Lance Gross
| Lance Gross | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Lance Darnell Gross July 8, 1981 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, model, photographer |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Spouse(s) | Rebecca Jefferson (m. 2015) |
| Children | 1 |
Lance Darnell Gross (born July 8, 1981) is an American actor, model and photographer, best known for his role as Calvin Payne on the TBS sitcom Tyler Perry's House of Payne, as well as appearing in other Tyler Perry productions such as the Meet the Browns (2008) film and Tyler Perry's Temptations: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013). He also co-starred in 2010's Our Family Wedding alongside Forest Whitaker, Carlos Mencia, America Ferrera, and Regina King. He also starred as Secret Service Agent Marcus Finley in NBC's political drama Crisis.
Gross was born in Oakland, California,by a Ghanaian father and African American woman and later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend and graduate from Bonanza High School. At Bonanza High School, Lance was a top athlete in football and track and field. He was always popular and even won Prom King his senior year. He went on to attend Howard University, where he passed up the opportunity of becoming a Pro Track & Field athlete in order to pursue his dream of acting. He received a Bachelor of Arts in theater and then trained at The Ivanna Chubbuck Studio as well as the Tasha Smith Acting Studio.
Gross began his career by modeling for Karl Kani and appearing in music videos for artists such as Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, and Mariah Carey. In 2006, he had minor roles in Eve and The Bernie Mac Show. It was while he was performing in the Tasha Smith Acting Studio that he was discovered by Tyler Perry, who happened to be watching a night class. He was consequently cast as Calvin Payne on Perry's new sitcom House of Payne, in the show Gross plays Calvin, a young professional who has attended college for seven years. This role for which he has been awarded four NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. 2008 saw Gross make his film debut in the romantic comedy Meet the Browns. His next big screen appearance was in Our Family Wedding in 2010 alongside America Ferrera, in which they portrayed a recently engaged young couple whose wedding preparations are disrupted by their families. In 2012 he starred in the independent film The Last Fall, the story of a retired NFL player dealing with financial and family difficulties.
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