Raymond Ablack
Raymond Ablack | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 12, 1989 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | Early 2000s–present |
| Known for | Sav Bhandari in Degrassi: The Next Generation, Gabriel in Teenagers, roles in Orphan Black, Shadowhunters, Narcos, Maid, Ginny & Georgia |
Raymond Ablack (born November 12, 1989) is a Canadian performer and comedian. His career commenced in the early 2000s as a child stage actor, notably portraying Young Simba in The Lion King at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre. He rose to prominence through his role as Sav Bhandari on the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, appearing from 2007 until 2011.
Between 2014 and 2017, Ablack led the cast of the web series Teenagers, earning an Indie Series Award in 2016 for his work. He also held recurring parts in television shows such as Orphan Black (2013–2016), Shadowhunters (2016–2018), and Narcos (2017).
In the early 2020s, Ablack’s profile expanded with prominent roles in Netflix productions including Maid (2021), Workin' Moms (2023), and the ongoing series Ginny & Georgia (2021–present).
Early life
Born in Toronto, Ontario on November 12, 1989, Ablack is of Indo-Guyanese descent. His younger sister Rebecca also pursued acting, appearing alongside him in Ginny & Georgia. During his youth, he was actively involved in competitive hockey.
Career
Ablack began as a child actor featuring in various commercials and advertisements. In 2001, he secured the part of Young Simba in the Toronto stage production of The Lion King at the Princess of Wales Theatre, a role he performed for a full year.
His breakthrough came in 2007 when he was cast as Sav Bhandari on the Canadian television series Degrassi: The Next Generation, appearing in over one hundred episodes until 2011. During this time, he also made guest appearances on shows like Life With Derek.
Following his departure from Degrassi, Ablack took on recurring roles in several television dramas including the BBC/Space sci-fi series Orphan Black, Syfy’s Defiance, and Freeform’s fantasy drama Shadowhunters.
Ablack’s first feature film appearance was in 2013 with the independent movie Fondi '91, filmed in Italy and met with mixed reviews from critics.
From 2014 through 2017, he played Gabriel in the web series Teenagers, winning an Indie Series Award for Best Supporting Actor – Drama in 2016 and receiving additional nominations and accolades for later seasons.
In 2017, he portrayed DEA Agent Stoddard during season three of Netflix’s acclaimed series Narcos. Two years later, he took on the role of Sunil Doshi in the television series Burden of Truth and appeared alongside well-known actors in the comedy-drama film Buffaloed, which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Ablack attracted considerable attention with his supporting role in Netflix’s 2021 miniseries Maid, where his performance generated notable social media interest, elevating his standing within Netflix’s talent roster. That same year, he was cast in Netflix’s romantic comedy feature film Love in the Villa.
Since 2021, Ablack has portrayed Joe—a restaurant owner and significant romantic figure—on Netflix’s comedy-drama series Ginny & Georgia. In 2023, he took on a recurring romantic role during the final season of the comedy series Workin' Moms.
Beyond acting, Ablack occasionally engages in writing and performing stand-up comedy within Toronto.
Philanthropic Activities
Ablack has been actively involved in significant philanthropic initiatives, mainly through his work on Degrassi. His efforts include participating in school construction projects alongside Me to We and Free the Children. In 2007, he joined five other cast members on a mission to build a school in Kenya, followed by additional charitable endeavors in Ecuador in 2008. This journey was documented and broadcast on MTV Canada. Later, in 2010, he collaborated with castmates in India to contribute to the construction of more educational facilities.
