Columbus Short
Short in 2024
Born	Columbus Keith Short, Jr. (1982-09-19)September 19, 1982 (age 43) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Occupations	Actor choreographer
Years active	2004–present
Spouse(s)	Brandi Short ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2003)​ Tanee McCall ​ ​ (m. 2005; div. 2013)​ Aida Abramyan ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	4

Columbus Keith Short Jr. (born September 19, 1982)^[1] is an American actor and choreographer. He choreographedBritney Spears'sOnyx Hotel Tour and worked withBrian Friedman. He is best known for his roles in the filmsStomp the Yard,Cadillac Records,Armored, andThe Losers. He previously starred on the television seriesScandal as Harrison Wright for the first three seasons.^[2][3]

Short was born inKansas City, Missouri to a family he has described as "musical". His mother, Janette, has a talent management company.^[4] He has two brothers, John Rancipher and Chris Staples.^[5] Short relocated toLos Angeles when he was five years old and immediately began working in a youth theater. He attendedMarcos De Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona, as well asEl Segundo High School and theOrange County School of the Arts, before leaving to join theoff-Broadway tour ofStomp.^[6][7]

Short's acting debut came as a dancer in filmYou Got Served in 2004 and he later appeared in comedy filmAccepted in 2006, starringJustin Long. He then took lead roles in the direct-to-DVD movieSave the Last Dance 2 (2006) alongsideIzabella Miko andStomp the Yard (2007). He has also appeared twice in theDisney Channel Original SeriesThat's So Raven as Trey, a member of the fictionalboy band "Boyz n' Motion." Other TV appearances includeER andJudging Amy.

In 2006, he appeared inNBC'sStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip as novice show-writer Darius Hawthorne. He was among the presenters at the 2007NAACP Image Awards. In 2007, Columbus appeared in the movieThis Christmas also starringChris Brown andLauren London. In 2008, Short appeared in the movieQuarantine, co-starringJay Hernandez andJennifer Carpenter, and played the part of musicianLittle Walter inCadillac Records (2008), withJeffrey Wright,Beyoncé Knowles, and Oscar-winnerAdrien Brody. In 2010, he played "Pooch" in the filmThe Losers, based on the graphic novel, co-starringJeffrey Dean Morgan,Chris Evans, andZoe Saldana, and directed bySylvain White (who had already directed Short inStomp the Yard).

Short was married to Brandi Short,^[8] but they split in 2003. They have a son.^[8] He married dancerTanee McCall in 2005. She filed for divorce twice, once in September 2013 and again in April 2014. They have a daughter.^[8] He had a relationship with former video vixenKarrine Steffans before they split in 2016.^[9][10][11] Since 2016, Short has been married to Aida Abramyan. The couple have two sons together.^[8]

In 2014, Short pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence and performed 30 hours of community service as part of a no-jail plea agreement after a violent altercation with his former wife, Tanee McCall.^[12]

Short also avoided jail by pleading no contest to a felony assault charge after throwing "a running punch" at his in-law during a family gathering at a bar.^[13] Short stated he was being taunted and acted in self-defense, and the victim admitted he took off his jersey and was prepared to fight Short before the punch caused a concussion and fractured eye socket.^[13]

In an interview withAccess Hollywood Live, Short said that substance abuse, both alcoholism and cocaine use due to the stress of family issues and personal loss, led to his departure fromScandal.^[14][15]

In 2016, Short's then-partner, Karrine Steffans, was granted a temporary restraining order against him.^[16][17]

In 2018, Short served 34 days of a one-year sentence for violating probation when he assaulted his wife Aida Abramyan.^[18][19] Abramyan and Short were both granted restraining orders in 2025 after she claimed that Short had drunkenly strangled her during a violent dispute, the same day he claimed she had kicked their 10-week-old dog.^[20][21]

• Black Reel Awards
  • 2008, Best Ensemble:Cadillac Records (Winner)
  • 2008, Best Breakthrough Performance:Cadillac Records (Nominated)
• Image Awards
  • 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture:Cadillac Records (Winner)
  • 2008, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture:Stomp the Yard (Nominated)
• MTV Movie Awards
  • 2007, Breakthrough Performance:Stomp the Yard (Nominated)
  • 2007, Best Kiss:Stomp the Yard w/ Meagan Good (Nominated)
• Teen Choice Awards
  • 2007, Best Dance:Stomp the Yard (Nominated)

Wikimedia Commons has media related toColumbus Short.

• Columbus Short atIMDb 

• 1982 births
• Living people
• 21st-century African-American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• African-American choreographers
• African-American male dancers
• American choreographers
• American male dancers
• American male film actors
• American male musical theatre actors
• American male television actors
• Male actors from Kansas City, Missouri
• Male actors from Los Angeles
• Orange County School of the Arts alumni

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