# Ricco Ross

Ricco Ross is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of private Frost in the 1986 science fiction action film Aliens.

## Early life

Born at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, he is the fifth of eight children, and in addition has three step sisters and another brother from his father's first marriage. He first acted in a high school production, majored in theater at a local community college, and entered Florida Atlantic University (FAU), where he was awarded a BA in Theater. He earned a fellowship to UCLA, where his career started to develop.

## Career

Ross' first television role was as an extra on The Young and the Restless, which was followed by a small part in Hill Street Blues and the male lead in the music video for Whitney Houston's 1985 hit song "Saving All My Love for You". He later played Private Ricco Frost in the film Aliens (1986), and also appeared in the films Death Wish 3 (1985), Spies Like Us (1985), The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission (1985 TV film), "Displaced Person" (1985 episode of American Playhouse), Gulliver's Travels (1996), Mission Impossible (1996), Fierce Creatures (1997), Nate and the Colonel (2003) and Hydra (2009).
From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, he lived and worked in the United Kingdom. While there, he made guest appearances in Doctor Who (in the 1988 serial The Greatest Show in the Galaxy) and Jeeves and Wooster, and played a supporting role as CIA agent Karl Richfield in the 1991 mini-series Sleepers.
Ross now appears in various commercials as well as TV shows aired throughout the United States.

