Lance Gross facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lance Gross
Gross in 2017
Born	Lance Darnell Gross (1981-07-08) July 8, 1981 (age 43) Oakland, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Howard University
Occupation	Actor model photographer
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	Rebecca Jefferson ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	2

Lance Darnell Gross was born on July 8, 1981. He is an American actor and model. He is well-known for playing Calvin Payne in the TV show Tyler Perry's House of Payne. He won four NAACP Image Awards for his great acting in this role.

Lance Gross first appeared in a movie called Meet the Browns in 2008. He also starred in other films like Our Family Wedding (2010) and Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013). On TV, he was in the show Crisis (2014) and later in Sleepy Hollow (2015–2016). He also had roles in Star (2017–2019) and Our Kind of People (2021–2022).

Early Life and Education

Lance Gross was born in Oakland, California. His mother is African American, and his father is from Ghana. Later, his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. He went to Bonanza High School there and graduated.

After high school, he attended Howard University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater. He also trained at special acting schools to improve his skills.

Acting Career Highlights

Lance Gross started his career as a model for brands like Karl Kani. He also appeared in music videos for famous singers such as Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, and Mariah Carey.

In 2006, he had small roles in TV shows like Eve and The Bernie Mac Show. Soon after, he got the part of Calvin Payne in Tyler Perry's House of Payne. In this show, he plays a young man who has been in college for a long time. His role earned him four NAACP Image Awards for best supporting actor in a comedy show.

First Movies and TV Roles

In 2008, Lance Gross made his first big movie appearance in Meet the Browns. He acted alongside Angela Bassett in this romantic comedy-drama. His next movie was Our Family Wedding in 2010. In this film, he played a young man getting married, and his family's plans caused some funny problems.

In 2012, he starred in an independent movie called The Last Fall. It was about a retired football player facing money and family issues. That same year, he was in the TV movie Steel Magnolias.

Later Roles and Success

In 2013, Lance Gross starred in the movie Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. The film was directed by Tyler Perry. The next year, he was in the TV show Crisis.

In 2015, he appeared in two episodes of the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Later that year, he joined the cast of the Fox show Sleepy Hollow. In 2016, he was in the crime drama Deuces for Netflix. In 2017, he starred in When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story.

From 2017 to 2019, he played Maurice Jetter in the musical drama series Star. He also had recurring roles in the TV shows MacGyver and Hawaii Five-0.

In 2021, Gross played the main role in the crime drama movie Dutch. He then starred in the TV show Our Kind of People with Yaya DaCosta. In 2022, he was in the romantic comedy Unthinkably Good Things. In 2023, he starred in the action thriller Call Her King.

Personal Life

Lance Gross was engaged to actress Eva Marcille from 2008 to 2010. On May 23, 2015, he married fashion stylist Rebecca Jefferson. They have two children: a daughter named Berkeley Brynn Gross, born in 2014, and a son named Lennon Lorin Gross, born in 2018.

In November 2021, Lance Gross became a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows