Lonnie Chavis Jr. (born November 23, 2007) is an American teenage actor and activist. He is known for playing young Randall Pearson on NBC's drama, This Is Us. Chavis has been nominated for several awards and shared the win for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with his This Is Us cast mates. In 2017, he starred in Showtime's short lived sitcom White Famous. In 2020, Chavis starred in his first feature film, The Water Man.
Lonnie Chavis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lonnie Chavis, Jr. November 23, 2007 Downey, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2015–present |
Early life
editChavis was born on November 23, 2007, in Downey, California.[1] Chavis is the son of Najah and Lonnie Chavis. He has three younger brothers.[2] In 2016, an 8-year-old Chavis made headlines when he was nearly abducted from outside his home in Long Beach, California while taking out the trash. He fought off his would-be captors and alerted his neighbor who escorted Chavis back home to his mom, who had contacted the police.[3][4] As of 2017, Chavis was homeschooled.[5]
Career
editIn 2016, Chavis joined the cast This Is Us as a young version of Sterling K. Brown's Randall Pearson.[6] In early 2017, Chavis appeared as a guest star in an episode of his favorite show, the Nickelodeon sitcom, The Thundermans.[7] Later that year, Chavis appeared in an episode of The CW's Supergirl.[8] In June 2017, Chavis was promoted to series regular in season 2 of This Is Us.[9] Chavis would go on to star opposite Jay Pharoah in the comedy White Famous, executive produced by Jamie Foxx.[10] Chavis revealed that the series was his first experience with improvisation.[11] Chavis made his feature film debut in Disney's Magic Campwhich starred Adam DeVine.[5] The 2018 theatrical release was cancelled and later streamed on Disney+.[12][13] He also appeared in Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History which premiered on Netflix in 2019.[5] Chavis also appeared in the short film Skin from Guy Nattiv.[14] The film won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards.[15]
In 2018, Chavis was cast opposite Jason Wiles in Sunny Daze, which Wiles wrote and directed.[16] In 2019, Chavis was cast opposite Academy Award nominee David Oyelowo in Oyelowo's feature film directorial debut, The Water Man. With Chavis as the lead, the film also starred Rosario Dawson with Oprah Winfrey attached to executive produce.[17] The film marked Chavis's feature film debut[18] and he credited Oyelowo with making him a better actor.[19] In 2020, Chavis was cast to star in The Boy Behind the Door, a thriller from the writing-directing team of David Charbonier and Justin Powell.[20]
Activism
editIn June 2018, Chavis posted a video to Instagram in response to online bullying about the gap in his teeth. Chavis said, "Braces can fix [my teeth], but like, can you fix your heart, though?" While Chavis assured concerned fans that he could handle negative comments, not everyone could, he said, with some people even being driven to suicide.[21] While his parents typically filtered the comments, the couple showed Chavis one comment and he decided to post the video. The video garnered over 600,000 views with friends and celebrities reposting it using Chavis's own hashtag: #FixYourHeart. In October 2018, Chavis partnered with Ad Council on an anti-bullying campaign.[2] In 2020, Chavis said "This movement is about having the accountability to correct your own actions and be better to others."[19] In 2021, the organization launched a clothing line, for which Chavis models.[22]
In the wake of the Murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests, Chavis, aged 12, wrote a letter to his mother about his experiences with racism in U.S. as he struggled to verbally express his feelings. The letter was later published by People on June 17, 2020.[23]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Skin | Bronny | Short film |
| 2019 | Sunny Daze | Sean | Lead role |
| 2020 | Magic Camp | Cameron | Supporting role |
| The Water Man | Gunner Boone | Lead role | |
| The Boy Behind the Door | Bobby | Lead role |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Bella and the Bulldogs | Young Troy | Episode: "Dudes & Chicks" |
| 2016-22 | This Is Us | Randall Pearson | Series regular |
| 2017 | Supergirl | Marcus | Episode: "City of Lost Children" |
| White Famous | Trevor Mooney | Series regular | |
| 2018 | The 5th Quarter | Fetus Jones | Episode: "Fetus Jones" |
| The Thundermans | Gilly | Episode: "Revenge of the Smith" | |
| 2019 | Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History | Robert Smalls' son | Netflix variety special |
| 2020 | God Friended Me | C.J. | Episode: "Miracles" |
| 2023 | Lawmen: Bass Reeves | Arthur Mayberry | Recurring role |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Ceremony | Award | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards | Tearjerker | This Is Us | Won | [24] |
| 49th NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-series) | Nominated | [25] | ||
| 2018 | BET Awards 2018 | BET YoungStars Award | — | Nominated | [26] |
| Gold Derby TV Awards | Ensemble of the Year | This Is Us | Nominated | [27] | |
| 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Won | [28] | ||