Film
| Year | Title | Character | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Fondi '91 | Anil | |
| Home Away | Pete | Short film | |
| 2014 | Latter | Noah | Short film |
| Sly Cad | Concierge | Short film | |
| 2015 | Beeba Boys | Member of Grewal's Gangster group | |
| Pieces | Brother | Short film | |
| 2017 | Ashes | Jay | |
| 2018 | Acquainted | Alex | |
| Shook | Ashish | Short film | |
| 2019 | Buffaloed | Prakash | |
| Dinner For Three | Kevin | Short film | |
| La Professoressa | Leo | Short film | |
| 2020 | The Broken Hearts Gallery | Clayton | |
| Inside the Actors Cult | Teacher | Short film | |
| Survival Smarts | Ray | Short film | |
| The Beacons of Gondor | Ranger 1 | Short film | |
| 2022 | Love in the Villa | Brandon | |
| Stay the Night | Roshan |
Television
| Year | Title | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–2011 | Degrassi: The Next Generation | Savtaj "Sav" Bhandari | Appeared in 118 episodes |
| 2009 | Taking a Chance on Love | Shopkeeper | Television movie |
| Life with Derek | Kevin | 'Truman's Last Chance' episode | |
| 'Degrassi Goes Hollywood' | 'Savtaj "Sav" Bhandari' | 'Television movie' | |
| '2010' | 'Degrassi Takes Manhattan' | 'Television movie' | |
| '2011' | 'How to Be Indie' | 'Raj' | 'Episode: "How to Fake Your Way Through a Freaky Formal"' |
| '2013–2016' | 'Orphan Black' | 'Raj Singh' | 'Featured in 4 episodes' |
| '2014–2017' | 'Teenagers' | 'Gabriel' | 'Web series; total of 20 episodes' |
| '2015' | 'Defiance' | 'Samir Pandey' | 'Appeared in 6 episodes' |
| 2016' | 'Degrassi: Next Class' | 'Savtaj "Sav" Bhandari' | '2 episodes' |
| 'Annedroids' | 'Dave' | 'Episode: "Bionic Grandma"' | |
| '2016–2018' | 'Shadowhunters' | 'Raj' | 'Recurring role during seasons 1 and 2 (6 episodes); guest appearance in season 3 (1 episode)' |
| 2017' | 'Ransom' | 'Piers Allard' | 'Episode: "Joe"' |
| The Kennedys: After Camelot' | 'Sirhan Sirhan' | 'Episode: "Family Bonds"; credited as Ray Ablack' | |
| 'Narcos' | 'Stoddard' | 'Featured in 5 episodes' | |
| 2018' | 'Good Witch' | 'Bryce' | 'Episode: "Family Time"' |
| 'Private Eyes' | 'Jordan' | 'Episode: "Finding Leroy"' | |
| '2019' | 'Burden of Truth' | 'Sunil Doshi' | 'Appeared in 4 episodes' |
| '2020' | 'Nurses' | 'Kabir Pavan' | '7 episodes' |
| 2021' | The Wedding Ring' | 'Anthony Prentice' | 'Television movie' |
| "Maid" | "Nate" | "Recurring role; appeared in 5 episodes" | |
| "Boyfriends of Christmas Past" | "Nate Sagar" | "Television movie" | |
| "2021–present" | "Ginny & Georgia" | "Joe" | "Main cast; featured in 30 episodes" |
| "2023" | "Workin' Moms" | "Ram" | "11 episodes" |
Audio Drama
| Year | Title | Character | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Mistletoe Murders | Sam |
Filmmaking Contributions
| Year | Title | Screenwriter | Producer | Director | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | Cookie Biscuits Comedy | No | Yes | Yes | 4 episodes total |
| 2020 | Inside the Actors Cult | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Survival Smarts | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| The Beacons of Gondor | No | Yes | No |
Honors and Recognitions
| Year | Organization | Award Category | Work Nominated | Outcome | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Indie Series Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Drama | Teenagers | Template:Won | ||
| 2017 | International Academy of Web Television | Best Male Performance – Drama | Teenagers | Template:Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Indie Series Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Drama | Teenagers | Template:Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Alternative Film Festival | Best Ensemble Cast | Ashes | Template:Nominated | Award shared with cast members | |
| 2020 | Canada Shorts Film Festival | Best Comedy Production | 'Inside the Actors Cult' | Template:Won | Award shared with ensemble cast | |
| Best Writing | 'Inside the Actors Cult' | Template:Won | Co-awarded with Dalmar Abuzeid | |||
| Seoul Webfest | Best Comedy Series | 'Inside the Actors Cult' | Template:Nominated | |||
| Best Action Production | 'The Beacons of Gondor' | Template:Won | Shared honor with cast members | |||
| Best Short Film | 'The Beacons of Gondor' | Template:Nominated | ||||
| Indie Short Fest | Outstanding Producer Achievement Award | 'The Beacons of Gondor' | Template:Won | Shared with Scott Paterson, Dalmar Abuzeid, Shane Kippel, & Samantha Ghost. |