Early life, family, educational background
American actor and producer Ross Arne Naess, was born on 7 October 1987 in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA, to American Soul singer Diana Ross, and Norwegian Millionaire Arne Naess Jr. Ross is perhaps best-known as the producer of the 2014 film, “Acid Girls.”
Ross is one of five children on his mother’s side; Tracee Ellis Ross and Evan Ross have both joined the entertainment industry, whereas Chudney Ross and Rhonde Ross Kendrick attended Ivy League universities. Evan is Ross’ only fully-biological sibling, while all his others are half; Robert Ellis Silberstein was Diana’s first husband and the father of Tracee, Chudney and Rhonde. Ross has five siblings on his father’s side (aside from Evan) – Arne has a son, Christoffer Naess and two daughters, Leona Naess and Katinka Naess with his first wife, Filippa Kumlin d’Orey, a Swedish interior designer. Following his 2000 divorce from Diana, Arne spent his remaining years with his Norwegian-born girlfriend, Camilla Astrup. They brought two boys into the world, Louis and Nicklas Naess.
Ross studied at Greenwich High School before attending college. After graduating in 2009, he became involved in several small projects, dabbling in photography and directing.
Family’s personal life
Arne Naess Jr., a Norwegian businessman, shipping magnate and mountaineer, the second husband of Diana Ross, the American singer, music producer and actress who was the lead singer of the much-loved 1960s group, The Supremes. Arnes and Diana married in 1986, thereby making Diana the stepmother of his three children, Christoffer, Katinka and Leona, a folk singer. A year into their marriage, Diana gave birth to their first son Ross, followed by his brother, Evan Olav Naess, who was welcomed into the world in August 1988. Diana and Arnes divorced in 2000. In 2004, Arne took a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, where he went climbing in the Groot Drakenstein Mountains on January 13th with his friend, Johann Rupert.
They were climbing on the mountains near Johann’s family estate just outside the town of Franschhoek, when Arnes suffered a terrible accident while descending from a mountain peak – according to police reports, his anchoring equipment loosened from the mountainside, and he fell 338ft (103m), resulting in his death. He was 66 years old at the time of his passing; Diana admitted that he was “the love of my life.”
Arnes was a proficient mountain climber, starting his hobby in the gorgeous Norwegian mountains. His uncle, Erling Dekke Naess, hired him to help with shipping in New York. So with twenty climbs under his belt, Arnes moved to New York where he couldn’t continue building his skill, but resumed his mountain climbing adventures in the 70’s. He led the first Norwegian expedition to Mount Everest, reported to be one of the most successful climbs on Everest ever taken place.
Ross’ younger brother, Evan is a musician and actor. His most notable roles have been in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1” and “Part 2” as Messalla, in “Mooz-lum” as Tariq, and “Supremacy” as Anthony.
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He married singer Ashlee Simpson on 30 August 2014 at Diana’s estate in Connecticut, after being engaged for seven months. The pair have two children together – daughter Jagger Snow Ross born on 30 July 2015, and son Ziggy Blu Ross born on 29 October 2020. Evan is also a step-father to Ashlee’s son, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, from her first marriage to musician Pete Wentz. Pete is famous for being part of the pop rock band, Fall Out Boy. After dating for two years, Pete and Ashlee married on 17 May 2008, and Bronx was born later that year on 20 November. In February 2011, Ashlee filed for divorce which was finalized that November; they were granted joint custody over Bronx. In 2011, Pete began dating model Meagan Camper; they haven’t married, but are still a couple. On 20 August 2014, they welcomed a son, Saint Lazslo Wentz, and then a daughter, Marvel Jane Wentz on 13 May 2018.
Career
In September 1991, Ross appeared in his mom’s music video for her song, “When You Tell Me That You Love Me” along with Diana and Evan.
Ross worked as an executive producer on the 2014 horror and thriller film, “Acid Girls,” starring Sarah Dumont as Pike, Clara Paget as Lia, Alessandra Torresani as Aleks and Josh Zuckerman as Sebastian.
Arnes coached and supported Ross’ entrepreneurial skills by hiring his son to work for and with him. Ross felt a deep loss after his father’s passing, as he not only lose his dad, but mentor as well; he was inconsolable and depressed. After graduating from college, Ross became involved in business projects. He launched a nightclub in Los Angeles called ‘The Warick’, frequented by A-list celebrities for their stunning music performances, unique drinks and expensive food.
In June 2021, Ross was in an episode of the competition television series “Celebrity Family Feud,” as part of the Terrence Howard Team, with opponents Team Rob Lowe; the winning team’s cash prize gets donated to a charity of their choosing. Team Terrence Howard chose The Dragon Kim Foundation as their charity. Mira Howard (wife of Terrence Howard), Evan Ross and Elijah Kelly (American actor) played alongside Ross and Terrence. Ross and Terrence are not related, but they are very close family friends, essentially making them chosen family. The same goes for Elijah and Terrence. Ross has been on an episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Ross was awarded the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award in May 2004.