| 50th NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-series) | Nominated | [29] | ||
| 2019 | 51st NAACP Image Awards | Nominated | [30] | ||
| 2020 | 52nd NAACP Image Awards | Nominated | [31] | ||
| 2021 | BET Awards 2021 | BET YoungStars Award | — | Nominated | [32] |
References
edit- ^ "Lonnie Chavis – Actor". TV Insider. TVGM Holdings, LLC. November 6, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ a b Lane, Cassandra (October 31, 2018). "'THIS IS US' STAR LONNIE CHAVIS EXPANDS HIS #FIXYOURHEART MESSAGE". L.A. Parent. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "8-year-old boy escapes masked kidnappers in Long Beach". April 13, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Yee, Greg (April 13, 2016). "Attempted kidnapping of boy, 8, in Los Cerritos area shocks family, neighbors". Press-Telegram. Digital First Media. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ a b c Rodriguez, Leslie (May 1, 2017). "TV's Golden Child, Lonnie Chavis". Posh Kids. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ DeSantis, Rachel (December 9, 2016). "This Is Us stars share family photo from set". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Richter, Katherine (February 15, 2017). "FIRST LOOK: Little Randall Is Branching Out! See This Is Us' Adorable Lonnie Chavis' New Gig". People. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Webb Mitovich, Matt (April 17, 2017). "Supergirl: Pivotal James Olsen Episode Casts This Is Us' Young Randall". TVLine. TVLine Media, LLC. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Petski, Denise (June 30, 2017). "'This Is Us': 7 Young Actors Upped To Series Regulars For Season 2 Of NBC Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Braxton, Greg (October 13, 2017). "Jay Pharoah jumps from 'Saturday Night Live' to the fame game of 'White Famous'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Steinberg, Jamie (November 19, 2017). "Lonnie Chavis – White Famous". Starry Constellation Magazine. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 8, 2018). "Disney Unveils Inaugural Streaming Service Launch Slate To Town; No R-Rated Fare". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Taylor, Drew (July 16, 2020). "Here's Everything New on Disney Plus in August 2020". Collider. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Evans, Greg (February 8, 2019). "Oscar-Nominated Short Film 'Skin' Acquired By Fox Searchlight". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "The 91st Academy Awards (2019) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (April 19, 2018). "'This Is Us' Actor Lonnie Chavis to Star in Indie 'Sunny Daze'". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (March 27, 2019). "David Oyelowo Sets Feature Directorial Debut With 'The Water Man'". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Chuba, Kirsten (September 16, 2020). "'The Water Man' Star Lonnie Chavis on His Big Screen Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. MRC. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ a b Medini, Elias (November 24, 2020). "A Conversation With Lonnie Chavis". Fucking Young. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (February 4, 2020). "'This Is Us' Lonnie Chavis Toplines Indie Thriller 'The Boy Behind The Door'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "'This Is Us' star Lonnie Chavis pushes back against online trolls who mock his smile". Good Morning America. ABC News. June 27, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "The Water Man's Lonnie Chavis On Working with David Oyelowo, Talks This Is Us (Exclusive)". TooFab.com. EHM Productions, Inc. May 4, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ Chavis, Lonnie (June 17, 2020). "This Is Us Star Lonnie Chavis, 12, Shares His Experiences with Racism: 'America Needs to Change'". People. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Lakshmin, Deepa (May 2, 2017). "The "Cash Me Outside" Meme Is An MTV Movie & TV Awards Nominee, How Bout Dat?". MTV. Archived from the original on May 2, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (December 13, 2016). "NAACP Image Awards: Nate Parker & Donald Glover Lead Film & TV Noms; Beyonce Tops Field". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "BET Awards 2018 Winners & Nominees". BET.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "2018 Gold Derby TV Awards winners: 'Versace' and 'Handmaid's Tale' are top winners, but 'Game of Thrones' takes Best Drama". Gold Derby. Penske Media Corporation. September 6, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "The 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® Ceremony Will Be January 21, 2018 TNT and TBS Will Live Simulcast the Sunday Event". Screen Actors Guild. March 7, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "50th NAACP Image Awards". April 2, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "NAACP Image Awards". Visit Pasadena. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Jackson, Angelique (March 23, 2021). "Barack Obama, 'The Last Dance,' 'John Lewis: Good Trouble' Earn NAACP Image Awards". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Amabile Angermiller, Michele (May 27, 2021). "Megan Thee Stallion, DaBaby Lead BET Awards Nominations: The Full List". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved June 3, 2021.