What The Cast Of Martin Is Doing Today
Martin was one of the biggest and most beloved sitcoms of the '90s, with what had to be one of the era's greatest theme songs. Premiering in 1992, the show was created by star Martin Lawrence, along with John Bowman and Topper Carew. It ran for five seasons, and — apart from a final season marred by controversy – was extremely well-received. Lawrence was one of the biggest stars of the era, and he, alongside a massively talented cast, made the show into a serious success. Seriously, watch any scene involving Brother Man, and we guarantee you'll still crack up.
But what has the cast of this celebrated sitcom been up to since the show's 1997 finale? As it turns out, all sorts of things — including a whole lot of projects you never would have guessed. This is what the cast of Martin is doing today. Sing it with us now: "Martin ... He's so crazy!"
Martin Lawrence as Martin Payne
Following his celebrated roles in Do the Right Thing and House Party, Martin Lawrence became a bonafide breakout star. Martin was, of course, one of his most high-profile projects following these early hits, but it was hardly the only one: Lawrence was part of a wide variety of successful '90s franchises including Bad Boys and Big Momma's House. Things took a dark turn for Lawrence towards the end of Martin, however, to the point that he was described as writing "a how-to manual for career immolation."
Tisha Campbell, the actress who played Martin's character's wife, Gina, quit the show during the taping of its final season, citing "repeated and escalating sexual harassment, sexual battery, verbal abuse, and related threats," Campbell only returned for the finale under the condition that she not appear onscreen with Lawrence.
Lawrence was hospitalized multiple times in the late '90s, and fell into a near-fatal three-day coma after jogging in high heat in 1999. He slowed down a bit as an actor after that, but recently returned to the screen in a big way in Bad Boys for Life. He has reportedly signed on for a fourth Bad Boys, but very few details about that film have surfaced.
Tisha Campbell as Gina Waters-Payne
Tisha Campbell played Gina on Martin, the titular character's love interest and eventual wife. She barely appeared in the show's final season after naming Lawrence as a serial sexual harasser and reaching an agreement that kept the two actors entirely apart while filming. Unsurprisingly, the fifth season of the show has become notorious for its frequent explanations of why Martin's wife is never around.
Campbell is still an extremely in-demand actor – you've probably already seen her (or heard her voice) on several popular television series. She played Brooke on a five-episode run of Empire, appeared as Dr. Davis on seven episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful, and also had recurring roles on Last Man Standing and Outmatched. As for voice work, Campbell plays Kim on Cartoon Network's Craig of the Creek, Tawny on the Harley Quinn animated series, and even impersonated Beyonce for Robot Chicken.
If there's one uniting factor of Campbell's long career, it's that she never lacks for work. If there's a second, it's that she brings her A-game to every project she's a part of.
Thomas Mikal Ford as Tommy Strawn
The central plot of Martin might revolve around Martin and Gina, but their close friends are nearly as important to the show. Tommy, played by Thomas Mikal Ford, is typically the show's voice of reason, pushing back against Martin's crazy schemes.
Like Lawrence and Campbell, Ford continued to find work in various movies and television series once Martin came to an end. His biggest role of the last few years came in the film Conflict of Interest, although he also had roles in films like The Ballerina, Fade Away, and The Last Time, as well as a role on the series Beauty and the Baller.
Ford's career expanded into roles behind the camera in the 2010s: He worked on several different sets as a writer, producer and director, including Conflict of Interest. Unfortunately, Ford passed away in 2016 at the age of 52, following an aneurysm that ruptured in his abdomen.
Carl Anthony Payne II as Cole Brown
If Tommy is "the smart one" in the central group of characters on Martin, Cole is the lovable doofus. Played by veteran actor Carl Anthony Payne II, Cole brings a love of strange hats, a unique sense of humor, and a surprising degree of common sense to the show.
Payne has a wide variety of credits to his name, and continues to appear regularly in movies and on television. On the big screen side of things, Payne has recently appeared in films like Conflict of Interest, Black Privilege, Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta, and has been announced as a lead in the upcoming film, Again Comes the Rain. As far as television goes, Payne has appeared on series like Young Dylan, 5th Ward, Last Call, and Insecure.
Payne has also appeared in a number of Christmas movies, including Everyday but Christmas and One Crazy Christmas.
