Biography
LaVar Veale is a dynamic actor with over 20 years of experience spanning independent feature films, shorts, television, commercials, and theatre.
Recently, LaVar portrayed Vice Principal Jawaan Rogers in the feature film Drowning alongside Camille Guaty and Lou Diamond Phillips. His recent work includes the independent films Rainbow Door, Desolation Road, and Policing, which opened the 2020 NAACP Image Awards Ceremony; short films Glossolalia, Joan's Song, and The Quiet Shore; as well as feature films Book of Ruth, Margarita Man, and Double Dagger. On television, he co-starred in Murder Made Me Famous and appeared in commercials for Academy Sports, RBFCU, Mattel, Del Monte, and VIA Metro Transit. Additionally, he has done commercial modeling for H-E-B and DirecTV.
LaVar has shared the screen with notable actors such as Danny Trejo in The Boys of Ghost Town and Margarita Man, Mexican star Sandra Echeverría in Double Dagger, and Marycarmen Lopez in Book of Ruth, which premiered at the 2014 Marfa Film Festival.
Although football was his initial passion, a freak accident while playing with his brother in the kitchen led to an ER visit and sidelined him from football for over a year. This unexpected hiatus introduced him to his true passion: acting. He landed a role in a Nickelodeon short series. LaVar eventually returned to football, playing as a starting free safety and punt returner for the TCU Horned Frogs, all while starring in stage productions—an uncommon path for college athletes, especially after a potentially career-ending injury. Known for his resilience, he approaches every experience as a chance to grow and develop.
Naturally outgoing and positive, LaVar now seeks darker roles that allow him to portray complex, troubled characters with ambiguous motives. He embraces the challenge.
LaVar earned a BFA in Theatre-TV from TCU, where he studied acting for theatre, television, and film. He has trained with several acting coaches, including Diane Christiansen, Nelson Parks, Molli Benson, and Richard Allen at TCU. Committed to mastering his craft, he continues to study legendary actors such as Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce, Johnny Depp, and Idris Elba.
