{{Short description|American actor}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Lonnie Chavis | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing brackets --> | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_name = Lonnie Chavis, Jr. | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2007|11|23}} | birth_place = Downey, California, U.S. | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) --> | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = Actor | years_active = 2015–present | known_for = | notable_works = }} '''Lonnie Chavis Jr.''' (born November 23, 2007) is an American teenage actor and activist. He is known for playing young Randall Pearson on NBC's drama, ''This Is Us''. Chavis has been nominated for several awards and shared the win for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with his ''This Is Us'' cast mates. In 2017, he starred in Showtime's short lived sitcom ''White Famous''. In 2020, Chavis starred in his first feature film, ''The Water Man''.
==Early life== Chavis was born on November 23, 2007, in Downey, California.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/people/lonnie-chavis/ |title=Lonnie Chavis – Actor |website=TV Insider |date=November 6, 2020 |publisher=TVGM Holdings, LLC |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Chavis is the son of Najah and Lonnie Chavis. He has three younger brothers.<ref name=LAParent20181031>{{cite web |url=https://www.laparent.com/this-is-us-lonnie-chavis-fix-your-heart/ |title='THIS IS US' STAR LONNIE CHAVIS EXPANDS HIS #FIXYOURHEART MESSAGE |date=October 31, 2018 |last=Lane |first=Cassandra |website=L.A. Parent |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> In 2016, an 8-year-old Chavis made headlines when he was nearly abducted from outside his home in Long Beach, California while taking out the trash. He fought off his would-be captors and alerted his neighbor who escorted Chavis back home to his mom, who had contacted the police.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abc7.com/long-beach-boy-kidnap-lonnie-chavis-diana-hershey/1288769/ |title=8-year-old boy escapes masked kidnappers in Long Beach |date=April 13, 2016 |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.presstelegram.com/2016/04/13/attempted-kidnapping-of-boy-8-in-los-cerritos-area-shocks-family-neighbors/|title=Attempted kidnapping of boy, 8, in Los Cerritos area shocks family, neighbors|date=April 13, 2016|first=Greg |last=Yee |work=Press-Telegram |publisher=Digital First Media|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> As of 2017, Chavis was homeschooled.<ref name=PoshKids2017>{{cite web |url=https://poshkidsmag.com/tvs-golden-child-lonnie-chavis/ |title=TV's Golden Child, Lonnie Chavis |date=May 1, 2017 |last=Rodriguez |first=Leslie |website=Posh Kids |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref>
==Career== In 2016, Chavis joined the cast ''This Is Us'' as a young version of Sterling K. Brown's Randall Pearson.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/12/09/this-is-us-double-family-photo/ |title=This Is Us stars share family photo from set |last=DeSantis |first=Rachel |date=December 9, 2016 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |publisher=Meredith Corporation |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> In early 2017, Chavis appeared as a guest star in an episode of his favorite show, the Nickelodeon sitcom, ''The Thundermans''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://people.com/tv/this-is-us-star-lonnie-chavis-nabs-guest-starring-nickelodeon-thundermans-first-look/ |title=FIRST LOOK: Little Randall Is Branching Out! See This Is Us' Adorable Lonnie Chavis' New Gig |date=February 15, 2017 |last=Richter |first=Katherine |work=People |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Later that year, Chavis appeared in an episode of The CW's ''Supergirl''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tvline.com/2017/04/17/supergirl-season-2-james-episode-lonnie-chavis/ |title=Supergirl: Pivotal James Olsen Episode Casts This Is Us' Young Randall |date=April 17, 2017 |last=Webb Mitovich |first=Matt |website=TVLine |publisher=TVLine Media, LLC. (Penske Media Corporation) |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> In June 2017, Chavis was promoted to series regular in season 2 of ''This Is Us''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/this-is-us-six-young-actors-promoted-series-regulars-season-2-nbc-drama-1202122903/ |title='This Is Us': 7 Young Actors Upped To Series Regulars For Season 2 Of NBC Drama |date=June 30, 2017 |last=Petski |first=Denise |website=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Chavis would go on to star opposite Jay Pharoah in the comedy ''White Famous'', executive produced by Jamie Foxx.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-jay-pharoah-white-famous-20171014-story.html |title=Jay Pharoah jumps from 'Saturday Night Live' to the fame game of 'White Famous' |date=October 13, 2017 |work=Los Angeles Times|last=Braxton |first=Greg |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Chavis revealed that the series was his first experience with improvisation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://starrymag.com/lonnie-chavis-white-famous/ |title=Lonnie Chavis – White Famous |last=Steinberg |first=Jamie |date=November 19, 2017 |work=Starry Constellation Magazine |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> Chavis made his feature film debut in Disney's ''Magic Camp''which starred Adam DeVine.<ref name=PoshKids2017/> The 2018 theatrical release was cancelled and later streamed on Disney+.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/02/disney-streaming-service-launch-slate-star-wars-marvel-1202281846/|title=Disney Unveils Inaugural Streaming Service Launch Slate To Town; No R-Rated Fare|website=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Media Corporation|last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr.