Cast of TV series 'Sister Sister,' 'Let's Stay Together,' 'Survivor's Remorse'

RonReaco Lee | Biography

He made his acting debut at 12

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Update : September 27, 2021

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RonReaco Lee is an American actor best known for his role in the television series 'Survivor's Remorse' (2014) and 'Sisters, Sisters' (1994).

Who is RonReaco Lee?

RonReaco Lee started his acting career in 1989, appearing in a string of films, including The Return of Swamp Thing and Glory. He then went on to appear in films, including How I Spent My Summer Vacation (1997), Guess Who (2005), Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe (2011), and 2 Minutes of Fame (2020). 

Nevertheless, Lee is mainly known for his television roles. He started appearing on television in 1992. Lee is known for his roles in the comedy-drama series Sister, Sister (1994-1999), Let's Stay Together (2011-2014), Survivor's Remorse (2014-2017), and First Wives Club (2019-to present).

Early Bio

RonReaco Lee was born on 27 August 1976 in Decatur, Illinois. Raised in Georgia, Lee took singing, dance, drum, and piano lessons in his childhood. His mother then took him to a modeling audition which eventually earned him an acting opportunity. 

In an interview with Talk Nerdy With Us in July 2019, he explained how his mother helped him get into acting. He said, "When I was younger living in Georgia, my mom found an article in the paper for a modeling agency and one thing led to another and that's how I got into acting classes. The teacher recommended that I get an agent and I got the first movie they submitted me for. As a kid, I always did it for fun; my parents never pushed me into it. I credit my acting career to my mother."

Movies

Lee made his acting debut at the age of 12 in the 1989 TV movie Unconquered, playing the role of Busboy. The same year, he appeared as Omar in the superhero comedy film The Return of Swamp Thing, a sequel of the 1982 film Swamp Thing, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. In 1989, he also appeared in the role of Mute Drummer Boy in the Academy Award-winning historical war drama film Glory, directed by Edward Zwick. 

Two years later, Lee appeared in Bryan Gordon's film Career Opportunities and Stephen Gyllenhaal's film Paris Trout, based on Pete Dexter's 1988 novel of the same name. He then starred as Perry in the 1997 romantic comedy film How I Spent My Summer Vacation, alongside Deanna Davis. In 2001, Lee appeared as Robert Aimes Jr. in the romantic TV movie Fire & Ice and Dre in the thriller crime-drama film Jacked. 

In 2003, he appeared in two TV movies Mr. Ambassador as Trey and Life on Parole as Charlie. The following year, he was cast in the role of Ben in Tricia Brock's musical drama film Killer Diller, adapted from Clyde Edgerton's 1991 novel of the same title. He then portrayed the role of Reggie in the 2005 romantic comedy film Guess Who, directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. 

In the late 2000s, he appeared in TV movies such as Haskett's Chance, Eight Days a Week, and Man of Your Dreams. During that time, he also appeared in the romantic comedy-drama film Americanizing Shelley in 2007, and the comedy-drama film Madea Goes to Jail in 2009. He then played in TV movies Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe in 2011 and Love the One You're with during 2014. He then scored the role of Attorney Bray in the 2017 comedy-drama film We Are Family. He went on to play in films such as Nappily Ever After (2018), Running Out of Time (2018), Coffee & Kareem (2020), and 2 Minutes of Fame (2020).

'Coffee & Kareem'

In the Netflix crime-comedy series Coffee & Kareem, Lee played the role of Orlando Johnson, alongside Ed Helms, Taraji P. Henson, and Terence Little Gardenhigh. Written by Shane Mack and directed by Michael Dowse, the series chronicles a 12-year-old Kareem (played by Gardenhigh) who hires a criminal to scare police officer James Coffee (played by Helms), a new boyfriend of his mother, Vanessa Manning (played by Henson). But Kareem accidentally exposes a secret network of criminal activity, which puts his family in danger. It forces him to team up with Coffee to save themselves from Detroit's most vicious drug kingpin.

'2 Minutes of Fame'

Leslie Small's 2 Minutes of Fame is an American comedy film released on 16 June 2020 in the United States. The film follows a stand-up comic, Deandre (played by Jay Pharoah), who moves to Los Angeles with dreams of pursuing a film career after one of his YouTube videos goes viral. Lee played the role of Eddie in the film.

Television Shows

RonReaco Lee started his television career in 1992, appearing in an episode titled 'Cool Winter Blues' of I'll Fly Away, playing Lugene. The following year, he made a guest appearance as David Collins in the CBS mystery drama series In the Heat of the Night, based on John Ball's 1965 novel and Norman Jewison's 1967 film of the same title. In 1996, Lee appeared as Pizzaman in an episode of Savannah. He then appeared in the Fox drama series 413 Hope St, co-created by Damon Wayans, Dean Lorey, and Janine Sherman Barrois.  

