| Shavar Ross | |
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| Born | March 4 1971 South Bronx, New York |
Shavar Malik Ross (born March 4, 1971) is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer, editor, photographer, author, and entrepreneur.
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", the best friend of Gary Coleman's character, "Arnold Jackson". Two years later, Ross became a voice actor for Hanna-Barbera. He had another recurring role on the hit ABC TV series Family Matters as "Weasel". Ross has starred 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 four years of ministry school, Ross founded The Alive Church, a non-denominational Christian church in Los Angeles, and was its pastor for four years. Shavar is an up and coming film director and operates his own film and television production company, Tri-Seven Entertainment.[1] Lord Help Us[2] (released 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 (B.E.T.'s Rap City, Take the Cake), Grammy-Award winning singer Al Jarreau and many others marked his feature film directorial debut. The movie is currently in stores nationwide on DVD and on Amazon.com among many others. Shavar has been married since 1992 and has two children. 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.[3]
