Biography

Rhoads Osbourne (born David Waymon Rhodes on December 18, 1963) is an American character actor. He first gained attention for his portrayal of Stephen in the 2010 short film No Way Home, a film whose Director, Brian Garcia, and Producer, Kristen Hansen, both won Southwest Regional Student Emmy Awards for that year.

Early Life

Rhoads Osbourne was born in Austin, Texas.

In junior high and high school, Rhoads Osbourne became interested in Speech and Drama. He participated in the creation of numerous school theatrical productions: influenced by the heyday of Saturday Night Live, he was inspired to write sketches and push the boundaries of school theater.

Osbourne started playing guitar around the age of 14 and shifted his focus to music. The attraction of the music world and the rock star lifestyle would hold his attention for many years. His pursuit of the performance and composition of music would eventually bear fruit in a small number of tracks now found on bandcamp.com.

Career

In 1998 Rhoads Osbourne attended the Native American Ghost Dance ceremony in Montana, where he met Mark Haggard, the production executive from the movie Alien. On Haggard’s recommendation, Osbourne eventually began working in independent film. He has appeared in over sixty short films to date, averaging about twenty films yearly.

Osbourne found that his height, intensity, and booming voice make him a popular casting choice for directors of independent film. He also discovered an asset in his willingness to perform miscellaneous needed tasks on non-union sets. He says that his experience in construction work allows him to assist in such activities as set-building.

Osbourne has said that he enjoys helping directors develop quirky characters and present engaging screen performances. He gravitates to roles with intense emotion: speaking of his part in Three Questions, he remarked, a lot of people who have seen my actor reel [thought] that the character. . .was a junkie, but it wasn’t. It was a guy who was scared about going to sleep and being abducted by aliens. . .I was able to take people on a ride through the mind of someone who is not in a very good place. His portrayal of a detective trapped in a nightmare in the film Last Chance also drew attention. Osbourne says he used a technique of self-hypnosis to look down deep enough to find a place. . .on par where this person was. He says he enjoys using such methods to convey emotion vividly to the audience.

Perhaps the most noteworthy of Osbourne’s performances was his turn as Stephen in the Regional Student Emmy-winning No Way Home. He notes a strong on-screen chemistry with actress Kali Kirk, cast in the role of Stephen’s daughter Lissette. Osbourne says his favorite role to date was Corky Woodcock in the film Slate. The character was developed on the fly and on short notice. In an interview, Osbourne described the role as just a jackass that just made overtly sexist comments. Just absolutely no filter, thoughtless, but. . .You liked the guy because. . .you were watching [his] karma play out from a safe distance.

Personal Life

Rhoads Osbourne’s interest in the rock star lifestyle of musicians brought him years battling drug addiction and alcoholism, and led him to pursue many short-lived, unhappy relationships with women. In his own view wiser but battle-scarred, Osbourne sobered up and ceased womanizing in the late ‘90s. He draws on some of those experiences in his acting, having firsthand knowledge of the misery common to the life stories of so many addicts.

When not working in film, Osbourne uses his skills in construction to find employment as a trim carpenter and rough framing carpenter. He often takes opportunities to perform volunteer work with the homeless, with people in recovery from substance abuse, and with residents of care facilities for adults with developmental disabilities and mental illness.

Rhoads Osbourne is not married, but maintains a degree of personal privacy.