### Aliens

Ricco Ross originally read for the part of Corporal Hicks. He was then offered the role of Private Drake, but he turned it down in favour of appearing in Full Metal Jacket. However, James Cameron was so impressed with Ross' audition that he wrote the character of Frost specifically for him, and as a result Ross left Kubrick's production to appear in Aliens. In a 2014 interview for the podcast "I Was There Too", Ross stated that Private Frost's first name is actually Robert.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1983 | Scarred | - | |
| 1985 | The Dirty Dozen: Next Mission | Arlen Dregors | TV movie |
| 1985 | Death Wish 3 | The Cuban | |
| 1985 | Spies Like Us | WAMP Guard | |
| 1986 | Aliens | Private Frost | |
| 1987 | The Return of Sherlock Holmes | Matthew | TV movie |
| 1987 | Body Contact | Smiley | |
| 1988 | Crusoe | 2nd Victim | |
| 1989 | Slipstream | 1st Man at Table | |
| 1989 | Murder on the Moon | Alvarado | TV movie |
| 1989 | The Return of Sam McCloud | Rifkin | TV movie |
| 1992 | Project Shadowchaser | Jackson | |
| 1993 | Passport to Murder | Dealer | TV movie |
| 1995 | Project Shadowchaser 3000 | Lennox | Video |
| 1995 | Hackers | Second Reporter | |
| 1995 | Proteus | Buckley | |
| 1996 | Mission: Impossible | Denied Area Security Guard | |
| 1996 | Timelock | Tibuck | |
| 1997 | Fierce Creatures | TV Journalist | |
| 1997 | Wishmaster | Lt. Nathanson | |
| 2000 | Octopus | Brickman | |
| 2002 | The Tower of Babble | Clint | Short |
| 2003 | Nate and the Colonel | Nate Washington | |
| 2007 | Alls Well That Ends Well | Billy Shakes | Short |
| 2007 | Santa Croce | Crazed Proclaimer | Short |
| 2009 | The Least Among You | Marvin Kelly | |
| 2009 | Hydra | Broughton | TV movie |
| 2011 | Apocalypse According to Doris | Bauer | |
| 2012 | Hayabusa: Harukanaru Kikan | Dr. Daniel Clark | |
| 2012 | Celestial Guard | Torno | Short |
| 2012 | An Average American Marriage | Jerome | TV movie |
| 2012 | Potluck | Mike | TV movie |
| 2013 | Marriage of Inconvenience | Pastor | Short |
| 2013 | Foreclosed | Deputy Drews | Video |
| 2013 | Trane and Miles | John Coltrane | Short |
| 2013 | You & Me | Doctor | Short |
| 2014 | Bermuda Tentacles | Captain Phillips | TV movie |
| 2014 | Whipping Boy | Napalm's Father | Short |
| 2014 | The New Jersey Americans | Player Ricco | Short |
| 2014 | Hidden in the Woods | Ricco | |
| 2015 | Story of Eva | Detective Grind | |
| 2015 | A Gifted Amateur | Detective Savino | Short |
| 2015 | Batgirl Rises | The Riddler | Short |
| 2015 | Family Times | Jasmine's Dad | Short |
| 2015 | In Between the Gutter and the Stars | Tourist in Love | Short |
| 2015 | Stormageddon | Agent Travers | TV movie |
| 2016 | Opening Night | Mr. Robertson | |
| 2016 | A Husband for Christmas | Roger Burkett | TV movie' |
| 2016 | The Hidden Toll | Community Director | Short |
| 2017 | Capture | Drew | Short |
| 2017 | Fat Camp | Fred | |
| 2017 | The Possessed | Louis Laveau | |
| 2017 | Bobbi Kristina | Uncle Ray | TV movie |
| 2017 | The Sandman | Detective Price | |
| 2017 | My Christmas Grandpa | Jim | Short |
| 2018 | Where Branches Break | Abraham | Short |
| 2019 | Night Walk | Saud | |
| 2019 | The Wrong Boy Next Door | Principal Perkins | TV movie |
| 2019 | A Brother's Honor | Sheppard Granger | |
| 2019 | The Shinjuku Five | Ronny Hayes | |
| 2020 | She's in Portland | Paul | |
| 2020 | TALIENS: Last Stand | Sergeant John Davis | Short |
| 2020 | A Christmas for Mary | David | TV movie |
| 2021 | Do Something | Detective Dillon | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Hill Street Blues | Tyler Bragg | Recurring cast: season 2 |
| 1985 | American Playhouse | Jackson | Episode: "Displaced Person" |
| 1985 | C.A.T.S. Eyes | Edsom | Episode: "Love Byte" |
| 1988 | The Play on One | Larry | Episode: "Airbase" |
| 1988-89 | Doctor Who | Ringmaster | Episode: "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy Part 1-4" |
| 1989 | The Bill | Maxi Silver | Episode: "Duty Elsewhere" |
| 1989 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Alvin | Episode: "American Nuclear" |
| 1991 | Sleepers | Karl Richfield | Recurring cast |
| 1991 | Murder Most Horrid | Gary | Episode: "Mrs Hat and Mrs Red" |
| 1992 | Jeeves and Wooster | Liftman Coneybear | Recurring cast: season 3 |
| 1992 | The Tomorrow People | Sergeant Young | Episode: "The Origin Story: Part 5" |
| 1993 | Westbeach | Greg Dacosta | Main cast |
| 1993 | Sitting Pretty | Cliff Monahann | Episode: "Wills of Fire" |
| 1996 | Gulliver's Travels | Brobdingnag Scientist | Episode: "Episode #1.1" |
| 1996 | Highlander: The Series | Kassim | Episode: "Promises" |
| 1997 | JAG | Secret Service #2 | Episode: "Washington Holiday" |
| 1997 | Babylon 5 | Captain Frank | Episode: "The Face of the Enemy" |
| 1997 | The Pretender | Larron | Episode: "Back from the Dead Again" |
| 1997 | The Practice | Reporter | Episode: "Reasonable Doubts" & "Hide and Seek" |
| 1999 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Miles Caufield | Episode: "Agony" |
| 2000 | Days of Our Lives | Reggie Morris | Episode: "Episode #1.8729" |
| 2006 | ER | Barnard | Episode: "Scoop and Run" |
| 2012 | Bite Me | Barnard | Main cast: season 2 |
| 2014 | Caper | Psycho | Recurring cast |
| 2014 | Family Time | - | Episode: "Powering Down" |
| 2014 | Match | Detective Purcell | Episode: "Secret Lives" |
| 2015 | Escorts | Charles Stone Sr. | Recurring cast |
| 2016 | K.C. Undercover | Preacher | Episode: "The Love Jinx" |
| 2019 | No Good Nick | Walter Strickland | Episode: "The Pigeon Drop" |
| 2020-22 | P-Valley | Pastor R. J. Gilfield | Recurring cast: season 1, guest: season 2 |
| 2024-25 | Beauty in Black | Horace | Recurring cast: season 1, season 2 (planned) |

### Music Video

| Year | Title | Artist | Role |
| 1985 | Saving All My Love for You | Whitney Houston | Producer / Lover |