Actors - Richard Rossi

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	Actors - Richard Rossi

Richard Rossi (b. March 2, 1963, Pittsburgh, PA,) is an American filmmaker, actor, producer, musician, and self-proclaimed healing evangelist.

Early years

At age seven Rossi played guitar on stage. As a teenager, his father was put into a mental institution for a bi-polar disorder, which by all accounts devastated Rossi, who idolized his father. Turning to religion for comfort, he became a born again Christian, and toured as a rock and roll preacher, usually in tandem with songwriting partner Johnny Walker, playing a unique brand of gospel rock. He was featured on The 700 Club and in the CBS documentary Teen's Songs Turn Youth to God. His music from this period was released on the album New Wine.

Ministries

Rossi moved to Lynchburg, Virginia at age 18 to study the Bible at Jerry Falwell's fundamentalist Liberty University, where he earned a Bachelors and Master's degree in Biblical Studies. He married his classmate Sherrie Plaugher on May 11, 1984. In his senior year, he started his first church, "The Fellowship," which became a subject of controversy for faith healings, exorcisms, and speaking in tongues, practices frowned upon by the University.

His second church, created with partner Jack Sims, was called "Matthew's Party,", the name taken from the biblical story about Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners at the home of Matthew, the gospel writer. CNN, Christianity Today, and USA Today reported on the controversial church meetings in bars, health clubs and nightclubs in Anaheim, Pittsburgh, and Minneapolis.

In 1986, Rossi started First Love, a charismatic church. He rented movie theaters and showed films as an evangelistic outreach. Dramatic faith healings allegedly occurred and became the subject of articles in The Pittsburgh Press and other newspapers. In April 1991, Rossi reportedly suffered depression and isolated himself from media and followers. Charisma magazine attributed the depression to flashbacks of childhood abuse Rossi suffered as a young performer.

In September 1991, Rossi began broadcasting his nightly radio show Rich Rossi Live, reportedly drawing opposition from established clergy, who said the miraculous signs and wonders the press reported were not biblical, because "healing miracles were unique to Christ and the Twelve Apostles to authenticate their message, and had not occurred since the first century." Rossi was criticized by other clerics for his use of rock and roll music, his casual attire, and his criticism of conventional Christianity.

In September 1992, the FOX TV documentary Quest for Truth examined the reported healings and exorcisms in Rossi's meetings.

Scandal

In 1994, Rossi's wife identified him as an attacker who beat her nearly to death. Rossi claimed the assailant was a look-alike, and speculated publicly that the assault might have had demonic origin. His wife later recanted her story, saying the assailant had not been her husband. Nonetheless, Rossi was charged with attempted murder, but was allowed to plead no contest to second-degree aggravated assault, and served 96 days in jail. In 1996, Sherrie Rossi published Assault of Justice: The Richard Rossi Mystery, defending her husband from various tabloid stories.

Rossi left the evangelical subculture, and released the alternative rock album Full Circle. The album was criticized by evangelical Christians because the album was confessional about his depression and struggles, with metaphors rather than explicit religious content. Rossi was also rejected by some of his evangelical former fans because he performed the new material in bars, nightclubs, and mainstream concert venues, often with other rock and jazz all-star musicians.

Hollywood

In 1997, Rossi relocated to Hollywood, and started acting lessons. He first role was in the 1998 short film Jesus 2000. In 1998, he appeared in a stage version of Elmer Gantry
. An examination of Rossi's IMDb page reveals that two of the five film roles claimed by Rossi are uncredited, which suggests that he appeared as an "extra".

He started house churches for actors and celebrities, operating under the name "Eternal Grace."

In 2001, Rossi wrote and directed Saving Sister Aimee, a short documentary film about 1920's evangelist Aimee McPherson. The film won the Golden Halo Award from the Southern California Motion Picture Council.

In 2005, Rossi revisited Sister Aimee's story in the feature biopic Aimee Semple McPherson, starring actress Mimi Michaels as Aimee, and Rance Howard as Aimee's father James Kennedy. Christianity Today and Charisma praised the film, but many criticized the film for trying to create a period piece on a small budget.

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