Columbus Short

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Columbus Short
Short at Comic-Con in 2010
Born
Columbus Keith Short, Jr.

(1982-09-19) September 19, 1982 (age 41)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • choreographer
Years active2004–present
Spouse(s)Brandi Short (m. 2001–2003)
Tanee McCall (m. 2005–2013)
Aida Abramyan-Short (m. 2016–present)
Children4

Columbus Keith Short Jr. (born September 19, 1982)[1] is an American actor and choreographer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman (of So You Think You Can Dance fame). He is best known for his roles in the films Stomp the Yard, Cadillac Records, Armored, and The Losers. He previously starred as a series regular in the ABC drama Scandal, as Harrison Wright.[2][3] On April 26, 2014, it was announced that Short would leave Scandal after three seasons with the show.

Early life and education[edit]

Short was born in Kansas City, Missouri to a family he has described as "musical". His mother, Janette, has a talent management company.[4] He has two brothers, John Rancipher and Chris Staples.[5] Short relocated to Los Angeles when he was five years old and immediately began working in a youth theater. He attended Marcos De Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona, as well as El Segundo High School and the Orange County School of the Arts, before leaving to join the off-Broadway tour of Stomp.[6][7]

Career[edit]

Short's acting debut came as a dancer in You Got Served and he later appeared in Accepted, starring Justin Long. He then took lead roles in the direct-to-DVD movie Save the Last Dance 2 alongside Izabella Miko and Stomp the Yard. He has also appeared twice in the Disney Channel Original Series That's So Raven as Trey, a member of the fictional boy band "Boyz n' Motion." Other TV appearances include ER and Judging Amy.

In 2006, he appeared in NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip as novice show-writer Darius Hawthorne. He was among the presenters at the 2007 NAACP Image Awards. In 2007, Columbus appeared in the movie This Christmas also starring Chris Brown and Lauren London. In 2008, Short appeared in the movie Quarantine, co-starring Jay Hernandez and Jennifer Carpenter, and played the part of musician Little Walter in Cadillac Records, with Jeffrey Wright, Beyoncé Knowles, and Oscar-winner Adrien Brody. In 2010, he played "Pooch" in the film The Losers, based on the graphic novel, co-starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, and Zoe Saldana, and directed by Sylvain White (who had already directed Short in Stomp The Yard).

Personal life[edit]

Short was married to Brandi Short,[8] but they split in 2003. They have a son.[8]

He married dancer Tanee McCall in 2005. She filed for divorce twice, once in September 2013 and again in April 2014. They have a daughter, Ayala.[8]

In August 2016, Short announced his engagement to Aida Abramyan. The couple wed in December of that year and have two sons together.[8]

Legal issues[edit]

In 2014, as part of a no-jail plea agreement, Short pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence and performed 30 hours of community service.[9]

Short also avoided jail by pleading no contest to a felony assault charge after throwing "a running punch" at his in-law during a family gathering at a bar.[10] Short stated he was being taunted and acted in self-defense, and the victim admitted he took off his jersey and was prepared to fight Short before the punch caused a concussion and fractured eye socket.[10]

In an interview with Access Hollywood Live, Short said that substance abuse, both alcoholism and cocaine use due to the stress of family issues and personal loss, led to his departure from Scandal.[11][12]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2004 You Got Served Dancer
2005 War of the Worlds War of the Worlds Soldier
2006 Accepted Hands Holloway
Save the Last Dance 2 Miles Sultana Video
2007 Stomp the Yard DJ Williams
This Christmas Claude Whitfield
2008 Quarantine Officer Danny Wilensky
Cadillac Records Little Walter
2009 Whiteout Delfy
Armored Ty Hackett
2010 Death at a Funeral Jeff Barnes
The Losers Pooch
Stomp the Yard: Homecoming DJ Williams
2014 The End Again Joe Maxwell Short
2015 Fear Files City Councilman Harvey Jordan TV movie
The Girl Is in Trouble August
Mr. Right Michael
Rocko Presents Food Ceegee Short
Lucky Girl Dillon
2016 Definitely Divorcing Eric
2017 American Violence Ben Woods
True to the Game Quadir Richards [13]
2018 Armed Turell
2019 Atone White
Dear Frank George
2020 Influence Billy King
For NYC Himself Short
True to the Game 2: Gena's Story Quadir Richards
2021 The Fight That Never Ends Norris TV movie [14]
True to the Game 3 Quadir Richards
2022 Scott Free Todd
Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story Martin Luther King, Jr. [15]
2023 The Bargain Tunde Seymour
Life Without Hope 2: A New Chapter Life
Prince of Detroit Harlow Black
Sisters Kevin
Stay Out - TV movie

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2005 ER Loose Episode: "Skin"
Judging Amy Thomas McNab Episode: "The Paper War"
2005–06 That's So Raven Trey Guest Cast: Seasons 3-4
2006–07 Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Darius Hawthorne Recurring Cast
2012–14 Scandal Harrison Wright Main Cast: Seasons 1-3
2020 Casting the Net Hector Episode: "A Purse Full of Dollars"
2022 Black Ink Crew: Compton Himself Episode: "New Teams, Same Dreams"
Wicked City The Handler Episode: "A Debt Owed"

Awards and nominations[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Sept. 19, birthdays for Jimmy Fallon, Trisha Yearwood, Columbus Short". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 19, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2015. Notable people born on this day include ... actor and dancer Columbus Short, who was born in 1982...
  2. ^ "Scandal". TrailerLounge. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  3. ^ "ABC picks up 'Charlie's Angels,' 'Good Christian Belles' and ten more". Zap2It. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  4. ^ "Short's Circuit". Los Angeles Times. June 7, 2000. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "Idris Elba and Columbus Short Interview, This Christmas". moviesonline.ca. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  6. ^ Grant, Kimberly (December 4, 2009). "MOVIE REVIEW: Armored star Columbus Short talks movies". The South Florida Times. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  7. ^ Sarie. "COLUMBUS SHORT, KEVIN FRAZIER AND KIDS AT THE PRE-GOLDEN GLOBE LOUNGE". Black Celebrity Kids. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d Seemayer, Zach (August 21, 2016). "Columbus Short Engaged, Expecting Son With Fiancee". ETOnline.com. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  9. ^ Dillon, Nancy (August 21, 2014). "Columbus Short accepts plea deal in domestic violence case after judge refuses to lower his bail". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "'Scandal' Alum Columbus Short Pleads No Contest to Knocking Man Out". HollywoodReporter.com. Associated Press. September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  11. ^ "Columbus Short says cocaine abuse led to 'Scandal' exit, Shonda Rhimes knew of his drug problems". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  12. ^ "Columbus Short confirms 'Scandal' exit after spousal abuse claims". ABC7 Los Angeles. Archived from the original on July 19, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2015 – via ontheredcarpet.com.
  13. ^ "'True To The Game' Receives Official Trailer: Vivica A. Fox, Columbus Short, Darrius McCrary Star". blackfilm.com. October 22, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  14. ^ "California Love". Black Cinema Connection. October 10, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  15. ^ Jones, Monique. "First Look At Ledisi As Mahalia Jackson And Columbus Short As MLK Jr. In 'Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story'". Shadow and Act. Retrieved March 16, 2022.

External links[edit]