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Ted Ross

Ted Ross

Actor · Died September 3, 2002, aged 68 · Zanesville, Ohio, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ted Ross (June 30, 1934 – September 3, 2002) was an American actor who was probably best known for his role as the Lion in The Wiz, an all-African American reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz. He won a Tony Award for the original 1975 Broadway production, and went on to recreate the role in the 1978 film version which also starred Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Ross went on to appear in the films Arthur and Police Academy, and on the television sitcoms The Jeffersons, Benson, The Cosby Show, and its spin-off A Different World. His final role was in the 1991 film The Fisher King. Ross was born Theodore Ross Roberts in Zanesville, Ohio, but he moved with his family to Dayton at age seven. He died from complications of a stroke he suffered in 1998. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ted Ross, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 30, 1934
Died
September 3, 2002 (aged 68)
From
Zanesville, Ohio, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 27% in 30 days

What are Ted Ross' films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
40%
Bonds
39%
Society
13%
Power
5%
Morality
4%
Self-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 4 · Serious 0 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 1 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.

Ally
2 of 3
Threshold guardian
1 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
3
Tense
2
Melancholic
3
Dread
1
Contemplative
1
Other
4

How their films linger

Feel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ted Ross' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ted Ross' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

23 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Fisher King(1991)

    as Limo Bum

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Stealing Home(1988)

    as Bud Scott

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Arthur 2: On the Rocks(1988)

    as Bitterman

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • A Different World(1987)

    Show 2 episodes · as Dean Harris

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows

  • The Equalizer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Pike

  • 227(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • The Cosby Show(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Dean Harris

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Police Academy(1984)

    as Captain Reed

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Amityville II: The Possession(1982)

    as Mr. Booth

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Fighting Back(1982)

    as Commissioner

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Parole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Barney

  • Ragtime(1981)

    as Black Lawyer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Purlie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Ensemble

  • Arthur(1981)

    as Bitterman

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • F.D.R.: The Last Year(1980)

    as Prettyman

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Death Penalty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Woody

  • The Wiz(1978)

    as Lion

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Wiz on Down the Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Lion

  • The Fourth King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Uno (voice)

  • Minstrel Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Charlie Bates

  • Sirota's Court (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 13 episodes · as Sawyer Dabney

  • The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings(1976)

    as Sallie

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Jeffersons(1975)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 88th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 23 titles from 1975 to 1991; peak year 1983.

Biggest box office

Arthur (1981)

$95M worldwide

Highest rated

Arthur (1981)

Midcredits 76th

Most popular right now

Amityville II: The Possession (1982)

Film career

19751991

Peak 1983 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1978Screen debut· The Wiz

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting23 of 23: 23 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score62nd

By decade

1970s7 · acting1980s15 · acting1990s1 · acting

Billing

usually 10th · top billed in 0% of 7 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Ted Ross' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 11; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

F.D.R.: The Last Year (1980)

84th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Fisher King (1991)

Midcredits 93rd · 81% liked

Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 69, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Ted Ross' work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 27 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 17 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 31 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 38 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 59 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Ted Ross work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ted Ross' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Steve Gordon shares the most, 2.

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers