Grayson Russell is an American film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 and television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 child actor

Child actor

The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...

 best known for playing Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 Ranger

Walker, Texas Ranger

Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...

 Bobby, son of the title character in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a 2006 American comedy film, directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell. The film also features John C. Reilly, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Amy Adams, Gary Cole, Jane Lynch, and Sacha Baron Cohen. Various Saturday Night Live alumni also...

and Fregley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film series)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a series of movies based on the books by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. Just like the books, the movies are the journals of Greg Heffley, the series' main character, who is played by Zachary Gordon....

movies.

Life and career

Russell was born in Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 to Jerry and Crystal Russell. He is a native of Clanton, Alabama

Clanton, Alabama

Clanton is a city in Chilton County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. At the 2000 census the population was 7,800. The city is the county seat of Chilton County.-History:...

. He attends a public middle school

Middle school

Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

 in Clanton.

His television career began at the age of six when he appeared as Cowboy Grayson in a series of television commercials for a local car dealership

Car dealership

A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...

. Other commercials include appearances in a regional McDonald’s spot and a Blue Cross Blue Shield

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a federation of 39 separate health insurance organizations and companies in the United States. Combined, they directly or indirectly provide health insurance to over 100 million Americans. The history of Blue Cross dates back to 1929, while the history of...

 of Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 commercial.

Russell’s film career began with an open casting call for a role in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. His mother, Crystal Russell, has stated that Grayson auditioned to gain some experience with the process, and the family was surprised to learn that he would be playing Texas Ranger Bobby, the son of racecar driver Ricky Bobby (played by Will Farrell).

The Rainbow Tribe, Russell’s second movie was based on a true story and was filmed in California in 2007. The independent film

Independent film

An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...

 won Best Picture at the 2008 The Feel Good Film Festival

The Feel Good Film Festival

The Feel Good Film Festival , also known as the Sunflower Film Festival, is held annually in Hollywood, California. The Festival is the largest of its kind showcasing American, international, independent, and family-friendly films from all around the world that leave the audience feeling good...

 founded by Kristen Ridgway Flores

Kristen Ridgway Flores

Kristen Ridgway Flores is Founder and CEO of The Feel Good Film Festival in Hollywood, California and an American actress, set designer, production designer, and film producer.-Early life:Flores was born in Seattle, Washington in 1982...

 in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, but was released direct-to-video

Direct-to-video

Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...

 in 2011.

In 2009, Russell appeared in a single episode of Disney's

Disney Channel

Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...

 sitcom I’m in the Band.

In 2010, Russell appeared in the film adaptation of author Jeff Kinney

Jeff Kinney (writer)

Jeffrey "Jeff" Kinney is an American game designer, cartoonist, producer, and author of children's books including the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series. He is also attributed to be the creator of the children-oriented website Poptropica...

's Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Russell played Fregley, an awkward and unpopular classmate of Greg Heffley

Greg Heffley

Gregory "Greg" Heffley is the main protagonist of the realistic fiction book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid created by American cartoonist Jeff Kinney. Greg has appeared in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Rodrick Rules, The Last Straw,. Dog Days,. The Ugly Truth, and will appear in Cabin Fever...

. He revived the role in the 2011 sequel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.

In 2011, Russell also appeared in the Alien Candy episode of R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour

R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour

R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour is a Canadian/American original anthology horror-fantasy series, with episodes each half an hour long. The new show was produced by Front Street Pictures, The Hatchery, Incendo Films and Endemol, and premiered on The Hub, which overtook Discovery Kids on October 10,...

.

Film appearances

Year	Film	Role
2006	Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a 2006 American comedy film, directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell. The film also features John C. Reilly, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Amy Adams, Gary Cole, Jane Lynch, and Sacha Baron Cohen. Various Saturday Night Live alumni also...	Texas Ranger Bobby
2010	The Rainbow Tribe	Calvin
	Diary of a Wimpy Kid Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film) Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Thor Freudenthal and based on Jeff Kinney's book of the same name. The film was released on March 19, 2010. It was released on DVD, iTunes, and Blu-ray on August 3, 2010.-Plot:...	Fregley Breck
2011	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (film) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is a 2011 comedy film based on Jeff Kinney's book of the same name. The film stars Zachary Gordon and Devon Bostick. Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, and Peyton List also have prominent roles...
2012	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (film) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is an upcoming comedy film directed by David Bowers from a screenplay by Wallace Wolodarsky and Maya Forbes. It stars Zachary Gordon and Steve Zahn. It is the third film in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and is based on the third and fourth book in the series,...

TV appearances

Year	Show	Role
2009	I'm in the Band I'm in the Band I'm in the Band, is a live-action sitcom airing on Disney XD in the United States and on Family Channel in Canada. The pilot episode was taped on July 14, 2009, with a "sneak preview" airing on November 27, 2009; the show subsequently joined Disney XD's regular schedule on February 20, 2010, with...	Martin
2011	R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour is a Canadian/American original anthology horror-fantasy series, with episodes each half an hour long. The new show was produced by Front Street Pictures, The Hatchery, Incendo Films and Endemol, and premiered on The Hub, which overtook Discovery Kids on October 10,...	Walt

External links