Ed O'Ross (born Edward Orss; July 5, 1949) is an American actor. His prominent roles include Itchy in Dick Tracy, Max Kale in Walker, Texas Ranger, Colonel Perry in Universal Soldier, Lt. Touchdown in Full Metal Jacket, ruthless Georgian mobster Viktor Rustaveli in Red Heat, and police detective Cliff Willis in The Hidden. He also appeared on Six Feet Under (2001–2005), and Shark (2006–2008).
Early life and education O'Ross was born Edward Orss on July 5, 1949 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Ed O'Ross Biography (1949-) He is of Czechoslovak descent.
O'Ross graduated from Munhall High School, where he was a star baseball player, in 1964. He subsequently attended Point Park College and Carnegie Tech (which became Carnegie Mellon University).
Prior to becoming an actor, O'Ross was a boxer, winning a Golden Gloves amateur championship in 1964. He was also a minor league baseball player. He auditioned for two Major League Baseball teams (the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals), but was not selected.
He studied acting over several years, under Stella Adler and Uta Hagen, among others.
Career O'Ross has appeared in many films and series, including Red Heat, Six Feet Under, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He voiced Agent K in the first season of Men in Black: The Series and was replaced by Gregg Berger in subsequent seasons. He also provided voiceover work and appeared in the music video alongside Bob Hoskins for the 1985 Paul Hardcastle song “Just For Money”.
Other films of his include Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story, The Pope of Greenwich Village, The Cotton Club, Full Metal Jacket, Lethal Weapon, The Hidden, Action Jackson, Another 48 Hrs., Universal Soldier, Dick Tracy, Hoodlum, Curious George, A Green Story, The Harsh Life of Veronica Lambert, and Sorority Party Massacre.
Guest television appearances include Stingray, Boston Legal, Seinfeld, Walker, Texas Ranger, CSI: NY, The Outsiders, and Moonlighting (in the episode "Brother, Can You Spare A Blonde?").
Personal life O'Ross resides in New York City and Los Angeles.
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes1984The Pope of Greenwich VillageBartender1984The Cotton ClubMonk1987Lethal WeaponMendez1987Full Metal JacketLt. Touchdown1987The HiddenCliff Willis1988Action JacksonFrank Stringer1988Red HeatViktor Rostavili1990Dick TracyItchy1990Another 48 Hrs.Frank Cruise1992Universal SoldierColonel Perry1997HoodlumLulu Rosenkrantz2006Curious GeorgeIvan (voice) A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.2010Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!Ivan (voice)2012A Green StoryVan2012Sorority Party MassacreBarney Lumpkin2019Curious George: Royal MonkeyIvan (voice)
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1986Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher StoryTrooper HudleyTelevision film1995Seinfeld: The EngagementDetective BlakeMinor Role1997–1998Men in Black: The SeriesAgent K (voice)Main role (season 1)2001–2005Six Feet UnderNikolai17 episodes2004–2005Justice League UnlimitedTobias Manning, General Olanic (voice)2 episodes2005Curb Your EnthusiasmLeoEpisode: "The Larry David Sandwich"2005Teen TitansRaskov (voice)Episode: "Snowblind"
Video games YearTitleRoleNotes2009Terminator SalvationWarren
References
External links