Ari Stidham

Ari Stidham
Stidham at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016
Born (1992-08-22) August 22, 1992 (age 34)
OccupationActor
Years active2010–present

Ari Stidham (born August 22, 1992) is an American actor. He is known for his role of statistical genius Sylvester Dodd in the CBS drama series Scorpion.

Early life

Stidham was born on August 22, 1992, to a Sephardic Jewish father and an Ashkenazi Jewish mother, and grew up in Westlake Village, California. His maternal grandparents were from Russia, and his paternal grandparents were from Morocco and the United States. He was raised in an observant Reform Jewish home, and he attended the Center for Early Jewish Education in Thousand Oaks. He does not identify as religiously Jewish, but he identifies as culturally Jewish.

Stidham began playing music at four and performed in theater and musical productions throughout elementary and high school. He later performed with and was a member of ComedySportz Los Angeles Improvisational comedy group.

Career

Stidham broke into acting in 2010, with the character Ian in ABC Family television series Huge, based on a novel of the same name which centered around eight teenagers who had been sent to a weight loss camp. He later auditioned for the part of Sylvester Dodd in the CBS series Scorpion, despite the role being written for an African-American actor in his thirties, and was cast in the role after a single audition. From 2014 to 2018, Stidham was a part of the main cast for the all four seasons of the series (93 episodes).

He also releases music under the name DrTelevision, or DRTV. Additionally, through his production company Stidley Inc., he produces "short form alternative comedy" with Zach Green, including a monthly love comedy radio play Dick Duquesne: Tales of a Private Dick.

Stidham founded his company, Sanguinet Films in 2016 with Ari at the helm as a producer, writer, and director of the company. He directed their flagship feature, Curse of the Siren, which premiered at Fangoria Fearcon in 2016.

In 2018, he played archvillain Grand Moff Levine in a musical stage spoof titled Solo Must Die: A Musical Parody. In October 2019, Stidham presented a comedy and musical celebration and re-telling of the Edgar Allan Poe's works titled The Edgar Allan Show. Re-enactments and recitals of "The Raven", "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Fall of the House of Usher", were directed by and featured original songs by Stidham.

In 2023, alongside Bradley Gosnell, he adapted The Great Gatsby into a play with music entitled "The Great Gatsby Live" with period-specific songs arranged by Andrew Fox, composer of Slam Frank. It was performed as a part of 5 Star Theatricals' Educational Program, and had a run in 2026 in Thousand Oaks, California.

Stidham founded Radio Rogues with Beverlee Jean and Bradley Gosnell in 2025, producing bar Shakespeare as Radio Plays with live jazz music. Stidham adapts the text and music, and directs the program. Performances were held at the Roguelike Tavern in Burbank, California.

In 2026, Stidham was cast as Dean Lassider in the series Reacher for Amazon Prime Video. He is recurring in the fifth season of the series, based on the book Make Me. This performance reunites him for a third time with frequent collaborator Nick Santora, who previously worked with Stidham on Scorpion for CBS and The Fugitive.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role
2009Jack's BoxAri
2010Election DayAri
2010The Green Family ElbowBully
2011AnyplaceLuke
2011Talon's Rant
2012Kidnap PartyOfficer
2016The MemeMax Bloom
2023FoilFelix The Manager

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2010HugeIan SchonfeldMain cast; 10 episodes
The Whole TruthErikEpisode: "True Confessions"
2011GleeDrunk KidEpisode: "Blame It on the Alcohol"
2013Mike and MollyHenryEpisode: "Molly's New Shoes"
The Crazy OnesAri / Member of the Crowd2 episodes
2014–2018ScorpionSylvester DoddMain cast; 93 episodes
2015Con Man1st class fan3 episodes
2016The Price Is RightSylvester DoddCrossover with Scorpion
Episode: "The Fast and the Nerdiest"
InsecureCameron2 episodes
Obituary: A Grave BeginningLester Catfield / Coach McKinney (voice)TV short
2017Growth: VRJack FiloEpisode: "Hot yoga"
2020The FugitiveHead shop ownerEpisode: "Hunted Becomes the Hunter"
The Martian BroadcastOrson Welles (voice)Episode: "Something for Children"
20215150Radio show host (voice)TV short
TBAReacherDean LassiderTBA

References

  1. ↑ Keveney, Bill (November 23, 2014). "'Scorpion' actors like to play it smart". USA Today. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  2. ↑ Rose, Mike (August 22, 2022). "Today's famous birthdays list for August 22, 2022 includes celebrities Tori Amos, Kristen Wiig". The Plain Dealer. Associated Press. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 16-22". ABC News. August 10, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Miller, Gerri (December 1, 2014). "TV stardom adds up for young genius of 'Scorpion'". Tribe Magazine. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Gomez, Adrian (January 25, 2015). "Ari Stidham finds a perfect fit on team 'Scorpion'". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  6. ↑ Mason, Aiden (September 29, 2017). "Five Things You Didn't Know about Ari Stidham". TV Overmind. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  7. ↑ "DICK DUQUESNE: TALES OF A PRIVATE DICK Set for Open Space Cafe/Theater, Today". Broadway World. May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Fearcon 2016 Features". 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  9. ↑ F. Kathleen Foley (May 11, 2018). "Review: 'Solo Must Die,' and so must this 'Star Wars' musical spoof". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  10. ↑ Ziemba, Christine N. (September 24, 2019). "46 Things To Do This Halloween in Southern California". laist.com. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Cast and Creative of 'The Edgar Allan Show'". edgarallanshow.com. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  12. ↑ Slack, Kate (April 27, 2026). ""The Great Gatsby Live!" brightens theaters » Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School". Panther Prowler: the official newspaper of Newbury Park High School. Retrieved November 8, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved November 8, 2026.
  14. ↑ Staff, The Acorn (April 9, 2026). "Local artists bring fresh, intimate take on 'The Great Gatsby' to T.O. stage". The Acorn - Serving Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Oak Park & Westlake Village. Retrieved November 8, 2026.
  15. ↑ Bites, LA Theatre (August 31, 2025). "Interview with Radio Roguelike Team about Shakespeare Radio Plays". LA Theatre Bites Podcast. Retrieved November 8, 2026.
  16. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (November 5, 2026). "Ari Stidham Joins 'Reacher' For Season 5". Deadline. Retrieved November 7, 2026.
  17. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (November 5, 2026). "Ari Stidham Joins 'Reacher' For Season 5". Deadline. Retrieved November 7, 2026.
  18. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: 'Scorpion' Crew Compete on 'The Price Is Right' and It's Adorably Hilarious". Entertainment Tonight. February 26, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2021.