|date=February 8, 2018|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Taylor|first=Drew|date=July 16, 2020|title=Here's Everything New on Disney Plus in August 2020|url=https://collider.com/new-to-disney-plus-streaming-july-2020/|access-date=May 31, 2021|website=Collider|language=en-US}}</ref> He also appeared in ''Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History'' which premiered on Netflix in 2019.<ref name=PoshKids2017/> Chavis also appeared in the short film ''Skin'' from Guy Nattiv.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/02/skin-fox-searchlight-oscar-nominated-short-film-acquired-1202552542/ |title=Oscar-Nominated Short Film 'Skin' Acquired By Fox Searchlight |date=February 8, 2019 |last=Evans |first=Greg |website=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> The film won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards.<ref name="Oscars2019">{{cite news |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2019 |title=The 91st Academy Awards (2019) Nominees and Winners |access-date=May 31, 2021 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225030534/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2018, Chavis was cast opposite Jason Wiles in ''Sunny Daze'', which Wiles wrote and directed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/is-us-actor-lonnie-chavis-star-indie-sunny-daze-1104068/ |title='This Is Us' Actor Lonnie Chavis to Star in Indie 'Sunny Daze' |date=April 19, 2018 |last=Galuppo |first=Mia |work=The Hollywood Reporter |publisher= MRC |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> In 2019, Chavis was cast opposite Academy Award nominee David Oyelowo in Oyelowo's feature film directorial debut, ''The Water Man''. With Chavis as the lead, the film also starred Rosario Dawson with Oprah Winfrey attached to executive produce.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/david-oyelowo-make-directorial-debut-oprah-produced-water-man-1197438/ |title=David Oyelowo Sets Feature Directorial Debut With 'The Water Man' |date=March 27, 2019 |last=Vlessing |first=Etan |work=The Hollywood Reporter |publisher=MRC |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> The film marked Chavis's feature film debut<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/the-water-man-star-lonnie-chavis-on-his-big-screen-debut-4056107/ |title='The Water Man' Star Lonnie Chavis on His Big Screen Debut |date=September 16, 2020 |last=Chuba |first=Kirsten |work=The Hollywood Reporter |publisher=MRC |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> and he credited Oyelowo with making him a better actor.<ref name=FY11242020>{{cite web|url=https://fuckingyoung.es/conversation-lonnie-chavis/|title=A Conversation With Lonnie Chavis|website=Fucking Young|date=November 24, 2020|first=Elias |last=Medini|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> In 2020, Chavis was cast to star in ''The Boy Behind the Door'', a thriller from the writing-directing team of David Charbonier and Justin Powell.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/02/this-is-us-lonnie-chavis-the-boy-behind-the-door-1202850477/ |title='This Is Us' Lonnie Chavis Toplines Indie Thriller 'The Boy Behind The Door' |date=February 4, 2020 |last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |website=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref>
==Activism== In June 2018, Chavis posted a video to Instagram in response to online bullying about the gap in his teeth. Chavis said, "Braces can fix [my teeth], but like, can you fix your heart, though?" While Chavis assured concerned fans that he could handle negative comments, not everyone could, he said, with some people even being driven to suicide.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/us-star-lonnie-chavis-pushes-back-online-trolls-56200074 |title='This Is Us' star Lonnie Chavis pushes back against online trolls who mock his smile |work=Good Morning America |publisher=ABC News |date=June 27, 2018 |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> While his parents typically filtered the comments, the couple showed Chavis one comment and he decided to post the video. The video garnered over 600,000 views with friends and celebrities reposting it using Chavis's own hashtag: #FixYourHeart. In October 2018, Chavis partnered with Ad Council on an anti-bullying campaign.<ref name=LAParent20181031/> In 2020, Chavis said "This movement is about having the accountability to correct your own actions and be better to others."<ref name=FY11242020/> In 2021, the organization launched a clothing line, for which Chavis models.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Water Man's Lonnie Chavis On Working with David Oyelowo, Talks This Is Us (Exclusive) |url=https://toofab.com/2021/05/04/lonnie-chavis-david-oyelowo-directorial-debut-the-water-man-this-is-us/ |date=May 4, 2021 |website=TooFab.com |publisher=EHM Productions, Inc. |access-date=October 10, 2021}}</ref>
In the wake of the Murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests, Chavis, aged 12, wrote a letter to his mother about his experiences with racism in U.S. as he struggled to verbally express his feelings. The letter was later published by ''People'' on June 17, 2020.<ref name=People06172020>{{cite web |url=https://people.com/human-interest/voices-against-racism-lonnie-chavis/ |title=This Is Us Star Lonnie Chavis, 12, Shares His Experiences with Racism: 'America Needs to Change' |date=June 17, 2020 |last=Chavis |first=Lonnie |work=People |publisher=Meredith Corporation |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref>
