Grayson Russell

Last updated
Grayson Russell
Born (1998-05-01) May 1, 1998 (age 25) [1]
Clanton, Alabama, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active2005–present
Partner(s)Rachel Schumacher (2024–present; engaged)

Grayson Russell (born May 1, 1998) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Life and career

Russell was born in Clanton, Alabama, the son of Crystal (née Cleckley) and Jerry Russell, who have a Christian music ministry. [2] He attended public high school in Clanton at Chilton County High School, home of the Tigers, and graduated from there in 2016. [5] Russell later attended Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, for a brief time.[ citation needed ]

Russell's acting career began at the age of six, when he appeared as Cowboy Grayson, in a series of television commercials for a local car dealership. [2] Other commercials include appearances in a regional McDonald's spot, and a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee commercial. [6] Russell's film career began with an open casting call for a role in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

Russell's mother, Crystal Russell, has stated that Grayson auditioned to gain some experience with the process, and the family was surprised to learn that he would be playing Texas Ranger Bobby, the son of racecar driver Ricky Bobby (played by Will Ferrell). [7]

The Rainbow Tribe, Russell's second movie was based on a true story, and was filmed in California in 2007. The independent film won Best Picture at the 2008 The Feel Good Film Festival [8] founded by Kristen Ridgway Flores in Los Angeles, but was released direct-to-video in 2011. [9]

In 2009, Russell appeared in a single episode of Disney's sitcom I'm in the Band. [7] In 2010, Russell appeared in the film adaptation of author Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Russell played Fregley, an awkward and unpopular classmate of Greg Heffley. [5] He reprised the role in the sequels, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011) [6] and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012).

In 2011, Russell also appeared in the Alien Candy episode of R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour . Russell plays an autistic baseball savant named Rafer, in the 2013 feature film Season of Miracles , a role for which fans and critics have acknowledged his broader acting range. [10]

In 2020, Grayson played a signalman in the Apple TV+ movie Greyhound starring Tom Hanks. [11]

Personal life

Russell became engaged to his girlfriend, Rachel Schumacher on January 14, 2024. [12] [13]

Filmography

Film appearances

YearFilmRole
2006 Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Texas Ranger Bobby
2010The Rainbow TribeCalvin
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Fregley
2011 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
2012 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
2013 Space Warriors Russell 'Rusty' Riggs
Season of Miracles Rafer
2016 Mother's Day Tommy
2020 Greyhound Signalman #1

Film voice

YearFilmRole
2011 Marley & Me: The Puppy Years [14] Marley's voice

Television appearances

YearShowRoleNotes
2009 I'm in the Band Martin1 episode
2011 R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour Walt1 episode
2020 Tell Me a Story Allen1 episode

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachael Harris</span> American actress and comedian (born 1968)

Rachael Harris is an American actress and comedian. She is known for her numerous acting roles, such as starring as Dr. Linda Martin in the Fox/Netflix series Lucifer, as Nora Parker in the Disney+/Hulu series Goosebumps (2023), her role in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series, and as a guest star on numerous TV shows.

<i>Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby</i> 2006 American sports comedy film

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a 2006 American sports comedy film directed by Adam McKay who co-wrote the film with Will Ferrell. It features Ferrell as the titular Ricky Bobby, an immature yet successful NASCAR driver. The film also features John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Jane Lynch, and Amy Adams in supporting roles. NASCAR drivers Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt Jr. appear in cameos, as do broadcasting teams from NASCAR on Fox and NASCAR on NBC.

The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards was a Los Angeles–based group of film buffs and film critics devoted to honoring the worst films of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zachary Gordon</span> American actor (born 1998)

Zachary Adam Gordon is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Greg Heffley in the first three films of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, based on the namesake book series. Gordon was then cast as Tate Wilson in Good Trouble, and Jason Cohen in Dead of Summer.

Alfred E. Humphreys was a Canadian actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Kinney</span> American author, cartoonist and screenwriter (born 1971)

Jeffrey Patrick Kinney is an American author and cartoonist. He is best known for creating, writing and illustrating the children's book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He also created the child-oriented website Poptropica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devon Bostick</span> Canadian actor (born 1991)

Devon Bostick is a Canadian actor. He played Rodrick Heffley in the first three Diary of a Wimpy Kid films, starred in the Atom Egoyan-directed film Adoration (2008), and portrayed Jasper Jordan on the dystopian science fiction television series The 100 from 2014 to 2017.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid</i> Comic-style book series by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an American children's book series and media franchise created by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley, a middle-schooler who illustrates his daily life in a diary.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw</i> Novel by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw is a novel written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, the third book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book acts as a journal and follows the adventures of Greg Heffley, the narrator of the book, who is in the second half of his seventh-grade year. This book was released in the US on January 13, 2009. An animated film based on the book is in the works for Disney+.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thor Freudenthal</span> German film director, screenwriter