After playing minor roles in multiple television series, Lee got his big break in the comedy-drama series Sister, Sister, which starred twin sisters, Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry. He was cast in the role of Tyreke Scott in the fifth season of the series as a boyfriend of Tia Landry (played by Tia Mowry). He appeared in 36 episodes of the series from 1997 to 1999. 

In 2000, Lee guest-starred as Tate in an episode of the comedy-drama series Moesha. Between 2000 and 2001, he appeared in three episodes of Michael Crichton's romantic drama series ER as Davis. In 2002, he appeared in the comedy series Boston Public and Girlfriends. 

In 2004, he appeared in three episodes of The WB's comedy sitcom All About the Andersons as Marcus Thornhill. The following year, he played the role of Todd in five episodes of the romantic comedy series Committed, co-created by Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline. 

Between 2003 and 2005, he appeared as Taylor Orrs in six episodes of the thriller crime-drama series The Shield. In the late 2000s, Lee guest-starred in the comedy series Monk, Do Not Disturb, and Chocolate News. During that time, he also played a recurring role of David on Worst Week and starred in the comedy series In the Motherhood as series regular. 

In 2010, he appeared in 11 episodes of the action-comedy series The Good Guys, alongside Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks. From 2011 to 2014, Lee starred in the role of Jamal Woodson in the comedy-drama series Let's Stay Together, created by Jacque Edmonds. He then portrayed a recurring role of Quentin Harper in the 2015 thriller crime-drama series Complications. He appeared in a total of six episodes on the series.

'Boston Public'

Boston Public chronicles the lives of 10 faculty members at a high school in Boston. Lee guest-starred in one episode titled 'Chapter Thirty' of the series aired on 7 January 2002. He played the role of Wesley Poe, a drug addict who killed a young girl after getting high on PCP. Poe was on death row, and he had one wish - to talk to his principal from high school. 

In an interview with Chicago Tribune in October 2019, he shared that he was excited to get a guest-appearance role in Boston Public, but what he experienced was the worst moment of his life. 

According to Lee, the series crew was shooting on sound stages in Manhattan Beach in Southern California, and he did not know about the place. He thought an hour would be enough to reach the shooting spot. But, the tricky roads of Los Angeles in the morning and the post-9/11 tight security took him nearly an hour more to get through.

Lee said, "So I walk into probably 45 minutes to an hour late for what was a 7:30 a.m. call time. And I knew the lead actor on that show. His name is Chi McBride, I had met him once before and it was cordial. So I went to apologize and shake his hand — and I should have known something was awry because his handshake was so much firmer than I remember from years ago. I was like, whoa, that is a really strong handshake!" 

He further shared that McBride pulled him and made him apologize to the entire soundstage for arriving late for the shoot. 

'Survivor's Remorse'

In 2014, Lee landed a breakout role on Survivor's Remorse, which premiered on 4 October 2014 on Starz. He appeared in the role of Reggie Vaughn in the series until it ended after Season 4 on 15 October 2017. The series won the 'African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Award' for 'Best Cable/News Media TV Show' in 2015. The following year, it won the same award for scoring 10th place in 'Top 10 TV Shows.' Survivor's Remorse also garnered the 'GLAAD Media Award' nomination for 'Outstanding Comedy Series' in 2017 and 2018.

'The Quad' and 'First Wives Club'

After the hit show, Lee appeared in a recurring role of a college band director Clive Taylor in the romantic drama series The Quad from 2017 to 2018. 

Then, in 2019, he started appearing as Gary Washington in the comedy television series First Wives Club, adapted from the 1996 film and Olivia Goldsmith's 1992 novel of the same name. First Wives Club follows Ari (played by Ryan Michelle Bathe), Bree (played by Michelle Buteau), and Hazel (played by Jill Scott), three divorced wives who band together and find strength in their sisterhood.

Lee portrays the role of Gary, Bree's college-sweetheart husband. However, their marriage falls apart because of his infidelity. The series premiered on 19 September 2019 on BET+. On 26 November 2019, the network renewed the series for the second season, which premiered on 15 July 2021. The series was renewed for the third season on 8 September 2021.

Directorial Debut - 'A Father's Love'

Lee made his directorial debut in 2018. He directed a short film titled A Father's Love, which follows a teenage love story with several unusual twists. The short film centers on a young man named Andrew (played by Terayle Hill) who hesitate to accompany his pregnant girlfriend, Tiffany (played by Adriyan Rae), to the abortion clinic, worrying that she was killing his child. However, he was unaware of the role her father played in her decision. The short film explores how all fathers affect their children's lives for better or worse. 

A Father's Love was co-written by Allen Maldonado and Jessie T. Usher. It was premiered on 16 June 2018 at the American Black Film Festival in Miami. 

Personal Life

RonReaco Lee married Sheana Freeman on 13 June 2010. The couple has two children. Though known as a celebrity wife, Freeman has earned a name of her own as a businesswoman. She founded a brand called The Goldbar in 2016 that aims to provide fashionable products at affordable rates. The Goldbar offers various products, including earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, chains, handbags, hats, sunglasses, and scarves.