Ross was one of eight children born in
Whangārei, New Zealand. He became interested in acting after watching
Les Misérables and, at the age of 9, he began performing in musical theatre in his hometown. As part of the Whangarei Amateur Opera and Dramatics Society, he participated in stage productions of
Godspell,
Jesus Christ Superstar,
Evita and
Peter Pan. His father helped him get an agent shortly afterward and he made his acting debut, in an uncredited role, in the 1994 short film
Avondale Dogs. He also appeared in a commercial for
McDonald's. He soon appeared in minor roles on
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys,
Xena: Warrior Princess,
Plainclothes and
Shortland Street. In 1999, he was cast in perhaps his best-known role as
Lex on the science fiction teen drama
The Tribe. One of the main antagonists during the first series, his character eventually became part of his adopted tribe the
Mall Rats although remained an
anti-hero throughout the show's run. He was one of the few original cast members to appear in all five seasons, as well as being the only one in every episode (except two), and sang the lead vocals on the spin-off album
Abe Messiah. He was regarded as one of the main characters and was a trendy character; he is regarded as the one who made the show very popular. He made numerous promotional appearances for the show in New Zealand and the
United Kingdom which, in March 2001, included being interviewed on the early morning talk show
The Big Breakfast. Following the show's cancellation, he guest starred on Mercy Peak and
Revelations. He and
Vanessa Stacey (
Alice) were both involved in behind-the-scenes work for
The Tribe follow up series
The New Tomorrow, with Ross becoming a
foley artist for the series, and was a unit assistant in the 2004 film
Futile Attraction. In September 2006, Ross made an appearance at the
2006 Dragon*Con convention in
Atlanta, Georgia, with
Tribe co-stars
Tom Hern (
Ram) and Matt Robinson (
Slade). In 2002, he appeared in
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as a Rohan Soldier in the Battle of Helms Deep. He went uncredited in his role. In recent years, Ross has been in the process of publishing his autobiography. He has also been involved in several television and short film projects including a
cameo appearance with another former
Tribe cast member
Michael Wesley-Smith (
Jack) in the 2007 film
The Last Great Snail Chase. He had also indicated in interviews an interest in immigrating to Canada to continue his acting career. == Filmography ==