Raymond Ablack
Raymond Ablack | |
|---|---|
 Ablack at the 2010 Gemini Awards | |
| Born | November 12, 1989 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 2001–present |
Raymond Ablack (born November 12, 1989) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known for playing Sav Bhandari on the long-running TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation, though he has also appeared in other popular television and web series including Orphan Black (2013–present), Defiance (2015), Shadowhunters (2016–present) and Teenagers (2014–present), for which he won an Indie Series Award in 2016.[1]
Early life
Ablack was born and raised by South Asian parents in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[2] He played in a competitive hockey league as a child.[3]
Career
Acting
As a child actor, Ablack appeared in numerous television commercials and advertisements.[4] In 2001, Raymond played the role of Young Simba in the theatre production of The Lion King at the Princess of Wales theatre in Toronto.[5]
Ablack achieved international exposure when he was cast in the recurring role of Sav Bhandari on the long-running Canadian teen series Degrassi: The Next Generation.[6] He starred on the show for five years. Around that time, Ablack also had a guest spot on the series Life With Derek. Since his time on Degrassi, Ablack has worked on several productions, including a recurring role in the BBC/Space television series Orphan Black (2013–2014), Defiance (2015) and Shadowhunters (2016).[7] He has also appeared in low budget feature films including Fondi '91 (2013), which received mixed reviews from critics upon release.[8][9]
Ablack currently stars on the popular Canadian web series Teenagers.[10][11] In 2016, for his role on Teenagers, Ablack won an Indie Series Award for Best Supporting Actor – Drama.[12][13]
Stand up comedy
In addition to working as an actor, Ablack writes and performs stand up comedy.[14] In mid 2016, he launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for a comedic sketch web series called O' Brother featuring his comedy troupe Whys Guise, which includes fellow Degrassi alums Shane Kippel, Melinda Shankar and Dalmar Abuzeid.[15] The campaign raised over $5,000 CAD.[16]
Charity work
Ablack has done extensive charity work throughout his career, including school-building missions with Me to We and Free the Children.[17][18][19] In 2007, Ablack traveled to Africa with five Degrassi cast member's to build a school in Kenya and in 2008 he travelled again with his cast members to do charity work in Ecuador. A documentary of Raymond and his cast mates' trip aired on MTV in Canada in the fall of 2007. In 2010, he travelled to India to help build schools.
Filmography
TV
- (2007–2011): Degrassi: The Next Generation as Sav Bhandari (118 episodes)
- (2009): Life With Derek as Kevin
- (2011): How To Be Indie as Raj
- (2014–2015): Defiance as Samir Pandey
- (2016): Degrassi: Next Class as Sav Bhandari
- (2016): Annedroids as Dave
- (2013–present): Orphan Black as Raj Singh
- (2014–present): Teenagers (web series) as Gabriel
- (2016–present): Shadowhunters as Raj
- (2016–present): Annedroids as Dave
Film
- (2009): Degrassi Takes Hollywood (TV movie) as Sav Bhandari
- (2010): Degrassi Takes Manhattan (TV movie) as Sav Bhandari
- (2013) Fondi '91 as Anil
- (2015): Beeba Boys as Grewal's Gangster
- (2016): Ashes as Jay
References
- ^ "Raymond Ablack". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
- ^ "Raymond Ablack Biography". www.buddytv.com. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
- ^ freethechildrenintl (2009-05-20), Charity Cup - Students vs. Teachers Hockey Game, retrieved 2016-06-25
- ^ "Raymond Ablack Biography". www.buddytv.com. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
- ^ "MISAFF14 Star". MISAFF Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
- ^ "17 Questions". Seventeen. 2008-10-21. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview with Teenagers' Raymond Ablack". TalkNerdyWithUs. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
- ^ "Fondi '91". 2013-07-11. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
- ^ "Fondi '91, reviewed: A nice-looking coming-of-age film that doesn't quite get there". Retrieved 2016-08-22.
- ^ 15, Playback Staff January; 2014. "New web series Teenagers attracts Degrassi alum". Retrieved 2016-04-07.
{{cite web}}:|last=has numeric name (help) - ^ "Stellar Cast Set for New Web Series TEENAGERS". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
- ^ "Indie Series Awards: 7th Annual Indie Series Awards Winners". Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ "Serial Scoop: WINNERS: 7th Annual Indie Series Awards". www.serialscoop.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ "Season 10 Degrassi Star: Raymond Ablack!". Vervegirl. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview with Teenagers' Raymond Ablack". TalkNerdyWithUs. 2015-11-25. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ^ "O Brother!". Indiegogo. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ^ "Hanging with Degrassi's Raymond Ablack". Seventeen. 2010-07-19. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
- ^ "www.metowe.com" (PDF).
- ^ "Degrassi star speaks out about youth volunteer work - News - The Moose Jaw Times Herald". www.mjtimes.sk.ca. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
External links
