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.
He had a recurring role as Dwayne Dixon on the
INSP television series ''
Blue Ridge''.
Life and career
Russell was born on May 1, 1998 in
Clanton, Alabama, the son of Crystal (née Cleckley) and Jerry Russell, who have a Christian music ministry.
He attended public
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
in Clanton at
Chilton County High School, home of the Tigers, and graduated from there in 2016.
Russell later attended
Lee University
Lee University is a Private university, private Church of God (Cleveland), Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was founded in 1918 as the Church of God Bible Training School with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. Th ...
in Cleveland, Tennessee, for a brief time.
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.
Other commercials include appearances in a regional
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
spot, and a
Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
commercial.
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).
''The Rainbow Tribe'', Russell's second movie, was based on a true story, and was filmed in California in 2007. The
independent film
An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...
won Best Picture at the 2008
The Feel Good Film Festival
The Feel Good Film Festival (FGFF), also known as the Sunflower Film Festival, was held annually in Hollywood, California from 2008 to 2012. The Festival was the largest of its kind showcasing American, international, independent, and family-frien ...
founded by
Kristen Ridgway Flores in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, but was released
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
in 2011.
In 2009, Russell appeared in a single episode of
Disney's sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
I'm in the Band''.
By the next year, 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.
He reprised the role in the sequels, ''
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules'' (2011)
and ''
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days'' (2012).
Also by the next year, 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.
In 2020, Grayson played a signalman in the
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...
movie ''
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets.
Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...
'' starring
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
.
Personal life
Russell became engaged to his girlfriend, Rachel Schumacher, on January 14, 2024.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Grayson
1998 births
Living people
21st-century American male actors
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Male actors from Alabama
People from Clanton, Alabama
Actors from Chilton County, Alabama