Cleveland Brown

Cleveland Orenthal Brown, Sr. (born 1957) is a supporting protagonist in Family Guy and the main character of The Cleveland Show.

Until recently he was married to Loretta Brown, but they separated after Loretta had an affair with Quagmire, although they still have feelings for each other. Together they had a son, Cleveland Brown, Jr. Eventually, Loretta gains his house and Cleveland has to move. Cleveland is now married to Donna and has two step children, Roberta, and Rallo. He also sports a mustache and often offers deep insight that the other characters are unable to see.

History
Cleveland grew up in Stoolbend and played baseball at high school, where he hung out with Terry and Gordy. He was in love with Donna, but Donna was dating Robert at the time. At some point before 1984, he moved to Quahog (although this is contradicted in Field of Streams when he is shown at Stoolbend High). Here he met Peter Griffin, Glenn Quagmire, and, years later, Joe Swanson, who he became friends with. The foursome became drinking buddies, and are close friends.

He used to be an accomplished auctioneer, but was struck in the head by a totem pole, which resulted in his speech being permanently slowed. Cleveland was also the president of the Quahog Chamber of Commerce. When he was in Quahog, he was the proprietor of Cleveland's Deli. However, moving to Stoolbend led to him needing a new job; in Birth of a Salesman, Tim was able to get him a job as a telemarketer at Waterman Cable, where he was later promoted to cable installer. He has also dabbled in other jobs, being a police officer and an actor (apparently being the "black guy in Die Hard").

Cleveland lost his virginity when he was nine, and may have been married before he met Loretta, suggested in a scene from the Family Guy episode Death Lives, when Cleveland meets Peter in the 70's. Cleveland picks up Peter in his van, and Peter asks to go to Rhode Island, then checks if it's okay with Cleveland. Cleveland then mentions something to the effect of being away from "Maxine, the Cheatin' Queen". Maxine may or may not have been Cleveland's first wife. As Maxine has not been shown on screen, it is largely accepted as Family Guy canon that Loretta was Cleveland's first wife.

Cleveland and Loretta were married soon after Cleveland moved to Quahog, after which they had Cleveland Jr.. Although at first it appears that Cleveland and Loretta had a decent marriage for a time, the relationship soon soured due to Loretta's feeling that Cleveland was incapable of being anything other than lethargic and laid-back. As a result Loretta persuade a brief affair with Glenn Quagmire, partly in an effort to hurt Cleveland. The two then separated with Cleveland getting custody of Cleveland Jr. For a while following his divorce he dated a woman named Bernice (also voiced by Alex Borstein), who had a higher voice than Loretta's, but seemed as equally bossy. Presumably his desire for a more feminine, traditional woman caused him to break up with Bernice and marry Donna, as that is the woman Cleveland ultimately sought. While he originally did not take Donna on a honeymoon, he eventually brought her to New York City a few months after they wed to properly celebrate.

He now stars in a spin-off of Family Guy, entitled The Cleveland Show!, which premièred on September 27, 2009. Cleveland officially left Family Guy when The Cleveland Show! started. His son, Cleveland Jr. has also left the show and has gained weight, as well as now suffering from astigmatism. Cleveland's new house, located in Stoolbend, Virginia, is surrounded by a variety of neighbors, just like in Family Guy.

During the show's second season, Cleveland went through a mid-life crisis after realizing how much more Barack Obama had done with his life than Cleveland had. To rectify this, Cleveland helped out Kenny West and his daughter, Candice. Eventually, he wrote and sang a rap with the young Kenny, Be Cleve In Yourself, and served as his manager for a short while before he was fired.

Biography
Cleveland was an accomplished minor-league baseball player before moving to Quahog after a break-up with his girlfriend Maxine in "Death Lives". In "Blind Ambition", he also used to be an accomplished auctioneer, but was struck in the head by a totem pole, which resulted in his speech being permanently slowed. In "A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas" Cleveland is also the president of the Quahog Chamber of Commerce. He was once the proprietor of Cleveland's Deli, until Superstore USA shuts down nearly every store in Quahog in "Hell Comes to Quahog". It is presumed it was re-opened until he moved to Stoolbend when he sold it. After his return to Quahog, he briefly becomes a therapist in "Dr. C & The Women". He becomes a postal worker in "Take a Letter".

Cleveland may have been married before he met Loretta, suggested in a scene from the episode "Death Lives", when Cleveland meets Peter Griffin in the 70's. Cleveland picks up Peter in his van, and Peter asks to go to Rhode Island, then checks if it's okay with Cleveland. Cleveland then mentions something to the effect of being away from "Maxine, the Cheatin' Queen". Maxine may or may not have been Cleveland's first wife. As Maxine has not been shown on screen, it is largely accepted that Loretta was Cleveland's first wife. For a while following his divorce he dated a woman named Bernice, who had a higher voice than Loretta's, but seemed as equally bossy. Presumably his desire for a more feminine, traditional woman caused him to break up with Bernice and marry Donna Tubbs, as that is the woman Cleveland ultimately sought.

After Cleveland's divorce was finalized, Loretta obtained Cleveland's house, and Cleveland got custody of Cleveland Brown, Jr. Cleveland and Cleveland, Jr. left Quahog, after Peter destroyed their house, and moved to Stoolbend. He married Donna Tubbs, and became the stepfather of her children, Rallo and Roberta.

He "dies" in "Lois Kills Stewie" when he is shot in the chest by Stewie Griffin. But, it was only a simulation, so it never actually occurred.

His name is a reference to the professional football team Cleveland Browns.

He has terrible foot odor and refused to take off his shoes at Quagmire's house because of the odor, running away after accidentally admitting this to all of his friends.

He now stars in a spin-off of Family Guy, entitled The Cleveland Show, that premiered in Fall 2009. In the pilot, which begins in Quahog, he learns that Loretta has gained control of his house, so he has to move. His son, Cleveland Jr. also left the show and now appears to have gained weight, as well as now suffering from astigmatism. Cleveland's new home, located in Stoolbend, Virginia, is surrounded by many new friends. His old Quahog neighbors, including Peter, Joe Swanson, Quagmire, Bruce, Chris Griffin, and even Herbert, have visited him often.

In "Go, Stewie, Go!", he travels all the way back to Quahog just to see Meg Griffin and new boyfriend Anthony make out.

In "Baby, You Knock Me Out" he was heard being attacked by police and dogs after being pulled over for speeding. He had been recording a message in a birthday card intended for Peter. He also sings Hanson's song "MMMBop" as part of his message.

Mike Henry has stated that his inspiration for the voice was someone that he had met and told him that he had graduated from the University of Maryland, pronouncing it "the University of Merlind", which is recognizable.

Cleveland is in his early-forties (either 42 or 43), in a flashback during the pilot episode of his show, it was revealed his senior prom was in 1984, giving him a birthdate of somewhere around 1966.

He often falls out of a bathtub from the second floor of his home to the front porch, usually because of Peter. In "Spies Reminiscent of Us", when the missile was destroyed, the remnants of it crashed into his house while he was bathing. Tim the Bear came and said he didn't get it.

In "Road to the North Pole" he agrees to limit himself to one gift a year after watching a Quahog 5 News broadcast in Stoolbend, as long as it's not a gym membership, or else he'll punch someone in the face.

In "New Kidney in Town", Peter shouts out to him while on The Price is Right.

In "The Big Bang Theory", he appears in a promo for The Cleveland Show.

In the first-ever FOX Animation Domination crossover, Cleveland appears along with Peter at the end of the American Dad! episode "Hurricane!" after a storm goes through the towns of Stoolbend, Quahog and Langley Falls and places the Brown, Griffin and Smith houses in the same neighborhood, where the three fathers of each family; Cleveland, Peter and Stan Smith face each other in a standoff.

In "Back to the Pilot", Brian and Stewie travel into a future where Cleveland has returned to Family Guy. However, when he attempts to leave the Griffin home and return to his, Brian and Stewie discover the Quahog has become a war zone due to their interference with the time stream.

In the uncensored version of "Valentine's Day in Quahog", Cleveland awakes in the motel to find his kidney was taken after Meg's is returned to her. The floor collapses and the tub falls out of the room into the parking lot. He chuckles that someone will get a black guy's kidney.

The Griffins visit the new neighbors, the Smiths in Cleveland's old house in "Bigfat".

Cleveland, along with Donna, are seen at Brian's funeral in "Life of Brian".

Cleveland visits the guys on vacation and joins in Peter's quest to find God in "3 Acts of God".

Peter visits Cleveland in Virginia when he takes a whip from Quagmire's mail in "Herpe, the Love Sore". Joe tries to warn him, but Cleveland can't resist the temptation when Peter announces grape soda.

Peter and the guys prank call Cleveland about Loretta faking her death to fool the IRS when the guys have a slumber party in "Baby Got Black".

Cleveland returns to Quahog permanently in "He's Bla-ack!".

In the courtroom scene in "The Simpsons Guy", he is seated next to Carl Carlson. They both assume they are paired with each other because they are the funniest people in their town.

Hobbies
Cleveland loves baseball, having played the sport back when he was in high school. Here his jersey was number nine was retired. During a particularly challenging game, he ran back and forth between third and home forty-two times. Coach McFall called it one of the most impressive run-arounds he'd ever seen. Despite his prowess at the game, he still struck out against Lester, who didn't even consider baseball an actual game during a bet in "Little Man on Campus". He enjoys watching minor league baseball and was originally going to move to California to play professionally before marrying Donna. He has tried several times to get his son interested in the sport, but to no avail. He also played basketball in his youth, attending a sports camp with Barack Obama.

Cleveland is a huge fan of fashion, especially hats and his mustache. He has an entire closet wall stocked with a variety of hats, and spent a 200 dollar bonus on a top hat. Being a fan of Worf, he purchases Worf hats for both himself and his son at a convention. He also owns an entire kit specifically made for grooming his mustache, which he also mentions in the show's Theme Song. He reads several fashion magazines, including "Mustache Mustachionado". When Cleveland gets his son fired from The Broken Stool, he gets revenge by shaving Cleveland's mustache; apparently, it was serving as a natural buffer for Cleveland's voice, and without it, he sounds and looks awkward.