Columbus Short

Short was born in Kansas City, Missouri to a family he has described as "musical". His mother, Janette, has a talent management company. He has two brothers, John Rancipher and Chris Staples. Short relocated to Los Angeles when he was five years old and immediately began working in a youth theater. He attended Marcos De Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona, as well as El Segundo High School and the Orange County School of the Arts, before leaving to join the off-Broadway tour of Stomp.

Short's acting debut came as a dancer in film You Got Served in 2004 and he later appeared in comedy film Accepted in 2006, starring Justin Long. He then took lead roles in the direct-to-DVD movie Save the Last Dance 2 (2006) alongside Izabella Miko and Stomp the Yard (2007). He has also appeared twice in the Disney Channel Original Series That's So Raven as Trey, a member of the fictional boy band "Boyz n' Motion." Other TV appearances include ER and Judging Amy.

In 2006, he appeared in NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip as novice show-writer Darius Hawthorne. He was among the presenters at the 2007 NAACP Image Awards. In 2007, Columbus appeared in the movie This Christmas also starring Chris Brown and Lauren London. In 2008, Short appeared in the movie Quarantine, co-starring Jay Hernandez and Jennifer Carpenter, and played the part of musician Little Walter in Cadillac Records (2008), with Jeffrey Wright, Beyoncé Knowles, and Oscar-winner Adrien Brody. In 2010, he played "Pooch" in the film The Losers, based on the graphic novel, co-starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, and Zoe Saldaña, and directed by Sylvain White (who had already directed Short in Stomp the Yard).

Short was married to Brandi Short, but they split in 2003. They have a son. He married dancer Tanee McCall in 2005. She filed for divorce twice, once in September 2013 and again in April 2014. They have a daughter. He had a relationship with former video vixen Karrine Steffans before they split in 2016. Since 2016, Short has been married to Aida Abramyan. The couple have two sons together.

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.

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. 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.

In an interview with Access 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 from Scandal.

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

In 2018, Short served 34 days of a one-year sentence for violating probation when he assaulted his wife Aida Abramyan. 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.

Film

Television

• 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)