Actor / Director Profile

Rus Blackwell was born in Rockford, IL. and started working in the theatre at age 16. He received his formal training at Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York and had the privilege to train with some of the country's finest acting coaches, (Michael Kahn, Nikos Psacharopolous, Terry Hayden, and Ed Berkley, to name a few). After Circle he started working in daytime and episodic TV as well as in the theatre. He then moved to Los Angeles to further pursue his career. He started to get roles in episodic television and film, shows such as With Hostile Intent (1995) (TV), "From the Earth to the Moon" (1998) (mini), and the Disney show "Emerald Cove" (1993). He has appeared in several films including Instinct (1999), _The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)_ , Chapter Zero (1999), The Code Conspiracy (2001) and in post production now, Dunsmore (2003), in which he plays Sheriff Cal Miller. The film was shot entirely in Florida, directed by the University Of Miami graduate Peter Spirer. In addition to his film and television work, Rus has a solid theatre resume having played everything from Shakespeare to Mamet. He was a founding member of Mad Cow and SoulFire Theatre Companies and served as artistic director for both.