Chaz Lamar Shepherd net worth: Chaz Lamar Shepherd is a millionaire American actor and singer-songwriter. Chaz Lamar Shepherd was born in October 1977 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is black and was raised by a single mother who worked several jobs to provide for him. His first role was in the children's television series A Different World as Russell "Stringbean" Barnes from 1990 to 1995. This made him famous at a young age. In addition to his work on A Different World, he has had guest roles on episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Boyz n the Hood, The Wire, and How to Make It in America. He also released two albums during the time he was on A Different World: Caught Up in the Game in 1993 and Life Goes On in 1996. Shepherd began writing songs when he was 12 years old and released his first album, Caught Up in the Game, four years later. The album included the hit song "Can't Stop Me Now (Song for Listening Outdoors)" which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. After leaving A Different World in 1995, he continued to write songs and release albums on his own label, All Star Records. His second album, Life Goes On, came out in 1996 and included the singles "I'm Not My Father" and "If I Can Help Somebody".