Zookeeper Bruce the Bear (voice)
The Cookout 2David TurnerTV movie
Budz HouseBig Shitty
2012The Wire: The MusicalRussell 'Stringer' BellShort
The Paperboy Comedian
2013White TAnthony
2014Matthew 18Lifton Tyler
Tell Dwight Johnson
2015November RuleTheo
Brotherly Love Uncle Ron
2016She's Got a PlanDr. Funkman
2017 Grow House Rollin Reg
Ripped Reeves
2018Bad ParamedicsCraigShort
2020 Bulletproof 2 Jack Carter
She BallBig Meat Tuna
The War with Grandpa David
2021Fuck Child Support the Animated MovieMr. MackShort
2022 Block Party Gus
Santa GamesSanta Charles
2023The Sandlerverse 2Bruce The BearShort
Prince of DetroitTeddy Hall
Back on the Strip Desmond 'Da Body' Day
The Last Stop in Yuma County Vernon

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1992An Evening at the ImprovHimselfEpisode: "Episode #10.14"
1993 Def Comedy Jam HimselfEpisode: "Episode #3.5"
1995 What a Cartoon! Sledgehammer O' Possum (voice)Episode: "Sledgehammer O'Possum: Out and About"
1995-98 The Parent 'Hood Wendell WilcoxRecurring Cast: Season 1, Main Cast: Season 2–4
1996 The Wayans Bros. Nigel LovejoyEpisode: "Mama, I Wanna Act"
2002-05 Dinner for Five HimselfRecurring Guest
2004 The Big House Warren ClevelandMain Cast
That's So Raven CyrusEpisode: "Radio Heads"
2007 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia CoachEpisode: "The Gang Gets Invincible"
2008Black Poker Stars InvitationalHimselfMain Guest
2009 My Name Is Earl Reverend GreeneEpisode: "Gospel"
2013 Big Morning Buzz Live Himself/PanelistEpisode: "Maggie Q/Joan & Melissa Rivers/Cast of '21 & Over'"
Mr. Box Office Big WhaneEpisode: "There Goes the Neighborhood"
2013-16 Real Husbands of Hollywood HimselfRecurring Cast: Season 1 & 4-5, Guest: Season 2
2015-17 Black-ish ShaGuest Cast: Season 2-3
2017 Wild 'N Out Himself/Team CaptainEpisode: "Faizon Love/2 Milly"
Hip Hop Squares Himself/PanelistRecurring Guest
The New Edition Story Maurice Starr Episode: "Part 1"
2018 Detroiters Farmer ZackEpisode: "Farmer Zack"
2018-22 Step Up: High Water Al BakerMain Cast
2023 The Upshaws TerryEpisode: "Thera Please"

Music Videos

YearSongArtistRole
1995"Keep Their Heads Ringin'" Dr. Dre Thief
2003"Gossip Folks" Missy Elliott featuring Ludacris Teacher
2004"Roses" Outkast Himself
2005"We Belong Together" Mariah Carey Minister
2012"Ring Finger"Lil PlayyFather
2016"Drum Machine"Big Grams featuring Skrillex Bike Cop

Video Game

YearTitleRoleNotes
2004 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Sean "Sweet" JohnsonVoice role
2021 Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Archival recordings
Remaster of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas only

Documentary

YearTitle
2009 Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy

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  8. Trio of Ladies Going on Couples Retreat at TV Guide . October 15, 2008. Retrieved on October 15, 2008.
  9. Callahan, Yesha (November 24, 2014). "Faizon Love Had a Profanity Laced Twitter Meltdown as He Showed Support for Bill Cosby". The Root . Archived from the original on January 4, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  10. "Faizon Love supports Bill Cosby, calls Hannibal Buress a house N***a". The Grio. November 22, 2014.
  11. Rogers, Jazmine Denise (July 7, 2015). "Faizon Love Slams Blacks Over Bill Cosby Outrage". Madame Noire.
  12. "Faizon Love arrested in Ohio after airport altercation". Fox News Entertainment. Associated Press. March 8, 2017.
  13. "Actor Faizon Love gets suspended sentence in assault case". Business Insider . Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.