Tichina Arnold as Pamela James
Tichina Arnold plays Pam, Gina's hot-tempered co-worker and best friend. Like much of the cast of Martin, Arnold continues to find plenty of work in movies and on television, and is still showing off her impressive singing voice in many of her roles.
Arnold's movie work is an eclectic mix of cult favorites and indie darlings. Most recently, she has appeared in Top Five, Countdown, and The Last Black Man in San Francisco, which received heaps of critical praise. Some of Arnold's recent television work includes Daytime Divas, Survivor's Remorse, and Lockdown. Currently, you can catch her in a starring role as Tina on the sitcom The Neighborhood. Arnold also works as a passionate philanthropist: In 2013, she and her sister created the We Win Foundation, dedicated to advocating for people who live with Lupus. And that's not even the only curveball in Arnold's career. Back in the late '90s and early '00s, her line of designer headgear, China Moon Rags, could be found on celebrities including Christina Aguilera and Regina King.
Garrett Morris as Stan Winters
Martin's boss at the radio station where he works is a man named Stan Winters, played by celebrated comedian Garrett Morris. Morris was reportedly meant to play a bigger role in later seasons, but these plans had to be scrapped when he became the victim of a 1994 holdup attempt, taking several shots to the chest and arm. Martin went through massive rewrites, and Morris was written out of the show so the actor could convalesce. He even filmed a scene from his hospital bed to explain his absence.
Morris is one of the most successful actors associated with Martin – he's appeared in big-budget mainstream movies for years, including Coneheads, How High, Ant-Man, and many others. Recently, he's turned his talents towards television with roles in series including Station 19, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker, Scandal, This is Us, and 2 Broke Girls.
Jon Gries as Shawn McDermott
Jon Gries plays quite a memorable role on Martin as Shawn, the engineer at the radio station where Martin works. The two frequently have oddball conversations, most of which paint Shawn as a character utterly unlike anyone else in the show. He's weird, but in a multifaceted way, as spacey as he is savvy. His final appearance on Martin comes in season three, when he gives Martin some solid advice before leaving the show.
Gries has booked well over 100 roles in his career, making him one of the most prolific actors to appear on Martin. Gries has become "that guy" — the type of actor you recognize, but can't quite recall the name of. Probably his most well-known role is in 2004's Napoleon Dynamite, in which he plays Napoleon's Uncle Rico.
Gries continues to channel his bizarre brand of comedy in the Adult Swim series Dream Corp LLC, where he stars as Dr. Roberts. He also still works in plenty of movies: Some of his more recent appearances have come in films like 3 Days with Dad, Glass Jaw, and All About the Money.
Sean Lampkin as Nipsey
The friendly bartender at the spot the characters of Martin frequent, Nipsey is played by Sean Lampkin. Though Nipsey appears in several episodes of Martin, Lampkin only has a few other acting credits to his name. Moreover, they're all part of various Martin Lawrence films, including Big Momma's House, Bad Boys 2, Life, and a few others. Lampkin also has several crew credits to his name: He frequently serves as some variation of "Assistant to Mr. Lawrence." He continues to do so to this day, including on Bad Boys for Life.
Lampkin has served in various other roles in Martin Lawrence projects as well. He was a producer for two of his live specials, and even received a credit as Lawrence's "Assistant Hair Stylist" on Bad Boys for Life. You probably aren't going to see Lampkin in front of the camera any time soon, but if Martin Lawrence is involved, you can bet Lampkin is as well.
Reginald Ballard as Brother Man
Martin is a show full of eclectic characters, but few are as memorable as Brother Man. Played by Reginald Ballard, Brother Man is bizarre in just about every way: All his clothes are ill-fitting, he will never fail to describe himself as "just chilling," regardless of what he's doing, and he almost always enters Martin's apartment by climbing through the window, via the fire escape. Brother Man is, in short, an odd dude.
Actor Reginald Ballard has shown some pretty impressive range over the course of his career: You can catch him in everything from Menace II Society to Horrible Bosses. Recently, you may have caught him in the film The Workout Room, or in small roles on series like Goalz and Netflix's Family Reunion. He is currently slated to play Captain Brian Jackson in the upcoming horror film Jasper. That might seem like a strange choice, given Ballard's roots in comedy — but If Martin taught us anything, it's that Ballard shows up when you least expect it.