Childhood & Early Life
Ross Fleming Butler was born on May 17, 1990, in Queenstown, Singapore, to a British–Dutch father and a Chinese–Malaysian mother. He was raised by his mother in Northern Virginia.
As a child he played the piano and the guitar. He was also an avid gamer. He has a beloved pet tortoise named Sheldon. He spends time mentoring children at the ‘Boys and Girls Club of Venice’ in southern California.
He attended ‘Langley High School’ and then joined the ‘Ohio State University’ to study biomolecular and chemical engineering, only to discover later that he did not like the course.
Ross wanted to be an actor since childhood. After spending a year at the university, he dropped out to follow his passion and venture into acting.
Finally, in 2010, he quit college and moved to Los Angeles. Butler got himself enrolled in acting classes after his friend paid the fees for his first acting class as a gift on his 21st birthday.
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Career
Ross made his acting debut with the TV film ‘The Gateway Life,’ which featured him as ‘Allen.’ The film failed to earn enough viewers. Butler gave his best but did not receive much appreciation.
Later, he appeared in the second season of the 2013 series ‘Major Crimes.’ The series featured him in the role of ‘Ian Yorita’ in an episode titled ‘Pick Your Poison.’ The second season of the series aired from June 10, 2013, to January 13, 2014. It consisted of 19 episodes.
In 2013, he was cast as ‘Tony’ in the TV film ‘Camp Sunshine.’ The film was about counselors at a camp trying to keep up with the reality that they did not like summer at all. The same year, Ross appeared as ‘Eddie Peon’ in a short film titled ‘Work It Out.’
In 2014, he bagged many projects, including four series and two films. He appeared as ‘Roy’ in the film ‘Two Bedrooms.’ The film was about two girls encountering the presence of a ghost in their apartment.
He played the role of ‘Leroy’ in ‘Rules of the Trade.’ The film was about a lonely drug dealer trying to find the love of his life and finally meeting her on an online dating site.
The same year, he appeared in the 2014 series ‘Star Seed,’ which featured him as ‘Chris Choi.’ He also played the role of ‘Chris’ in the series ‘Hollywood.’ He was cast in the series ‘Dog Park’ and ‘Happyland.’
By 2015, he was beginning to get recognized by both audiences and critics. He appeared in a TV film titled ‘Teen Beach 2’ as ‘Spencer Watkins.’ Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, it garnered about 7.5 million viewers on the night of its premiere.
He then appeared as ‘Nate’ in the 2015 drama film ‘Perfect High,’ which also featured Bella Thorne. His character in the film was the boyfriend of ‘Amanda’s best friend ‘Riley.’ The film focused on the serious issue of drug abuse.
In 2015, Ross appeared as ‘Hunter’ in three episodes of the series ‘Chasing Life.’ He then appeared as ‘Jeremy’ in a film titled ‘Hacker’s Game.’
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He then appeared in a 2015 comedy series ‘K.C. Undercover.’ The series featured him as ‘Brett Willis,’ the lead character’s boyfriend and an enemy spy. The series was about ‘K.C. Cooper,’ a math genius.
In 2016, he starred in the series ‘Teen Wolf,’ which was an adaptation of the 1985 film of the same name. He appeared as ‘Nathan Pierce’ in three episodes of the series.
In 2017, Butler appeared as ‘Reggie Mantle’ in six episodes of the web series ‘Riverdale.’ The series was loosely based on the characters of ‘Archie Comics.’
The same year, he starred in the popular ‘Netflix’ teen web series ‘13 Reasons Why.’ The series featured him as ‘Zach Dempsey,’ the kind-hearted friend of ‘Justin’ and ‘Bryce.’
In 2018, he voiced the character of ‘Limo’ in an anime anthology drama film titled ‘Flavors of Youth.’ He then appeared as ‘Jeremy’ in ‘Hacker’s Game Redux.’ In this film, he reprised his role of ‘Jeremy’ from the 2015 film ‘Hacker’s Game.’
He is currently working on his upcoming science-fiction film ‘Shazam!’ His role in the film is undisclosed. He also appeared in the second season of the series ‘13 Reasons Why.’
Personal Life
Ross Butler has not been involved in any controversy yet. He never dated anyone till his early 20s, as he believed one should be emotionally ready before making any serious commitment.
He is best known for breaking stereotypes. Every Asian actor in Hollywood would earlier be cast as a nerd or an engineer. However, Ross played “all-American” roles. He wished to change the mindset of viewers about Asians.
He once stated in an interview that he was proud of his Asian heritage.
