Alex Thomas Jr. is an American actor and stand-up comedian born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. He initially entered the entertainment industry as a teenage dancer on the hit TV show Soul Train. While on the show, he became close friends with Rosie Perez, who later became the choreographer on the hit TV show In Living Color. Alex joined In Living Color as her assistant choreographer for the first two seasons, where he met Keenan Ivory Wayans and his brother Damon Wayans, the show's producers.
The Wayans brothers encouraged Alex to pursue stand-up comedy and, two years later, he began appearing on various comedy shows, including BET's Comic View, Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jam, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, and The Arsenio Hall Show. He eventually starred in his own one-hour comedy special on Showtime, titled "Straight Clownin," which featured a plethora of guest stars, including Tyra Banks, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, and Dr. Dre.
In 1994, Will Smith, star of the hit TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, discovered Alex as an amateur comedian at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood and added him to the show's writing staff. As a member of the staff, Alex wrote for the show for its remaining three seasons. While touring as a successful stand-up comedian, opening for stars like Damon Wayans, Mark Curry, and Bill Cosby, Alex also starred in several motion pictures, including 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, and Why Do Fools Fall in Love.
Alex has also made guest appearances on various TV shows, such as Moesha, Martin, The Parkers, All of Us, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and The Jamie Foxx Show, where he played the role of "Phil" aka "Phino." He was also a recurring character on the hit show Family Guy, as well as other popular animated series, including Batman and Beyond, King of the Hill, and The Cleveland Show.
In 2001, Alex hosted the biggest tour in hip-hop history, the "Up in Smoke Tour," which featured artists like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Eminem. He hosted the tour in all 49 cities as a stand-up comedian. In 2009-10, Alex was voted "College Comic of the Year" and performed at over 100 colleges during that period.
Today, Thomas is one of the stars of Mr. Box Office on the CW Network, alongside Bill Bellamy, Jon Lovitz, Tim Meadows, Viveca Fox, Essence Atkins, Rick Fox, Tony Roberts, and Gary Busey.
Alex was raised by his parents, Mary and Alex Sr., who were both accomplished in their respective fields. His mother was a classical pianist, and his father was an R&B musician and producer with the famous band Earth, Wind & Fire. As a child, Alex attended an all-white private school in Beverly Hills, Berkeley Hall, where his parents bused him from his tough South Central neighborhood to avoid gang lifestyle and the streets.
Alex's first joke as a stand-up comedian was "By 13, I had been to more Bar Mitzvahs than Bar-B-Q's!!" He graduated from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles and briefly attended Santa Monica College and Cal State Northridge before dropping out and pursuing a career in entertainment.
Alex is also the founder of a pediatric cancer foundation, "The Alex Thomas Foundation," which hosts a huge golf tournament every summer in Los Angeles called "The Alex Thomas Celebrity Classic." The tournament benefits pediatric cancer research. Alex is an avid 15-handicap golfer and has played courses all over the world, including St. Andrews, Scotland, Pebble Beach, California, and Beth Page in New York. He is known as "The Ghetto Tiger Woods" and is also called "Inglewood's."
