Tahj Dayton Mowry (/tɑːʒ ˈmɔːri/; born May 17, 1986) is an American actor and singer. He is the brother of identical twin actresses Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry and is known for his role on the show Smart Guy as the main character TJ on The WB, though the show gained later recognition on Disney Channel. Mowry was cast as the voice of ten-year-old super genius Wade Load on Kim Possible as a nod to this role. He is also known for his roles as Michelle Tanner's best friend Teddy on Full House and Tucker Dobbs on Freeform's comedy show Baby Daddy.
Tahj Mowry | |
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Mowry performing in November 2009 | |
Born | Tahj Dayton Mowry[1] May 17, 1986[1] Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.[1] |
Alma mater | Pepperdine University |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1990–present |
Relatives | Tia Mowry (sister) Tamera Mowry (sister) |
Early life
editTahj Dayton Mowry was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on May 17, 1986. His mother, Darlene Renée (née Flowers), managed her children's careers. His father, Timothy John Mowry, became a custody officer/jailer with the City of Glendale Police Department when the family moved to California.[1][2]
His father has British and Irish ancestry, and his mother is of Afro-Bahamian descent.[3][4] His parents met in high school in Miami, Florida. Both joined the U.S. Army, and eventually reached the rank of Sergeant.[5] His older twin sisters are Tia and Tamera Mowry and he also has a younger brother named Tavior. He played varsity football at Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, California, and one season of football at Savannah State University and the University of Wyoming. He attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where his sisters Tia and Tamera both graduated.
Career
editMowry starred and is perhaps best known as T.J. Henderson, a child prodigy, on the sitcom Smart Guy. He also played Teddy on the sitcom Full House. Mowry has appeared in Disney Channel movies such as Hounded and The Poof Point. He had a guest role on the Disney Channel Original Series, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and in a Star Trek: Voyager episode titled "Innocence". Mowry appeared in the movie Are We Done Yet? as Danny Pulu and in Seventeen Again as Willie Donovan. Mowry also had an appearance in one episode in the fourth season of Desperate Housewives. He guest-starred on an episode of The Game as Melanie Barnett's brother, acting alongside his real-life sister Tia who played Melanie Barnett in the series. Mowry performed the voice of Wade in the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible.
He sang "Shine Your Light On Me" for School's Out! Christmas, "Circle of Life'" on the Disney Channel Circle of Stars recording of The Lion King included on the Platinum Edition DVD, and was featured on a single called "Kick It Out" with Boom Boom Satellites and Flo Rida. Mowry also appeared in an episode of Friends where Phoebe sings to kindergartners.
He starred as Tucker Dobbs in the ABC Family sitcom Baby Daddy, which premiered on June 20, 2012. Mowry released his debut single called "Flirt", produced by Excel Beats, in April 2015.[6] He released a six-song EP titled Future Funk on August 4, 2015. It featured tracks like "Bossy", "Dancing Alone", and "End of the Road".[7] He appeared on the daytime talk show The Real with his sister and co-host Tamera Mowry and was a guest co-host for three episodes. In 2023, he began starring in the Disney+ series The Muppets Mayhem.[8]
Personal life
editMowry dated actress Naya Rivera between 2000 and 2004, after the two worked together on Smart Guy in the 1990s. Rivera remained close with Tahj and his sisters, Tia and Tamera, until her death, and had once helped the sisters find an apartment when they got kicked out of their house.[9]
On July 12, 2020, Mowry posted an Instagram tribute to Rivera, while search operations were underway for her after she went missing while swimming on July 8 at Lake Piru in Southern California.[10] Rivera's body was recovered the next day.
Filmography
editFilm
editYear | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Rappin' N' Rhymin' | Himself | |
1994 | Disney Sing Along Songs : Let's Go to the Circus | Himself | |
1999 | We Wish You a Merry Christmas | Ollie | |
2000 | Seventeen Again | Willie Donovan | |
2001 | Hounded | Jay Martin | |
2001 | The Poof Point | Eddie Ballard | |
2003 | Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time | Wade Load | Voice |
2005 | Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama | ||
2007 | Are We Done Yet? | Danny Pulu | |
2021 | Welcome Matt | Matt | |
2021 | Let's Get Merried | Finn | |
2022 | Me Time | Kabir |
Television
editYear | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | Who's the Boss? | Greg | Episode: "Who's Minding the Kid?" |
1991–1995 | Full House | Teddy | 14 episodes |
1992–1993 | Out All Night | Shavon | 5 episodes |
1993 | Where I Live | Jimmy | Episode: "The Terminator" |
1994 | Sonic the Hedgehog | Young Sonic (voice)[1] | 2-part episode: "Blast to the Past" |
1994–1995 | Aladdin | King Mamoud Tanti |
2 episodes |
1995–1998 | Sister, Sister | Cousin Tahj Sammy T.J |
4 episodes |
1995 | What-a-Mess | Additional Voices | Season 3 |
1996 | Star Trek: Voyager | Corin | Episode: "Innocence" |
1996 | Minor Adjustments | Kenny | Episode: "A Christmas Story" |
1996 | Friends | Kid | Episode: "The One After the Superbowl (Part one)" |
1997 | The Weird Al Show | Himself | Episode: "Because I Said So" |
1997–1999 | Smart Guy | T.J. Henderson | Main role |
2001–2005 | Express Yourself | Himself | Interstitial series |
2002–2007 | Kim Possible | Wade Load (voice) | Main role; 86 episodes |
2005 | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Episode: "Rufus: Experiment #607" | |
2006 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Brandon | Episode: "Scary Movie" |
2007 | Desperate Housewives | Matt | Episode: "Smiles of a Summer Night" |
2012–2017 | Baby Daddy | Tucker Dobbs | Main role; 100 episodes |
2015 | The Real | Himself | Guest Co-Host |
2021 | Family Reunion | Mr. Dean | Episode: "Remember When Shaka Did the Robot?" |
2021 | Black Don't Crack | Khalil Grant | Main role; Unsold pilot |
2022 | How We Roll | Lew | Recurring role |
2023 | The Muppets Mayhem | Gary "Moog" Moogowski | Main role |
Awards
editAwards | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | Award | Category | Nominated Work |
1992 | Nominated | Young Artist Awards | Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Under 10 | Full House |
1998 | Nominated | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Leading Young Performer | Smart Guy |
Nominated | YoungStar Awards | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series | ||
1999 | Nominated | Image Awards | Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress | |
2000 | Nominated | Image Awards | Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress | |
2001 | Nominated | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Movie (Comedy): Supporting Young Actor | Seventeen Again |
2013 | Nominated | Teen Choice Awards | Scene Stealer: Male | Baby Daddy |
2014 | Nominated | Teen Choice Awards | Scene Stealer: Male |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Tahj Mowry Biography (1987-)". Advameg, Inc. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Tia and Tamera Interview". Archived from the original on October 19, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ During an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show in 2010, it was stated that for years that the Mowrys believed they had Italian ancestry on their father's side. However, after researching their family tree on Ancestry.com, they discovered that their father has British ancestry: "We're actually British."
- ^ "'My Ancestors Live in Me': Tia Mowry-Hardrict Gets Emotional Over DNA Ancestry Results". Atlanta Black Star. January 14, 2020.
- ^ Double Devotion – Today's Christian. Web.archive.org (January 9, 2008). Retrieved on July 5, 2011.
- ^ Monaé, Ashley (April 29, 2015). "Tahj Mowry Wants To 'Flirt' With You (Video)". Vibe.
- ^ Shine on Media (July 2, 2015). "Tahj Mowry Talks New Music, "Babby Daddy" & "Fuller House"". Youtube. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
- ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (April 5, 2022). "'The Muppets Mayhem': Tahj Mowry Joins Lilly Singh For Disney+ Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ Alexander, Bryan. "'Rest sweet Naya': Ricky Martin, 'Glee's Lea Michele, more stars react to Naya Rivera's tragic death". USA Today. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ Gariano, Francesca (July 11, 2020). "Tahj Mowry says Naya Rivera was his 1st love in heartbreaking tribute". Today. Retrieved July 12, 2020.