Sasha Mitchell (born July 27, 1967) is an American actor best known for his television roles as James Beaumont on ''

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

'' and Cody Lambert on '' Step by Step'' as well as playing David Sloane in three installments of the original

Kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

franchise. Mitchell has a black belt in

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

Personal life

Mitchell was born on 27 July 1967 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the son of a garment manufacturer. Mitchell is Jewish, with Russian origins. In 1990, he married Jeannette Robbins. The two had four children together before divorcing in 1997. During Mitchell's marriage to Robbins, police were called to the couple's home to investigate reports of

domestic abuse Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...

. In 1996, Mitchell was convicted of misdemeanor

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

spousal abuse Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

and

child endangerment Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

stemming from an altercation with his wife. He was given three years’ probation and ordered to perform community service and attend counseling classes for spousal abusers. After violating his probation, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail. In 2002, Mitchell spoke of the incident on ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Para ...

'', claiming that he was protecting his children from his ex-wife, who was addicted to drugs at the time of the arrests. Mitchell ended up getting custody of their four children, with his ex-wife given limited visitation. In December 2010, Mitchell married his second wife Rachel, also known as Sharmaine Rayner. He filed for divorce in spring 2015.

Career

Prior to acting, Mitchell was often used as a model for Bruce Weber's fashion photography. From 1989 to 1991, Mitchell appeared on the hit CBS prime time

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

'', as James Beaumont, the illegitimate first-born son of

J. R. Ewing John Ross "J.R." Ewing Jr. is a fictional character in the American television series ''Dallas'' (1978–1991) and its spin-offs, including the revived ''Dallas'' series (2012–2014). The character was portrayed by Larry Hagman from the serie ...

and his long-ago girlfriend Vanessa Beaumont. He made guest appearances on other series, including ''

Rags to Riches Rags to riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, and in some cases from absolute obscurity to heights of fame, fortune and celebrity—sometimes instantly. This is a common archetype in literature and popula ...

''. He had the title role in the 1988 film ''

Spike of Bensonhurst ''Spike of Bensonhurst'' is a 1988 American comedy drama and mafia film written and directed by Paul Morrissey and starring Sasha Mitchell. The film also features Ernest Borgnine, Maria Pitillo, and Talisa Soto. Plot The protagonist, Spike Fumo ...

'' and in 1994's '' Class of 1999 II: The Substitute''. He starred in '' Kickboxer 2: The Road Back'' and the third and fourth installments of the film series. He also appeared in a '' 3 Musketeers'' commercial in 1989. His best-known role came on the ABC sitcom '' Step by Step'', where he played Cody Lambert, the nephew of actor Patrick Duffy's character Frank Lambert. Duffy had also played the uncle of Mitchell's character on ''Dallas''. Mitchell's character Cody was based on his personal life experiences. In the early 2000s, Mitchell acted in several films and made guest appearances on '' JAG'', ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...

'', and '' ER''.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Sasha 1967 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Male actors from California American male film actors American people of Russian-Jewish descent American male television actors Jewish American male actors People convicted of domestic violence People from Greater Los Angeles American male taekwondo practitioners 21st-century American Jews