==Filmography== ===Film=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2018 || ''Skin'' || Bronny || Short film |- | 2019 || Sunny Daze || Sean || Lead role |- | rowspan="3" | 2020 || ''Magic Camp'' || Cameron || Supporting role |- | ''The Water Man'' || Gunner Boone || Lead role |- | ''The Boy Behind the Door'' || Bobby || Lead role |}
=== Television ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2015 || ''Bella and the Bulldogs'' || Young Troy || Episode: "Dudes & Chicks" |- | 2016-22 || ''This Is Us'' || Randall Pearson || Series regular |- | rowspan="2" | 2017 || ''Supergirl'' || Marcus || Episode: "City of Lost Children" |- | ''White Famous'' || Trevor Mooney || Series regular |- | rowspan="2" | 2018 || ''The 5th Quarter'' || Fetus Jones || Episode: "Fetus Jones" |- | ''The Thundermans'' || Gilly || Episode: "Revenge of the Smith" |- | 2019 || ''Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History'' || Robert Smalls' son || Netflix variety special |- | 2020 || ''God Friended Me'' || C.J. || Episode: "Miracles" |- | 2023 || ''Lawmen: Bass Reeves'' || Arthur Mayberry || Recurring role |}
==Awards and nominations== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year !! Ceremony !! Award !! Work !! Result !! {{abbr|Ref.|References}} |- | rowspan="2" | 2017 || 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards || Tearjerker || rowspan="2"| ''This Is Us'' || {{won}} || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/3008390/mtv-movie-tv-awards-2017-trending-best-musical-moment/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502213714/http://www.mtv.com/news/3008390/mtv-movie-tv-awards-2017-trending-best-musical-moment/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 2, 2017|title=The "Cash Me Outside" Meme Is An MTV Movie & TV Awards Nominee, How Bout Dat?|last=Lakshmin|first=Deepa|publisher=MTV|date=May 2, 2017|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> |- | 49th NAACP Image Awards || Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-series) || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2016/12/image-awards-nominees-beyonce-nate-parker-donald-glover-48th-naacp-image-awards-1201869526/ |title=NAACP Image Awards: Nate Parker & Donald Glover Lead Film & TV Noms; Beyonce Tops Field |last=Hipes |first=Patrick |website=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |date=December 13, 2016 |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> |- | rowspan="4" | 2018 || BET Awards 2018 || BET YoungStars Award || {{N/A}} || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web |title=BET Awards 2018 Winners & Nominees |url=https://www.bet.com/shows/bet-awards/2018/nominees.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206224144/https://www.bet.com/shows/bet-awards/2018/nominees.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 6, 2019 |website=BET.com |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> |- | Gold Derby TV Awards || Ensemble of the Year || rowspan="5" | ''This Is Us'' || {{nominated}} || <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldderby.com/article/2018/2018-gold-derby-tv-awards-winners-versace-handmaids-tale-game-of-thrones-news-957368402/|title=2018 Gold Derby TV Awards winners: 'Versace' and 'Handmaid's Tale' are top winners, but 'Game of Thrones' takes Best Drama|date=September 6, 2018 |website=Gold Derby |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> |- | 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards || Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series || {{win}} || <ref name="SAG">{{cite web|url=http://www.sagawards.org/media-pr/press-releases/24th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards%C2%AE-ceremony-will-be-january-21-2018-tnt|title=The 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® Ceremony Will Be January 21, 2018 TNT and TBS Will Live Simulcast the Sunday Event|publisher=Screen Actors Guild|date=March 7, 2017|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> |- | 50th NAACP Image Awards || rowspan="3" | Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-series) || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web|url=https://naacpimageawards.net|title=50th NAACP Image Awards|date=April 2, 2019|access-date=May 31, 2021}}</ref> |- | 2019 || 51st NAACP Image Awards || {{nom}} || <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitpasadena.com/events/naacp-image-awards/|title=NAACP Image Awards|website=Visit Pasadena|language=en-US|access-date=May 31, 2021|archive-date=February 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205060744/https://www.visitpasadena.com/events/naacp-image-awards/}}</ref> |- | 2020 || 52nd NAACP Image Awards || {{nom}} || <ref>{{Cite web|last=Jackson|first=Angelique|date=March 23, 2021|title=Barack Obama, 'The Last Dance,' 'John Lewis: Good Trouble' Earn NAACP Image Awards|url=https://variety.com/2021/awards/awards/2021-naacp-image-award-non-televised-winners-1234936136/|access-date=May 31, 2021|work=Variety|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|language=en-US}}</ref> |- | 2021 || BET Awards 2021 || BET YoungStars Award || {{N/A}} || {{nom}} || <ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/megan-thee-stallion-dababy-bet-awards-nominations-1234982856/ |title=Megan Thee Stallion, DaBaby Lead BET Awards Nominations: The Full List |date=May 27, 2021 |first=Michele |last=Amabile Angermiller |work=Variety |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=June 3, 2021}}</ref> |}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name | id= 6807858 | name= Lonnie Chavis }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chavis, Lonnie}} Category:2007 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century African-American male actors Category:21st-century American male actors Category:African-American male child actors Category:American male child actors Category:American male film actors Category:American male television actors Category:Male actors from Downey, California