Biography: Robert Ross was a Soviet film actor of African American descent. He emigrated from the USA to the Soviet Union in 1928. Ross was the first black man to become a citizen of the USSR. He was one of two African-American actors employed at Mosfilm (the other was Weiland Rodd). He played a number of roles in Soviet films between 1936 and 1971. In the 1930's he was an physical instructor at the The Russian State University of Physical Culture, Sports, Youth and Tourism at the Moscow Institute of Physical Culture in Moscow.