Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter By Andrew Clunis,
Freelance Writer
HE'S FAMOUS in Hollywood for the work of art on his face.
But there's a lot more substance to Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter. He has played major roles in Marked For Death, Predator, Don't Be A Menace, Naked Gun 33 1/3 and has appeared in two TV series, Hudson Street and Union Square. These days he has a role in the Bold and the Beautiful.
The Gleaner caught up with him as he tried to meet his tight schedule for a shoot on the set of the popular television soap. He plays the character Jamar and while he was scripted in primarily for the celebration of Black History Month, there is the possibility the character may become permanent.
Anderson-Gunter doesn't put all his eggs in one basket and while he prefers appearing in front of the camera, he does work behind it as a director. He also spends a lot of time teaching the arts in informal settings in an attempt to achieve his goal of bringing Caribbean culture fullscale into Hollywood.
"If you limit yourself in this place you don't eat," he noted. His Caribbean America Repert-ory Theatre Movement is focusing on bringing West Indian Theatre to the mainstream.
"West Indian talents need to have a place to hone their skills," he said. The company will be taking Derek Walcott's Beef No Chicken to Los Angeles in April.
"It is important for people like us to be here. It says to other people that there are possibilities. Many more Jamaican actors can make it in Hollywood, but they need to realise that they are just human beings who are actors and not necessarily Jamaican actors.
"People should be able to give you any project and get their desired result. It should be just because they want a Jamaican element out of something. When you are typed in that way it is limiting. You just have to get out there and show what you can do in the international sphere of things," he said.
The actor is a graduate of Excelsior High School, Kingston. He left Jamaica for USA in 1968, but it took him a while before he got his feet into the deep waters of stardom. In 1991 he shot to prominence after appearing in Michael Jackson's Black And White video.
"That video ran on TV every seven minutes for three years. Outside of things I had done before that, that was how people began to recognise my face," he said.
Years earlier he did various odd jobs involving working as a sales clerk in a clothing store. But he eventually studied at Boston University and did two years at London's Academy of Business and Dramatic Arts. His road to stardom started when a large picture of him appeared on the cover of the New York Times, while he played a role in Alice In Wonderland on stage.
"We big up Jamaica in Hollywood everytime. We are few in numbers, but we tend to stick together," he said. He plans to do some work with American director Dianah Wynter, of Jamaican parentage.
He has been asked to direct a film on Rastafarianism which is scheduled to be shot in Florida this year.
