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Ade Chike Torbert Biography: Scrappy’s Death on Raising Kanan and His Dance-to-Screen Career
Ade Chike Torbert spent two seasons building Scrappy into one of the most trusted soldiers in Raquel Thomas’s crew on Starz’s Power Book III: Raising Kanan, only for the character to be shot dead by that same boss in the second season’s premiere, after being wrongly suspected of working as a police informant.
Torbert has said the death, one of the show’s most talked-about early twists, gave him a chance to play years of a loyal soldier’s unspoken resentment in a single scene.
Torbert is an American actor and trained dancer, born in Brooklyn, New York, best known for playing Scrappy in Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Raynan in David Makes Man, and Caleb Summers in the Hulu series East Los High.
Profile
| Born | May 1, 1987, Brooklyn, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor, dancer |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | Scrappy in Power Book III: Raising Kanan; Raynan in David Makes Man; Caleb Summers in East Los High |
| Training | The Alvin Ailey School; Boston Conservatory; New World School of the Arts |
Early Life and Dance Training
Torbert was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and began studying dance and theatre at age 6.
He was accepted into the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School as a dance major, the same performing-arts school portrayed in the film Fame, before going on to train at The Alvin Ailey School, the Boston Conservatory, and the New World School of the Arts in Miami.
So You Think You Can Dance and Broadway
In 2010, Torbert competed on the seventh season of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, advancing to the Top 4.
The exposure led to further dance work, including performances on Saturday Night Live, The Ellen Show and Dancing With the Stars, an appearance in the NBC musical drama SMASH, and stints performing with the Blue Man Group.
In 2012, he made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award–winning musical Fela!, and went on to dance in projects with artists including Nicki Minaj, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson and Natasha Bedingfield.
From East Los High to David Makes Man
Torbert’s move into series acting began with the Hulu original East Los High, in which he played Caleb Summers across the 2016–2017 seasons.
He went on to guest roles on Nickelodeon’s Game Shakers as Pico, ABC’s The Real O’Neals as Billy, and danced in the live television broadcast of Grease: Live! in 2016.
In 2019, he was cast as Raynan in David Makes Man, Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Peabody Award-winning drama for OWN, and also appeared that year in the TNT limited series I Am the Night as Calvin.
Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Scrappy’s Death
Torbert joined Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Starz’s 1990s-set prequel to the Power franchise, when it premiered on July 18, 2021, playing Scrappy, a longtime soldier for the Thomas family known for his loyalty and his fondness for gambling.
Scrappy’s arc ended abruptly: after being seen at a police precinct by a detective, he became a suspected informant in the eyes of Raq, the family’s matriarch, and was killed by her in the season two episode “Mind Your Business.”
Discussing the character’s death in an interview with The Knockturnal, Torbert described drawing on years of accumulated slights the character had quietly absorbed, saying “I just thought about all of Scrappy’s grievances from season one.”
He said he approached the confrontation scene as the one moment Scrappy finally voiced frustrations he had carried since being passed over in favor of Kanan. Torbert appeared in 12 episodes of the series between 2021 and 2024, according to IMDb’s credited episode count, spanning the character’s on-screen death and later flashback or memorial appearances as the show continued through its fifth and final season, which concluded on August 7, 2026.
Career Beyond Kanan: 2022–2026
Since Scrappy’s exit, Torbert has continued to work steadily across procedural and streaming television. He played Brawlah in an episode of The Equalizer in 2022 and appeared in the short film Death & Taxes in 2023.
In 2024, he took guest roles as Marcus Williams on Blue Bloods and as Mo Betta on Alert: Missing Persons Unit, followed by a 2025 appearance as Carter Thomas on Chicago P.D.
As of this writing, he is credited in the cast of the feature film Don’t Say Good Luck, playing Frank, which was listed by IMDb as in post-production for a 2026 release.
Selected Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2016–2017 | East Los High | Caleb Summers |
| 2016 | Game Shakers | Pico |
| 2016 | Grease: Live! | Dancer |
| 2019 | David Makes Man | Raynan |
| 2019 | I Am the Night | Calvin |
| 2021–2024 | Power Book III: Raising Kanan | Scrappy |
| 2022 | The Equalizer | Brawlah |
| 2024 | Blue Bloods | Marcus Williams |
| 2024 | Alert: Missing Persons Unit | Mo Betta |
| 2025 | Chicago P.D. | Carter Thomas |
| 2026 | Don’t Say Good Luck | Frank |
Sources
- IMDb — Ade Chike Torbert
- IMDb — Ade Chike Torbert Biography
- Power Universe Wiki — Ade Chike Torbert
- Power Universe Wiki — Scrappy
- Wikipedia — Power Book III: Raising Kanan
- The Knockturnal — Exclusive: Power Book III: Raising Kanan Star Ade Chike Torbert on Scrappy’s Death
- The Cinemaholic — Is Scrappy Dead? Did Ade Chike Torbert Leave Power Book III: Raising Kanan?
- BroadwayWorld — Ade Chike Torbert
- Famous Birthdays — Ade Chike Torbert
Zeez is the editor and founder of BioOrbit, where he researches and writes biographies of public figures from Nigeria and around the world. With 5 years of experience writing about news, entertainment, sports and politics, Zeez focuses on verified facts, clear sourcing and regular updates. Found an error? Report a correction.