Personal life
Ross married Kimberly Ryan in 2017, after a decade of dating. They met after a mutual friend introduced them; they didn’t begin dating straight away, but kept running into each other. When Kimberly attended a summer party at Ross’ apartment, they got to speak with each other, and “hit it off” according to Kimberly. However, Ross didn’t want to ask Kimberly to be his girlfriend because he was leaving in the Fall for college, and was afraid that they would not last long distance. Kim decided to take the lead and ask him out, but Ross declined, although he couldn’t fight against his feelings for long, and by the end of the summer they were in love and dating. Kimberly said that by the time he left for college, they were “inseparable.”
When Kimberly was pregnant with their second child, Ross promised to propose before the birth. Nine months pregnant and approaching their ten-year anniversary, Kimberly was convinced he was going to pop the big question at the picnic after the hike Ross planned.
The Malibu weather didn’t agree with Ross’ plans though, so they took their lunch date to the Malibu Creek State Park under the shade of an oak tree. When he still hadn’t asked the big question, Kimberly began searching for a ring in the homemade orzo salad and sandwiches Ross prepared. Not finding a ring, Kimberly grew frustrated and stood up to leave, but Ross stopped her and whispered, “Wait, one more thing,” she turned to find him on one knee. He presented her with a custom-made Bunny Bedi’s Made in Earth engagement ring that he designed for Kimberly, of black diamonds to surround a raw stone and added infinity symbol motifs to symbolize their everlasting love.
They wanted an outdoor wedding that wasn’t too far from their northern California home, settling on a private beach with rustic ranch settings overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the Rancho Dos Pueblos estate in Santa Barbara, and exchanged their vows beneath the branches of two trees whose limbs formed a heart shape.
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They had a three-day celebration with a star-studded guest list of family and friends, all glamping in luxurious tents.
Kimberly was so taken away with the ring that she purchased necklaces and earrings from the Venice jeweler to gift to her bridesmaids before ‘walking down the aisle’. She had a total of 15 bridesmaids including Tracee Ellis Ross and Ashlee Simpson Ross; they wore bohemian-style dresses in an off-white color by various designers such as Norma Kamali, Roberto Cavalli and Valentino. Their hairstyles allowed for wreaths of greenery to be shown-off and complement their bouquets made up of wildflowers.
Their families were involved in the wedding – Diana officiated their nuptials, with Kim’s two sisters and nine of Ross’s ten siblings playing a part as well – Evan serenaded the couple for their first dance. Ross and Kimberly’s oldest son, Leif, was only one-years-old at the time, but they let him crawl around and play while exchanging their vows. This allowed some additional cute entertainment for the guests, and was a fun way for him to be involved.
In the wedding invitation, their guests were encouraged to attend barefoot. Following the dress code, Kimberly’s footwear only consisted of a handmade feather ankle bracelet she bought online from an Etsy store. Her wedding dress was a beautiful custom lace-accented gold and ivory gown with a matching 72ins (182.88cm) draped veil created by designer Maria Korovilas. She hired Lynn Simpson to do her make-up in a natural, barely-visible way and Emma Parkes from Goodform Salon to style her hair in loose beach waves.Ross wore a custom Ralph Lauren suit. He asked his groomsmen to wear hats that reflected their individual style just as he planned to. This allowed his side of the wedding party to express their personalities while supporting their friend.
Ross and Kimberly skipped a traditional honeymoon as they were expecting their second son – Indigo was born shortly afterwards. His parents and older brother were very excited for his arrival. Their first son, Leif, was born in June 2016, so the brothers are only a year apart. It’s rumored that the family of four are planning on moving to Malibu.
Hobbies, favorite things and interesting facts
- Having a talented musician as a mother, Ross has a passion for music as well; he plays the ukulele and guitar.
- Ross enjoys fishing, as can be seen on his social media filled with photos of him enjoying the sport.
- Photography is another hobby of Ross’, at which he’s quite good – some of his photographs have been featured in prominent American magazines, so some consider him to be a professional photographer.
- He loves all animals, and helps those in need whenever he can.
- Ross has a lot of followers on his social media accounts, even though he’s yet to reach the fame level of his parents.
- Hiking, dirt biking and trekking are all sports he has grown to love. The Dagbladet Magasinet magazine has featured Ross and his various outdoor sporting hobbies.
Appearance
Ross has black hair and dark brown eyes. He stands at 6ft 2ins (187.96cm) and weighs 154lbs (70kg).
Net worth and salary
As of March 2022, Ross’ net worth is estimated at close to $800,000 by wealthypersons.com, earned through his work as a successful actor, photographer, producer and entrepreneur. It’s assumed that Ross earns around $100,000 a year through all of his ventures, especially considering that his club attracts only the richest people. Although his net worth may seem impressive, it’s only a scratch of what his parents’ wealth is – at the time of Arne’s passing, his net worth was estimated at $600 million, and Diana’s net worth is now reputedly over $250 million.