Thor Freudenthal is a German film director, screenwriter, animator and special effects artist best known for his work on Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Thor Freudenthal

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Thor Freudenthal and based on Jeff Kinney's 2007 book of the same name. The film stars Zachary Gordon and Robert Capron. Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, and Chloë Grace Moretz also have prominent roles. It is the first installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and was followed by three sequels, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2017). 20th Century Fox released it theatrically in the US on March 19, 2010, and grossed $76 million worldwide against a $15 million budget.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules</i> (2011 film) 2011 film by David Bowers

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a 2011 American comedy film directed by David Bowers in his live-action directorial debut and based on Jeff Kinney's 2008 book of the same name. It stars Zachary Gordon and Devon Bostick. Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, and Peyton List also have prominent roles.

Laine MacNeil is a Canadian actress. MacNeil made her motion picture debut at the age of 13, and is best known for her role as Patty Farrell in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid feature film franchise, which earned her five Young Artist Award nominations, including a win as Best Young Supporting Actress in a Feature Film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karan Brar</span> American actor (born 1999)

Karan Brar is an American actor. He portrayed Chirag Gupta in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film franchise and Ravi Ross on the Disney Channel Original Series Jessie and its subsequent spin-off Bunk'd.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid</i> (film series)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of family comedy films based on the book series of the same name by Jeff Kinney. The series consists of four live action films and three animated films.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days</i> (film) 2012 film by David Bowers

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a 2012 American comedy film directed by David Bowers from a screenplay by Wallace Wolodarsky and Maya Forbes. It stars Zachary Gordon and Steve Zahn. Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris, Peyton List, Grayson Russell, and Karan Brar also have prominent roles. It is the third installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series. It was released by 20th Century Fox on August 3, grossing $77 million in the box office, and like its predecessors, it received mixed reviews.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid</i> (2021 film) 2021 film by Swinton Scott

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2021 animated comedy film directed by Swinton Scott from a screenplay by Jeff Kinney, based on his 2007 book of the same name. It is the second film adaptation of the book, following the 2010 live-action film, while serving as the first fully-animated reboot in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series, and the fifth installment overall. The film stars the voices of Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress, Chris Diamantopoulos, Erica Cerra, and Hunter Dillon.

Christian Convery is a Canadian child actor known for his roles in the Netflix fantasy series Sweet Tooth (2021–present) and the comedy horror film Cocaine Bear (2023).

Houston Tumlin was an American child actor best known for his only film role as Walker Bobby in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006).

References

  1. ↑ "Happy 25th Birthday to Grayson Russell! The actor who played Texas Ranger Bobby in Talladega Nights, Fregley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies (2010-2012), Tommy in Mother's Day (2016), one of the Signalmen in Greyhound, and voiced Marley in Marley & Me: The Puppy Years". twitter.com.
  2. 1 2 3 Carlton, Bob (2010-03-21). "Clanton's Grayson Russell fits in feature films amid regular kid activities". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  3. ↑ Asilo, Rito (2011-04-29). "Growing Pains". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2011-05-02. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  4. ↑ "Actors to greet fans". The Columbus Dispatch. 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2011-05-04.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. 1 2 Mims, Scott (2011-03-28). "'Wimpy Kid' movie No. 1 at box office". The Clanton Advertiser. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  6. 1 2 Wagner, Neal (2011-03-25). "Movie star celebrates premiere in Alabaster". The Shelby County Reporter. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  7. 1 2 "Film starring local opens Friday". The Clanton Advertiser. 2010-03-16. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  8. ↑ "Feel Good Film Festival 2008". 2008. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  9. ↑ Morris, Theadoris (2011-02-09). "New film starring Grayson Russell out on DVD". The Clanton Advertiser. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  10. ↑ "Russell to star in 'A Season of Miracles'". www.clantonadvertiser.com.
  11. ↑ "Grayson Russell on 'Greyhound,' 'Talladega Nights,' and Working with Tom Hanks". www.patheos.com.
  12. ↑ "Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord✨ My life will be too short not to have you in it @rachelschumacherog I can't wait to spend the rest of it with you my love✨". instagram.com.
  13. ↑ "It was always going to be you. YES. Hard Launch 😘". instagram.com.
  14. ↑ Marley & Me: The Puppy Years
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.