Basic Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Name (exact) | Thomas Duane Lister Iii |
| Known relationship | Publicly identified as a child of actor Tommy “Tiny” Lister (Thomas Duane Lister Jr.) |
| Date of birth | Not widely publicized / not available in major public records |
| Public profile | Very limited — few verifiable public records or media profiles about Thomas Duane Lister Iii himself |
| Parent(s) | Father: Thomas Duane Lister Jr. (Tommy “Tiny” Lister); Mother: not consistently listed in major public sources |
| Public presence | Mainly appears in family listings and mentions tied to his father’s biography |
| Notable facts | Most public material about the name is centered on the father’s long acting/wrestling career and the family surrounding him |
Family & Personal Relationships
I’ll say it plainly: when you trace the name Thomas Duane Lister Iii, you’re following a thread that runs through a very visible Hollywood life and then slips quietly into private rooms. In my reading of the available material, the person with this exact name shows up almost exclusively as family — the son — and not as a public figure with a separate career that’s been widely chronicled.
| Family Member | Who they are | Short introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Duane Lister Jr. (Tommy “Tiny” Lister) | Father | The larger-than-life character actor and occasional pro-wrestler whose career spanned decades — remembered as Deebo in Friday, a thuggish screen presence, and a man with more than 200 credits across film, television and voice work. He died December 10, 2020. |
| Felicia Forbes | Wife of Tommy “Tiny” Lister (married 2003) | Widely described in public notices as Tommy Lister’s spouse — a steady presence in family mentions after his passing. |
| Thomas Duane Lister Sr. & Mildred (Edwards) Lister | Paternal grandparents | The older generation named in family records and biographical notes about Tommy Lister Jr. |
| Other siblings/children | Various names appear in informal sources | Some less authoritative posts and fan threads mention other children, and occasional names circulate — but these are inconsistent across major biographies. |
I tell that story the way a director leans into shadow and light: the father, broad and illuminated on the screen; the son, partly offstage, the silhouette you notice when the camera pulls back. For many families of public figures, that’s ordinary — a public waveform and a private frequency.
Career & Legacy (mostly the family legacy that shapes the name)
You and I both know the internet loves craft and credits. For Thomas Duane Lister Iii, the public ledger is small — there’s no big IMDb page, no profiling interviews, no headline-making projects attributed directly to him. The legacy attached to his name, instead, is inherited: his father’s career, a catalogue of memorable moments and a handful of headline incidents.
A few numbers from that catalogue — the coordinates that tell a story in black-and-white timestamps:
- Career span (father): ~1984–2020 — roughly a 36-year professional arc.
- Credits: 200+ film, television and voice roles across decades.
- Signature roles: Deebo in Friday (1995) and Next Friday (2000); President Lindberg in The Fifth Element (1997); a small but memorable presence in The Dark Knight (2008); voice work in animated features like Zootopia (2016).
- Wrestling persona: On-screen muscle and character work that crossed into pro-wrestling storylines, including the Zeus persona tied to No Holds Barred.
Those numbers make for a big marquee; they also explain why a son’s name is catalogued in public records but not necessarily spotlighted. When an actor’s face is used to sell a thousand posters, their family sometimes becomes a byline — noted, respected, but often private.
There were also harder headlines: in the early 2010s the family name appeared in legal coverage tied to a mortgage-related case, an episode that resurfaced when journalists and entertainment writers chronicled the full sweep of a public life. And in December 2020 the world turned toward the man whose voice filled small-screen madness and big-screen menace — public mourning, social-media tributes, and a medical examiner’s report that described cardiac disease as the listed cause of death.
For Thomas Duane Lister Iii, that legacy is the frame. Whether he chooses to step into it or preserve distance — that detail is a private one.
Public Mentions, News & Social Echoes
Here’s the part of the story that feels cinematic: a man known as Tommy “Tiny” Lister becomes a cultural touchstone — celebrities post eulogies, fans riff on clips of Deebo, and news cycles cycle through the same archival footage. For the family, the echoes are both grief and a floodlight.
- December 10, 2020: the date that closes a chapter on the elder Lister’s life for the public record; it marked a wave of tributes across entertainment pages and social feeds.
- Social reflection: fan groups, Instagram memorial posts, and late-night hosts ran montages — the kind of mass remembering that leaves digital footprints the way a director leaves director’s notes.
- Private person status: beyond being named on family lists, Thomas Duane Lister Iii mostly maintains a low-profile silhouette in the public sphere; there are few verifiable social accounts or press features that describe his own projects or public life.
If you enjoy the interplay between celebrity and privacy — as I do, as a curious narrator — this is fertile ground. The son’s name sits in the credits of family history; the rest is personal ledger, kept off-screen.
A Brief Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| ~1984 | Start of the father’s credited screen career (approximate public career start). |
| 1995 | Breakthrough cultural role as Deebo in Friday. |
| 1997 | Appearance in The Fifth Element. |
| 2000 | Next Friday continues the Deebo story. |
| 2012 | Legal matters associated with a mortgage-related case recorded in public coverage. |
| 2016 | Voice role in Zootopia. |
| 2020-12-10 | Death of Thomas Duane Lister Jr. (Tommy “Tiny” Lister); widespread public tributes followed. |
FAQ
Who is Thomas Duane Lister Iii?
Thomas Duane Lister Iii is publicly identified as a child of actor Tommy “Tiny” Lister; there is little public biographical detail about him independent of his family ties.
Is Thomas Duane Lister Iii a public figure like his father?
No — unlike his father, Thomas Duane Lister Iii does not appear frequently in mainstream press or industry credits and seems to keep a private profile.
Who are the key family members associated with his name?
The most visible family members are his father, Thomas Duane Lister Jr. (Tommy “Tiny” Lister), the actor; his father’s spouse Felicia Forbes; and the paternal grandparents listed in public records.
What is the public legacy linked to the Lister name?
The Lister name is most associated with Tommy “Tiny” Lister Jr.’s 200+ credits, his role as Deebo, and occasional appearances in pro-wrestling storylines and animated voice work.
Was there any legal controversy associated with the family?
Public reports note a mortgage-related legal episode tied to the elder Lister in the early 2010s; the case appeared in media coverage of his life.
What was the cause of Tommy “Tiny” Lister’s death?
Public notices and released records describe heart disease as the primary medical cause listed in the examiner’s report, with later reporting noting a positive nasal swab for COVID-19 but cardiac disease listed as the cause.
Can I find Thomas Duane Lister Iii on social media?
There are few verifiable public profiles or press features focused on Thomas Duane Lister Iii; his public footprint appears minimal compared with his father’s.
How many acting credits did the elder Lister have?
Across film, television and voice work, the elder Lister’s credits number in the hundreds — often summarized as “200+” credits over several decades.
