Tommy Lister Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tommy Lister Jr.
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Lister in 2018
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| Born |
Thomas Duane Lister Jr.
June 24, 1958 Compton, California, U.S.
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| Died | December 10, 2020 (aged 62) Marina del Rey, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Tiny, Tom, Deebo |
| Occupation | Actor, professional wrestler |
| Years active | 1984–2020 |
| Spouse(s) |
Felicia Forbes
(m. 2003) |
| Children | 1 |
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Professional wrestling career
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| Ring name(s) | Zeus Z-Gangsta |
| Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
| Billed weight | 300 lb (136 kg) |
| Billed from | Parts unknown |
| Debut | April 25, 1989 |
| Retired | March 24, 1996 |
Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. (born Thomas Duane Lister Jr.) was an American actor and professional wrestler. He was born on June 24, 1958, and passed away on December 10, 2020. He was well-known for playing the neighborhood bully Deebo in the 1995 movie Friday and its sequel. He also played President Lindberg in the film The Fifth Element.
Lister was also a professional wrestler for a short time. He wrestled with Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as Zeus. This happened after he appeared as Zeus in the 1989 movie No Holds Barred. Later, he continued his wrestling career as Z-Gangsta in 1996 for World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Tommy Lister Jr. was born with an eye condition that made him blind in his right eye. This gave him a unique look that he used to his advantage in his acting roles. He often played strong, tough characters or bullies in both funny and serious movies.
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Early Life and Sports
Tommy Lister Jr. was born in Compton, California. From birth, he had a problem with his right eye, which caused him to be permanently blind in that eye.
He went to Palomar Junior College and then to Long Beach City College. While at Long Beach, he was a talented athlete, especially in shot put. He threw the shot put 52 ft (16 m), which helped him get a scholarship to California State University, Los Angeles. In his last year of college, he won a national shot put championship. He was the 1982 NCAA Division II National Shot Put Champion.
After college, Lister continued to compete in shot put. He even tried out for a professional football team, the New Orleans Breakers. However, he decided to become an actor instead.
Acting Career Highlights
Lister is most famous for his role as Deebo in the 1995 movie Friday. Deebo was the tough guy in the neighborhood. Lister played this role again in the sequel, Next Friday (2000). He also appeared in Ice Cube's movie The Players Club.
He made many guest appearances on TV shows. He played Klaang, the first Klingon to meet humans, in the first episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. He was also in two episodes of the show Matlock and the sitcom 1st & Ten.
Lister acted in many other movies, including The Dark Knight, Austin Powers in Goldmember, and The Fifth Element, where he played the Galactic President. He was also in the Adam Sandler movie Little Nicky.
He appeared in several music videos, such as Chamillionaire's "Ridin'" and "Show Love." He was also in Ice Cube's videos for "Friday" and "You Can Do It". Lister played Sancho in the Sublime music video "Santeria".
In the movie Jackie Brown, he played Winston, a bail agent who finds people who don't want to be found. In 2016, he voiced the small fennec fox character Finnick in the Disney animated movie Zootopia.
Tommy Lister Jr. was known for playing "bad guy" roles, which helped his career. He worked often with Ice Cube. Ice Cube remembered Lister as a "born entertainer" who loved to act like his characters, making people laugh. Over his 40-year acting career, Lister had more than 200 acting roles.
Professional Wrestling Career
World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Tommy Lister appeared in the 1989 wrestling movie No Holds Barred, which was supported by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He played Zeus, a strong and mean wrestler. This movie led to a real wrestling rivalry in the WWF in 1989.
Lister was called "Zeus: The Human Wrecking Machine." He acted like a tough, unstoppable wrestler in his matches. He would often yell and pound his chest. Zeus wanted to fight Hulk Hogan, saying he was jealous of Hogan's fame.
Zeus teamed up with another wrestler, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, to fight Hulk Hogan and his friend, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. They had a tag team match at the 1989 SummerSlam event, where Hogan and Beefcake won.
After SummerSlam, Zeus joined "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. At the Survivor Series event, Zeus was disqualified for not letting go of a chokehold on Hogan. Hogan's team won that match. The rivalry between Hogan and Zeus ended in a steel cage match in December 1989, which Hogan and Beefcake also won. This was Zeus's last match in the WWF.
World Championship Wrestling (WCW)
In March 1996, Lister joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Z-Gangsta. He was part of a group called The Alliance to End Hulkamania. His time in WCW ended after a big event called Uncensored.
Awards and Recognition
Tommy Lister Jr. was a very successful shot put athlete in college. He won the U.S. national shot put title and was the 1982 NCAA Division II National Shot Put Champion.
His old college, Cal State LA, now holds an annual track meet named after him.
In 2016, he was nominated for an award called the "Best Bad Mu#&a Award." In 2014, he won "Best Star Spotlight" at the Orlando Urban Film Festival for his role in No Weapon Formed Against Us.
Personal Life
Marriage and Family
Tommy Lister Jr. was married to Felicia Forbes. They got married in Cape Town.
Death
Tommy Lister Jr. passed away on December 10, 2020, at his home in Marina del Rey, California. He was 62 years old. The cause of his death was found to be high blood pressure and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and blood vessels.
Images for kids
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Lister in 2018
See also
In Spanish: Tom Lister Jr. para niños
