Red Star to the Rescue!
Robin sits down with famed actress Charlotte Ross to discuss her love of animals and her participation in 'National Justice for Animals Week.' Then Justin Scally, American Humane Association’s National Director of the famed Red Star Team, returns to the show to discuss his team’s recent deployment to help save a New Jersey animal shelter in dire need of some TLC.
BIO:
Charlotte Ross
Born and raised in Winnetka, Illinois to Princeton and Harvard grads, it was expected that Charlotte Ross would follow in her parent’s footsteps and continue in the field of education. However, falling in love with acting in the tender years of her childhood, Charlotte had other plans in mind and decided at an early age she would follow the "Hollywood" route instead.
From that moment on, Charlotte studied with anyone and everyone she possibly could to polish and sharpen her craft. She worked at Second City and the Goodman Theater in Chicago and earned an early living with numerous commercial and modeling gigs. Then a month after graduating from the famous New Trier High School, Charlotte made the move to Los Angeles where she quickly landed her first role in Hollywood as ‘Eve Donovan’ on Days of Our Lives, a role that later garnered her 2 Emmy Nominations. After a wonderful four years on the infamous Soap, she went on to pursue other roles. Charlotte then quickly jumped into starring in numerous TV movies including, Kiss So Deadly, Kidnapped in Paradise, Fall into Darkness, and She Says She’s Innocent, to name a few. She also landed the lead in Aaron Spelling's, The Heights (FOX), which earned a Gold record for her and the cast's singing.
Since then Charlotte has remained a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, starring in TV series such as CBS’s comedy The Five Mrs. Buchanans by Marc Cherry, FOX’s Mommie and Me with Pauly Shore, NBC’s ER and later their family drama Trinity. She also starred in Showtime’s critically acclaimed Beggars and Choosers as ‘Lorri Valpone’, a role the Los Angeles Times said made Charlotte an “Emmy Shoe-in”.
Before Beggars and Choosers was officially canceled after two seasons, Charlotte was asked to consider replacing Kim Delany on the Emmy Award winning show, NYPD Blue. Charlotte gratefully jumped at the opportunity and made her debut on the ever successful cop drama as the tough talking Irish Detective, ‘Connie McDowell’. Again, the media’s response to Charlotte echoed that of Beggars and Choosers saying "If NYPD Blue still had the popularity it once had, Charlotte would have a shelf of Emmy's".
At the end of her fifth season as ‘Detective Connie McDowell’ on NYPD Blue, Charlotte was 8 months pregnant with her first child and eager to take a break from acting to just be a Mom. After so many years of being so grateful for work, she craved a break and today still says that time off was the best decision she ever made.
Two years after the birth of her beautiful little boy, Max, Charlotte went back to work starring in the "re-tooled" second season of Jake in Progress , LIFETIME'S Nora Roberts film, Montana Sky, Christmas in Paradise, and Law & Order as the memorable character ‘Anne Coltour’, which once again generated Emmy buzz.
Today Charlotte stays busy with work and in addition to playing ‘Quinn's’ uptight, Escada wearing mother, ‘Judy Fabray’ on the new hit show, Glee, she continues to challenge and reinvent herself for a diverse array of roles. Whether it be showing off her athleticism as the first female umpire in professional baseball in the upcoming and highly anticipated short film, The Umpire or seducing Nicolas Cage as the white trash, tattoo covered sex cougar, ‘Candy’ in Summit’s 3D film, Drive Angry (February, 2011), Charlotte continues to captivate audiences and impress critics with her unbelievable range as an actress.
A successful actress for over two decades, a proud single mom to her now 6 year old son, Max, a huge animal rights activist (widely known for PETA “I’d rather go naked…” campaign) and a fitness fanatic, Charlotte is fortunate to be able to do what she loves. Once a Winnetka gal with a love of finding the truth on screen, Charlotte is now living her dream and couldn't be in a happier place in her life.
Justin Scally
Justin Scally came to American Humane Association in May 2013 with a wealth of knowledge and experience to lead the Red Star Emergency Services team. He has worked for the Humane Society of the United States, served as director of the Louisville Metro Department of Animal Services, and was credited as former director of the Wayne County Department of Animal Control in Goldsboro, North Carolina for bringing the agency animal control and protection protocols into the 21st Century. Scally holds many certifications and has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work involving animals over the years. Scally has traveled the nation working to save animals from cruelty and natural disasters. Throughout his career, he has worked alongside local, state and federal law enforcement authorities to bring animal abusers to justice in numerous high-profile cases across the United States. Scally began his animal career at an animal clinic in Glen Burnie, Maryland and was later named an animal control officer for the Anne Arundel County Police Department.