was a telephone operator and actress, and his stepfather, Sterling Bowman, was a native of Little Rock, Arkansas who moved to Los Angeles to work in the steel mill industry before opening a chain of three clothing stores. Anderson has stated that his first attempt at stand up comedy was a failure.[2] He appeared at The Comedy Act Theater billed as comedian "Tasty Tony, the One and Only, and if there's another, he's a phony." When his stage name was announced, he was booed off the stage before ever saying a word. Although this experience