Born and raised in the Nation’s Capitol, a spirited, often outspoken young man revealed himself to be a largess performer and a talented speaker from early on. His first television appearance was as a journalist—of sorts. At age 10, Demetrius Antoine Gross was selected, to interview (the ,then newly inaugurated) President Bill Clinton on a nationally televised, two-hour special President Clinton Answering Children’s Questions. Showcased to the nation as one of “America’s 50 young minds to watch,” Demetrius caught the attention of someone very close to home, Lukie Tannenbaum. Lukie was not only a teacher at Georgetown Day School; she was also the assistant director of the District’s premier youth theater troupe, Summer Musical Theater Workshop (or more affectionately known as ‘SMTW’). She encouraged Demetrius to audition for the program. As a young man who had explored almost every form of artistic expression, from painting to music, Demetrius had found his home in the expressive voice known as acting.
As a child-actor, he honed his craft on the stage starring in more than five (5) plays with SMTW. Through training and performance, acting, singing, and dance were all elements of performance that were developed early on as Demetrius began to build his repertoire.
After what he refers to as a “basketball--jones hiatus,” that lasted for about two and a half years, the acting bug caught-up with him again and bit him square on the bat his sophomore year at Gonzaga College High School; He made his star turn as the young ‘Joe Hardy’ in the school’s ’97 production of Damn Yankees. Demetrius was introduced to the ‘straight play’ when he performed the role of Henry Drummond in the courtroom drama, Inherit The Wind It was then that he truly began to raise some eyebrows as even those close to him noticed a poised focus on his work and an undeniable ability.
At the close of his high school career, Demetrius had achieved Eagle Scout, the highest rank in his Boy Scout troop 544. He had also performed and starred in five stage plays. When not in class, doing community based activities, or on stage, the diligent young man explored film; acting, producing, and editing broadcast pieces for the school’s closed circuit television station, ‘WZAG.’ After becoming the first Black leading man in the school’s 175 year history and experiencing a flourishing passion for the dramatic arts, Demetrius, now 17, had decided he wanted to pursue acting as a career.
So when the time rolled around for choosing a university, Demetrius headed to New York City to audition for the nation’s top University for drama and musical theater, Carnegie Mellon. Demetrius was accepted and awarded the coveted Andrew Carnegie Undergraduate Grant for artistic merit. Now a sophomore student at the conservatory in Pittsburgh, Demetrius currently pursues both personal and professional endeavors that he feels will “culture and develop his consciousness and career.”
In 2002, Demetrius completed a visiting student program in which he finished two semesters of intensive study at the Howard University College of Fine Arts in his home of Washington D.C. While gaining Deans list honors, Demetrius was simultaneously busy building an impressive resume. He honed his film acting technique, starring in four (4) independent films. And during the 2001-2002 academic year, while in school, he was employed at the Shakespeare Theatre and Arena Stage working alongside such well-known artists as Earle Hyman, Avery Brooks, Al Freeman Jr., and Haile Gerima. During July, Demetrius took his craft to the international arena, studying and performing both classical and contemporary drama with the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England. To say the least, he had a very prolific 2002.
Demetrius is also an accomplished musician and writer. Since the age of thirteen he has played the trombone with several bands and over the past three years he has began to focus more on his literary work. At present, he is working on the completion of three new screenplays among a host of poems and artworks that he hopes to soon publish in an anthology. When asked why his passion is acting, he smiles confidently and says, “ There is an immeasurable influence that we [as actors] have in telling the stories of the human experience. When we are honest in our work, we have the power to stimulate minds, be the impetus of change in society, and simply bring joy to people by exploring the images and dialogues that speak to each and every human spirit.
I have always been inspired by multitasking," he says with a shadow of a smirk. When asked why his passion is acting he says, “There is an immeasurable influence that we [as performers of all medias] have in telling the stories of the human experience. If we are honest in our work, we have the power to stimulate minds, we can be the impetus of change in society, or simply bring joy to people by exploring the images and dialogues that speak to each and every human spirit; Artist have been, all throughout history, the catalyst for change all over the world | Demetrius says “I am willing to go-up for any roll that does not reaffirm negative
stereotypes about black men. If there is a villain, I will play it to my fullest capability however there has to be a high level of creativity in the writing and high potential for depth in the story and its meaning. I do not plan to gain stardom at the expense of compromising my intelligence, morals, and aspirations for what I believe in. I refuse to coon for anyone, or for any amount of money.”
Calling the international mecca that is the Nation’s Capitol his hometown, Demetrius has held his aspirations and ambitions to be a “globally-minded artist” close to every choice he’s made thus far in all of his creative endeavors. He has already enjoyed the privilege of studying and performing in France, England, and South Africa. This talented young actor is truly investing his energies into a message that is both culturally diverse and socially aware. During his college career, one may have seen Mr. Grosse’s work anywhere from the studios at Carnegie Mellon University to the lodges of Oxford, England to the stages of the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. His endeavors are both ‘yin and yang;’ He has collaborated on HIV/AIDS awareness arts projects, street theatre initiatives, mentoring programs, and children’s theatre workshops. Why acting? Demetrius says: “They say that ‘acting is the art of life analyzing itself…My inspiration is helping create the work that provokes change and puts the art back into our everyday lives.
In the summer of 2007, Demetrius joined Shakespeare Santa Monica. He had performed on the stages of Oxford, England with the BADA group, in Washington DC with The Shakespeare Theatre, and in Cape Town, South Africa with UCT. He was indeed tremendously excited for the "adventure" of his roles as Buckingham and Sebastian.
In 2007 also meant Demetrius’ first lead role in a feature film. Excited to reunite with creator Corey Grant, Demetrius had been featured on both network and cable programming-but had yet to help carry a feature. An Alum of Howard and Carnegie Mellon Universities,. Demetrius dedicated this performance to the life and legacy of Christopher Wallace and Tupac Amaru Shakur. The film, after doing well in several film festivals was signed for US and Canadian distribution through Warner Brothers Home Video.
Since his graduation from CMU Drama 2005, DEMETRIUS GROSSE has been seen on numerous network episodics: from CSI MIAMI to THE UNIT. He has garnered pilots for both HBO and the FX networks, and has been featured on several national commercials. Next Thursday, Demetrius will be featured in NBC's Season Finale of ER, "The Chicago Way." He will play opposite actors Steve Bushemi Mekhi Phiefer, and Stanley Tucci. Also DEMETRIUS GROSSE can be seen in FOX’s BONES. The episode is entitled THE FINGER IN THE NEST and is set for its original air date on September 9th, 2008. Mr. Grosse (the added “e” as an ode to his father Geary E. Bethel) also cameos in the "How was your day?"Verizon commercial that is airing, nationally in all US major markets. After garnering roles in 3 other national commercials for Adelphia, XBOX, and McDonalds, respectively, Verizon is his fourth since moving to LA. As a writer-director, Demetrius' first short film DO NOT DISTURB is currently being webcast on YouTube and Myspace Video.
An accomplished improv artist, Mr. Grosse is also featured in the THERE WILL BE BLOOD-A SPOOF which is currently being webcast on WILL FERRELL's website, FUNNY OR DIE and YOUTUBE with a combined total hit-count of over 2,500 views.
Currently, Demetrius is recurring as a 'SAMEDI' on NBC's HEROES and as 'OFFICER NEWKIRK' on ER. He mentors high school students with the BE.DO.HAVE. Foundation and mentors elementary schoolers with the Young Storytellers Foundation.
Demetrius is currently in pre-production for his untitled sketch comedy short film which he wrote, is directing, and plans to shoot in March '09. |
