# Faizon Love

Faizon Andre Love (born Langston Faizon Santisima; June 14, 1968) 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.

## Early life

Love was born Langston Faizon Santisima 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. 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. 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. 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.
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. In 2015, Love once again posted tweets in defense of Cosby, dismissing his fellow African-Americans who believed the allegations as "spineless monkeys".
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, but later pled no contest and received a $500 fine and a 180-day suspended jail sentence.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 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 | |
| 1996 | A Thin Line Between Love and Hate | Manny | |
| 1997 | B*A*P*S | Tiger J | |
| 1997 | Money Talks | Cellmate | |
| 1998 | The Players Club | Officer Peters | |
| 2000 | 3 Strikes | Tone | |
| 2000 | The Replacements | Jahmal Abdul Jackson | |
| 2001 | Inhumanity | - | Video |
| 2001 | Made | Horrace | |
| 2001 | Mr Bones | Fats Pudbedder | |
| 2002 | Play'd: A Hip Hop Story | Domino Breed | TV movie |
| 2002 | Blue Crush | Leslie | |
| 2003 | Wonderland | Greg Diles | |
| 2003 | The Fighting Temptations | Luther Washington | |
| 2003 | Elf | Wanda | |
| 2003 | Ride or Die | David Rabinawitz | Video |
| 2004 | Torque | Sonny | |
| 2005 | The Luau | Hustle | |
| 2005 | Animal | Double T | Video |
| 2006 | Just My Luck | Damon Phillips | |
| 2006 | All You've Got | Coach Harlan | TV movie |
| 2006 | Idlewild | Sunshine Ace | |
| 2007 | Who's Your Caddy? | Big Large | |
| 2007 | The Perfect Holiday | Jamal | |
| 2008 | Of Boys and Men | Roman | |
| 2008 | Days of Wrath | Cash Flow | |
| 2009 | A Day in the Life | "Black" Ike Smith | |
| 2009 | Steppin: The Movie | - | |
| 2009 | Couples Retreat | Shane | |
| 2010 | Life as We Know It | Cab Driver | |
| 2011 | Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son | Kurtis Kool | |
| 2011 | King of the Underground | Faizon | |
| 2011 | Zookeeper | Bruce the Bear (voice) | |
| 2011 | The Cookout 2 | David Turner | TV movie |
| 2011 | Budz House | Big Shitty | |
| 2012 | The Wire: The Musical | Russell 'Stringer' Bell | Short |
| 2012 | The Paperboy | Comedian | |
| 2013 | White T | Anthony | |
| 2014 | Matthew 18 | Lifton Tyler | |
| 2014 | Tell | Dwight Johnson | |
| 2015 | November Rule | Theo | |
| 2015 | Brotherly Love | Uncle Ron | |
| 2016 | She's Got a Plan | Dr. Funkman | |
| 2017 | Grow House | Rollin Reg | |
| 2017 | Ripped | Reeves | |
| 2018 | Bad Paramedics | Craig | Short |
| 2020 | Bulletproof 2 | Jack Carter | |
| 2020 | She Ball | Big Meat Tuna | |
| 2020 | The War with Grandpa | David | |
| 2021 | Fuck Child Support the Animated Movie | Mr. Mack | Short |
| 2022 | Block Party | Gus | |
| 2022 | Santa Games | Santa Charles | |
| 2023 | The Sandlerverse 2 | Bruce The Bear | Short |
| 2023 | Prince of Detroit | Teddy Hall | |
| 2023 | Back on the Strip | Desmond 'Da Body' Day | |
| 2023 | The Last Stop in Yuma County | Vernon | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | An Evening at the Improv | Himself | Episode: "Episode #10.14" |
| 1993 | Def Comedy Jam | Himself | Episode: "Episode #3.5" |
| 1995 | What a Cartoon! | Sledgehammer O' Possum (voice) | Episode: "Sledgehammer O'Possum: Out and About" |
| 1995-98 | The Parent 'Hood | Wendell Wilcox | Recurring Cast: Season 1, Main Cast: Season 2–4 |
| 1996 | The Wayans Bros. | Nigel Lovejoy | Episode: "Mama, I Wanna Act" |
| 2002-05 | Dinner for Five | Himself | Recurring Guest |
| 2004 | The Big House | Warren Cleveland | Main Cast |
| 2004 | That's So Raven | Cyrus | Episode: "Radio Heads" |
| 2007 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Coach | Episode: "The Gang Gets Invincible" |
| 2008 | Black Poker Stars Invitational | Himself | Main Guest |
| 2009 | My Name Is Earl | Reverend Greene | Episode: "Gospel" |
| 2013 | Big Morning Buzz Live | Himself/Panelist | Episode: "Maggie Q/Joan & Melissa Rivers/Cast of '21 & Over'" |
| 2013 | Mr. Box Office | Big Whane | Episode: "There Goes the Neighborhood" |
| 2013-16 | Real Husbands of Hollywood | Himself | Recurring Cast: Season 1 & 4-5, Guest: Season 2 |
| 2015-17 | Black-ish | Sha | Guest Cast: Season 2-3 |
| 2017 | Wild 'N Out | Himself/Team Captain | Episode: "Faizon Love/2 Milly" |
| 2017 | Hip Hop Squares | Himself/Panelist | Recurring Guest |
| 2017 | The New Edition Story | Maurice Starr | Episode: "Part 1" |
| 2018 | Detroiters | Farmer Zack | Episode: "Farmer Zack" |
| 2018-22 | Step Up: High Water | Al Baker | Main Cast |
| 2023 | The Upshaws | Terry | Episode: "Thera Please" |

### Music Videos

| Year | Song | Artist | Role |
| 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 Playy | Father |
| 2016 | "Drum Machine" | Big Grams featuring Skrillex | Bike Cop |

### Video Game

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Sean "Sweet" Johnson | Voice role |
| 2021 | Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition | Sean "Sweet" Johnson | Archival recordings Remaster of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas only |

### Documentary

| Year | Title |
| 2009 | Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy |