Shavar Ross
Shavar Ross | |
|---|---|
| File:Shavar-Ross-2007.jpg Shavar Ross in August of 2007. | |
| Born | Shavar Malik Ross |
| Years active | 1979 - present |
| Website | http://www.ShavarRoss.com |
Shavar Malik Ross (born March 4, 1971) is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer, editor, photographer, author, and entrepreneur. He is perhaps best known for his recurring television roles as Dudley Ramsey on the NBC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, and as Weasel on the ABC sitcom Family Matters.
Biography
Ross was born in the South Bronx, New York. His parents separated when he was 6 years old. His mother took Shavar and his sister to Macon, Georgia, while his father went to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.
In 1979, while visiting his father in California during his school's Christmas vacation, Shavar was discovered by top children's agent Evelyn Shultz. In 1980, Ross landed his first recurring television role on NBC's Diff'rent Strokes as "Dudley Ramsey", the best friend of Gary Coleman's character, "Arnold Jackson". Two years later, Ross became a voice actor for Hanna-Barbera. He also appeared in an espisode of BENSON as part of a big brother little brother type charity imposition the governor made the employees participate in (season 2 ep. 11). Another recurring role was as T.C.'s son on the long lived detective drama Magnum P.I., [1]. He had another recurring role on the hit ABC TV series Family Matters as "Weasel". Ross has appeared in over 100 film and episodic television projects throughout his career, including such films as the fifth installment of the Friday the 13th movie series Friday the 13th: A New Beginning in 1985 as "Reggie".
Additionally, in 1996, after completing four years of Bible School at The Ministry Training Institute; an auxiliary of Crenshaw Christian Center, Ross founded The Alive Church, a non-denominational Christian church in Los Angeles, and was its pastor for four years.
Shavar is a film director and operates his own film and television production company, Tri-Seven Entertainment.[2] His first short film, Soul to Take (2003), garnered him an Internet distribution deal with Russell Simmons' media company Simmons/Lathan Media Group. His second short film, A Taste of Us (2004), dealt with the civil unrest of the 1960's segregation in the south and was originally made as a pilot presentation for the TV One Network. Lord Help Us[3] (released nationally in May 2007), an inspirational urban romantic comedy starring American Idol‘s Nadia Turner, Oscar nominee Margaret Avery (The Color Purple), Debra Wilson (MADtv, Scary Movie 4), comedian Joe Clair (BET's Rap City, Take the Cake), Grammy-Award winning singer Al Jarreau and many others marked his feature film directorial debut.
Shavar is also the founder and editor-in-chief of ShavarRoss.com, a new infotainment blog established in July of 2009. The site is both personal, humorous, and informative, covering a plethora of topics with hopes of inspiring its readers to bring out the best in their own personal lives.
Shavar resides in Los Angeles and has been married since 1992 and has two children named Seven Shavar Ross (born August 24, 1993) and a daughter Chelsea Lynn Ross (born February 26, 2005).
In May 2006, Ross appeared on an E! Child Stars Special, Geeks Freaks, and Sidekicks, where he revealed that during the taping of the very special episode of Diff'rent Strokes in which he was molested, he was going through a similar experience in real life; he was being "touched" by a family friend inappropriately while he was asleep.[4]
In 2008 he played a "prosperity preacher" on David Alan Grier's show Chocolate News on Comedy Central.
In the February 4, 2010 "Verna" episode of NBC's 30 Rock, Tina Fey's character Liz mentions his "Dudley" character to Frank:
"..the episode of Diff'rent Strokes about Dudley's dad has proven incontrovertibly that smoking destroys your health and leads to ridicule from Willis."