Ted Ross
Theodore Ross Roberts (June 30, 1934 – September 3, 2002), known as Ted Ross, was an American actor who was probably best known for his role as the Lion in The Wiz, an all-African American reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz. He won a Tony Award for the original 1975 Broadway production, and went on to recreate the role in the 1978 film version which also starred Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Nipsey Russell. Ross went on to appear in films including the role of Bitterman in the classic Police Academy, and on the television sitcoms The Jeffersons, Benson, The Cosby Show, and its spin-off A Different World. His final role was in the 1991 movie The Fisher King.
Ross was born in Zanesville, Ohio, but his mother, Elizabeth Russell, a nightclub singer in the 1920s and 1930s, moved the family to Dayton when young Ross was seven. He loved the clubs on West Fifth Street—Dayton’s answer to Harlem in the first half of the 20th century. While in junior high, Ross, who was big for his age, would dress up and strut into the Owl Club and The Palace Theater's Midnight Rambles to see great acts such as Duke Ellington.
Podcasts:
Ted Ross
ALBUMS
- Broadway: The American Musical released: 2004
Broadway: The American Musical
Released 2004- Music Man: Seventy-Six Trombones
- Flower Drum Song: I Enjoy Being a Girl
- Gypsy: Everything's Coming Up Roses
- The Sound of Music: My Favorite Things
- Bye Bye Birdie: Put on a Happy Face
- Fantasticks: Try to Remember
- Camelot: Camelot
- Carnival! Love Makes the World Go 'round
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying: I Believe in You
- No Strings: The Sweetest Sounds
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Comedy Tonight
- Stop the World, I Want to Get Off: What Kind of Fool Am I
- Oliver! As Long as He Needs Me
- Hello, Dolly! Hello, Dolly!
- Funny Girl: People
- Anyone Can Whistle: Anyone Can Whistle
- Fiddler on the Roof: If I Were a Rich Man
- Golden Boy: Night Song
- Man of La Mancha: The Impossible Dream
- Sweet Charity: If My Friends Could See Me Now
- Mame: Open a New Window
Born: 1934-06-30
Died: 2002-09-03
Latest News for: ted ross
Martha Stewart delights in evening of storytelling in Richmond
Richmond Times Dispatch
27 Apr 2025
Suits’ Gabriel Macht Explained Why He Agreed To Reprise Harvey Specter For The LA Spinoff, But Now I’m Also Concerned About His Future With The Show
Cinema Blend 12 Apr 2025- 1