Orlando Jones

Orlando Jones (born April 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Born in Mobile, Alabama, he moved to Mauldin, South Carolina, as a teen and later enrolled at the College of Charleston. He scored his first Hollywood job in 1987 writing for the NBC comedy A Different World, and went on to write for the Fox series Roc and co-produce The Sinbad Show. He became one of the original nine cast members of the sketch comedy series MADtv in 1994, performing characters such as Cabana Chat band leader Dexter St. Croix before leaving after two seasons to pursue a film career. He gained wide recognition as the 7 Up spokesman from 1999 to 2002 and hosted his own late-night talk show, The Orlando Jones Show, on FX in 2003. From 2016 through 2019 he portrayed the African god Anansi on Starz's American Gods, and his film credits include Office Space, Evolution, and Drumline.