Member-only story
We’ll Always Remember the Man Behind Deebo, King of the Bullies
Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister could have gone through life playing heavies and villains, but his gift was finding the vulnerability in the bluster
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
After news broke Thursday that Tommy “Tiny” Lister had passed away at age 62, the word “Deebo” began trending almost immediately. Of course it did. Lister’s performance as the South Central bully in 1995’s Friday is one of the iconic roles in Black cinema. But while that role may define his legacy, Lister had already established himself as an actor able to elevate the bully archetype far above a stock trope.
’80s babies knew Lister long before Deebo ever stole Red’s chain. He’d given us nightmares as Hulk Hogan’s foil in their 1989 movie No Holds Barred — a performance that crossed over onto actual WWE main events on Saturday nights. Lister’s role as Zeus was as one-dimensional as they come, but his intimidating power was apparent. You can’t overestimate what it took to seem able to take down Hulk Hogan at the height of Hulkamania — without speaking a word. That’s how devastating Lister’s presence was.
A good portrayal of a bully has to evolve into something that we feel like we can overcome — to the point that they’re almost lovable by the time the movie is over.
But it was his first-season appearance on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that showed how Lister was born to play the bully. In the episode “72 Hours,” Will bets Carlton that he couldn’t last a weekend in a bad neighborhood. When Carlton shows up at the dilapidated Compton apartment Will has chosen, he meets Lister, muscles bulging out of his tank top. Tiny plays a bully who hems up Carlton for using “school words.” But as Carlton hardens, proving himself as the ultimate code-switcher, Lister warms to him.
He’s great throughout, but the biggest laugh of the show comes when Mrs. Banks arrives to pick up Carlton, and Lister stands up to her — physically as well as metaphorically. He towers over…
