Columbus Keith Short Jr. (born September 19, 1982) is an American actor and choreographer. He choreographed

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman (of ''

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...

'' fame). He is best known for his roles in the films '' Stomp the Yard'', '' Cadillac Records'', ''

Armored Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...

'', and '' The Losers''. He previously starred as a series regular in the ABC drama ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

'', as Harrison Wright. On April 26, 2014, it was announced that Short would leave ''Scandal'' after three seasons with the show.

Early life and education

Short was born in Kansas City, Missouri to a family he has described as "musical". His mother, Janette, has a talent management company. He has two brothers, John Rancipher and Chris Staples. Short relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

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 An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

tour of Stomp.

Career

Short's acting debut came as a dancer in ''

You Got Served ''You Got Served'' is a 2004 American dance drama film written and directed by Chris Stokes, who was also the business manager of the performers who were the film's main characters: recording artist Marques Houston and the boy band B2K. The p ...

'' and he later appeared in ''

Accepted ''Accepted'' is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Steve Pink (in his directorial debut) and written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage and Mark Perez. The plot follows a group of high school graduates who create their own fake college after bei ...

'', starring

Justin Long Justin Jacob Long (born June 2, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. Long is known for his film roles, notably appearing in '' Jeepers Creepers'' (2001), ''Dodgeball'' (2004), '' Accepted'' (2006), '' Idiocracy'' ( ...

. He then took lead roles in the direct-to-DVD movie '' Save the Last Dance 2'' alongside

Izabella Miko Izabella Miko (born Izabella Anna Mikołajczak; 21 January 1981) is a Polish actress, dancer, film producer, and environmental activist. She is best known for starring in the film ''Coyote Ugly'' and the music videos " Mr. Brightside" and " Mis ...

and '' Stomp the Yard''. He has also appeared twice in the Disney Channel Original Series ''

That's So Raven ''That's So Raven'' is an American television teen sitcom that was created by Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman, and aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between January 2003 and November 2007. The series centers on Raven Baxter (Raven-Sym ...

'' as Trey, a member of the fictional

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Ma ...

"Boyz n' Motion." Other TV appearances include '' ER'' and ''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves in a ...

''. In 2006, he appeared in

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

's ''

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'' is an American comedy-drama television series created and primarily written by Aaron Sorkin. The series was about the production of a live comedy series, similar to ''Saturday Night Live''. Produced by Warner Br ...

'' as novice show-writer Darius Hawthorne. He was among the presenters at the 2007

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

s. In 2007, Columbus appeared in the movie '' This Christmas'' also starring

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...

and

Lauren London Lauren Nicole London is an American actress. London is known for her roles in films and televisions shows including ''ATL'' (2006), ''This Christmas'' (2007), '' Madea’s Big Happy Family'' (2011), '' Baggage Claim'' (2013), ''The Game'' (201 ...

. In 2008, Short appeared in the movie ''

Quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

'', co-starring

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and

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, and played the part of musician

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...

in '' Cadillac Records'', with Jeffrey Wright,

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

, and Oscar-winner

Adrien Brody Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring as Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's '' The Pianist'' (2002), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Ac ...

. In 2010, he played "Pooch" in the film '' The Losers'', based on the graphic novel, co-starring

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor of television and film, best known for playing the character Negan in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2016–2022), for which he has received critical acclaim. ...

, Chris Evans, and

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, and directed by Sylvain White (who had already directed Short in ''Stomp The Yard'').

Personal life

Short was married to Brandi Short, but they split in 2003. They have a son. He married dancer

Tanee McCall Tanee McCall (born April 17, 1981) is an American actress and dancer notable for her appearance as the lead in music videos as well as her role as Toya in '' You Got Served''. Filmography *''Brother's Blood'' (2016) *''Burlesque'' (2010) as Sca ...

in 2005. She filed for divorce twice once in September 2013 and again in April 2014. They have a daughter, Ayala. In August 2016, Short announced his engagement to Aida Abramyan. The couple wed in December of that year and have two sons together.

Legal troubles

In 2014, as part of a no-jail plea agreement, Short pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence and performed 30 hours of community service. 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. Short stated he was being taunted and acted in self-defense, and his opponent admitted he had removed his jersey and was prepared to fight Short before the punch caused a concussion and fractured eye socket. 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''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Black Reel Awards The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Af ...

**2008, Best Ensemble: Cadillac Records (Winner) **2008, Best Breakthrough Performance: Cadillac Records (Nominated) *

Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

**2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Cadillac Records (Winner) **2008, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Stomp the Yard (Nominated) *

MTV Movie Awards The MTV Movie & TV Awards (formerly the MTV Movie Awards) is a film and television awards show presented annually on MTV. The first MTV Movie Awards were presented in 1992. The ceremony was renamed the MTV Movie & TV Awards for its 26th editi ...

**2007, Breakthrough Performance: Stomp the Yard (Nominated) **2007, Best Kiss: Stomp the Yard w/ Meagan Good (Nominated) *

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United S ...

**2007, Best Dance: Stomp the Yard (Nominated)

References

External links

*
Stomp the Yard interviewCadillac Records Interview w/ Chris Brown/Rihanna mention
{{DEFAULTSORT:Short, Columbus 1982 births Living people 21st-century American male actors African-American choreographers African-American male actors African-American male dancers American choreographers American male dancers American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors Male actors from Kansas City, Missouri Male actors from Los Angeles Orange County School of the Arts alumni