Tom Lister Jr.

Tommy Lister Jr.  was an American character actor and occasional professional wrestler known for his roles as the neighborhood bully Deebo in the 1995 film Friday, its 2000 sequel and as President Lindberg in The Fifth Element. He had two short professional wrestling stints, with Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after appearing as Zeus in the 1989 film No Holds Barred and resuming the feud as Z-Gangsta in 1996 for World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was born with a detached and deformed retina and was blind in his right eye, which drooped, a unique look that he turned to his advantage in film. He played in both comedies and dramas, usually cast as 'the heavy/big bully'. He holds degrees from Gettysburg College (BA) and VCU (MFA). Bruce received teaching awards from Ohio State and Texas Tech and, in 2019, won Best Supporting Actor at the Festival of Film, NYC. Having lived and worked for many years on the Upper West Side of NYC where painted himself out of his canvas-filled studio apartment, Bruce recently relocated to the greener pastures of Charlottesville, Virginia.