Khleo Thomas is an American actor, rapper, influencer, and music producer best known for his role as Zero in Holes and Mixed Mike in Roll Bounce. Born in Anchorage, Alaska, he began acting in commercials at age six after his family settled in Southern California. He also starred in other films like Friday After Next, Walking Tall, Going to the Mat, Dirty, and Remember the Daze. and for his role as Lewis Wilks in Major Crimes. He has recorded numerous mixtapes and singles since releasing his first mixtape The World Is A Cartoon in 2010.
Early life
Thomas was born in Anchorage, Alaska, the son of Raquel and Leon Thomas. His father is an Army officer who was then stationed in Alaska. Thomas' mother is a Jewish immigrant from Morocco, and his father is African-American. After living in Germany, the family returned to the continental United States when Thomas was four. After his family settled in Southern California, he began acting in commercials at age six.
Career
1998–2009: Career beginnings, ''Holes'', and other early roles
In 1998, Thomas's first television appearance was on an episode of Bill Cosby's Kids Say the Darndest Things. He has since starred in such films as Friday After Next, Holes, Going to the Mat, Walking Tall, and Roll Bounce. Thomas starred in the 2003 Disney filmHoles, adapted from Louis Sachar's book of the same name. Thomas had not read the book before he was cast as Zero. To adapt to the desert climate for filming Holes, Thomas was required to participate in physical conditioning training. He recalls, "We had to climb rope, dig holes, run, go hiking, do sit-ups and push-ups. The whole time we were thinking, why do we need this? Then we get to the desert and we understood. It was so hot, you could only be in a hole for 20 minutes at a time." Thomas sang on one of the movie soundtrack's songs, "Dig It", which originated on the six-hour round-trip bus rides that transported the actors to the set. In 2005 he became more involved in music after he began an association with fellow rapper/actor Bow Wow and his label LBW. He was featured on Bow Wow's fifth studio albumThe Price of Fame as well as on numerous mixtapes. He made cameo appearances in Bow Wow's "Fresh Azimiz" and "Outta My System" music videos. In 2006, Thomas guest-starred in "Poppin' Tags", an episode of ; and in the season four episode of House, "Ugly" in 2007. He co-starred in the first episode of the television series Teachers, which was canceled after six episodes. He starred in movies such as Remember the Daze and Hurricane Season. In 2010, Thomas starred in the action filmBoogie Town.
2010–present: Mixtapes, EPs, collaborations and ''Just a Sample''
On January 11, 2010, Thomas released his debut mixtape, The World Is a Cartoon. In early 2010, he was associated with Soulja Boy's label SODMG Entertainment, but would end up not officially signing with them. On August 12, 2010, Thomas announced via his Twitter that he was working on his debut album, Just a Sample. On September 22, 2010, he said during an interview that his first single would be titled "Lights Out", and he reported the startup of his own label, Zero Unlimited. Despite this, he later signed a record deal with independent label The Plus Records. In late September 2010, Thomas made an opening performance in California on the "How the West Was One Tour" with Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube. Also in 2010, he released a snippet of "Let Go", a song intended to be on Just a Sample. It samples the track "Let Go" by Frou Frou. On January 11, 2011, he released a mixtape titled The Next Episode. In the song "Anniversary" he disclosed in more detail why he did not officially sign to SODMG Entertainment. On February 15, 2011 he released his first single, "Lights Out", although this would later be dubbed a promotional single. On December 20, 2011, it was announced that Thomas had parted ways with The Plus Records and had signed a new label deal with Executive Dream Music, a division of Executive Music Group distributed by Fontana. On December 23, 2011, he released a mixtape titled Slick Living. On March 6, 2012, he released a single titled "So Many Girls", the music video of which reached number 10 on BET's 106 & Park. On November 13, 2012, he released a collaborative EP with singer/rapper Chris Batson titled After Everything Fades. On December 28, 2014 he released the EP Raised in the 90s through SoundCloud.
Other ventures
Fashion designing
In 2011, Thomas released a necklace line he designed himself, called "Love Wings". In 2013, Thomas released his official clothing line titled "Slick Living Appearel" which is branded off his label Slick Living Inc.
