# Khleo Thomas
**Khleo Thomas** (born 1989) is an American actor, rapper, and content creator best known for playing Hector "Zero" Zeroni in the 2003 Disney film *[Holes](https://www.edgepedia.org/holes-film)* opposite [Shia LaBeouf](https://www.edgepedia.org/shia-labeouf). Born Khaleed Leon Thomas, he built a parallel career in music in the 2010s and, in the 2020s, became a Twitch streamer and social media personality whose audience is built partly around nostalgia for *Holes* and Disney properties.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/) • [2](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/khleo-thomas-holes-zero-tiktok-twitch-quotes)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Khaleed Leon Thomas, shortened to Khleo, a combination of his first and middle names, when he began acting in commercials at age 6[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/khleo-thomas) |
| Born | 1989 in Anchorage, Alaska, where his father was stationed in the Army after serving in the first Gulf War[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/khleo-thomas) |
| Breakout role | Hector "Zero" Zeroni in *Holes* (2003), for which he was nominated for a best supporting actor award[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/) |
| Screen credits | 21 film roles and 16 television roles, including *Walking Tall*, *Roll Bounce*, *Hurricane Season*, *Sons of Anarchy*, *Being Mary Jane*, *Major Crimes*, and *Shameless*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/) |
| Music | Releasing hip hop and rap EPs and mixtapes since 2010; toured with Bow Wow, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Sean Kingston, and Chris Brown[4](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/then-now-cast-holes-over-153322946.html) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/) |
| Creator work | Twitch streaming and gaming content; 1.3 million TikTok followers as of 2023, and an NAACP nomination for Outstanding Digital Creator in Gaming & Tech[5](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/RESUMEN-DE-MEDIOS-2-3-2023.pdf) • [6](https://www.spreaker.com/episode/still-in-the-game-khleo-thomas-on-30-years-of-entertainment--69784294) |
| Lifestyle brand | Slick Living, later expanded to Goddess Living Amongst Men (GLAM), dedicated to empowering women[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/) |
## Early life and start in entertainment
Thomas was born in [Anchorage, Alaska](https://www.edgepedia.org/anchorage-alaska), where his father was stationed in the Army after serving in the first [Gulf War](https://www.edgepedia.org/gulf-war), and was raised in both Germany and Los Angeles.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/khleo-thomas) • [7](https://edgemagazinesite.com/the-boy-next-door-khleo-thomas/) His entry into performing came early: he made his show-business debut in a [McDonald's](https://www.edgepedia.org/mcdonalds) commercial at age 3, appeared on *Kids Say the Darndest Things* with Bill Cosby, and through that show appeared on *The Oprah Winfrey Show* at age 7.[8](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F27%2F27457553-6c37-48b2-9f62-a37ae26ad32e.pdf) Before his feature-film breakthrough he appeared on television series including *City Guys*, *Family Law*, *CSI*, and *ER*.[8](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F27%2F27457553-6c37-48b2-9f62-a37ae26ad32e.pdf) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/person/khleo-thomas/)
## Holes
Thomas won the role of Zero in *Holes*, the 2003 adaptation of [Louis Sachar](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-sachar)'s 1998 novel directed by Andy Davis, through a multi-stage audition: a first audition for the casting director, callbacks to the director and producer, and finally a screen test in which ten other children were also reading for the part.[10](https://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/holes/zero.htm) At the screen test the director scrapped the prepared script and asked Thomas and Shia LaBeouf to improvise the scene in which Stanley tries to teach Zero to read; about 48 hours later Thomas was offered the part.[2](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/khleo-thomas-holes-zero-tiktok-twitch-quotes) In the film, Zero is a younger inmate at Camp Green Lake and a descendant of the fortune teller Madame Zeroni, whom Stanley carries up a mountain to break his family's curse.[11](https://www.looper.com/495249/holes-what-the-cast-is-doing-today/)
The role has stayed with him. "I love that I can embrace the fact that the name Zero will be tied to my name for the rest of my life," he told *Bustle*, comparing the association to [Harrison Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/harrison-ford)'s link to [Indiana Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiana-jones).[2](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/khleo-thomas-holes-zero-tiktok-twitch-quotes) The film has had a renewed cultural life: a line from it became a viral TikTok sound, and in January 2025 Disney+ announced a gender-swapped television adaptation of the story.[2](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/khleo-thomas-holes-zero-tiktok-twitch-quotes) • [12](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/holes-cast-where-are-shia-labeouf-and-khleo-thomas-now/)
## Film and television career
Thomas followed *Holes* with a run of features in his teens: *Baadasssss!* (2003), in which he played [Mario Van Peebles](https://www.edgepedia.org/mario-van-peebles); *Walking Tall* (2004) as Pete Vaughn opposite [Dwayne Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/dwayne-johnson); *Going to the Mat* (2004); *Roll Bounce* (2005) as Mixed Mike; and *Dirty* (2005).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/khleo-thomas) Later credits include *Hurricane Season* (2009) opposite [Taraji P. Henson](https://www.edgepedia.org/taraji-p-henson) and Forest Whitaker, *Soy Nero* (2016), and *Scrap* (2022), which at 98% is his highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/khleo-thomas) On television he has had recurring guest roles, including Lewis Wilks on *Major Crimes* and Dylan Oswald on *Shameless*, plus appearances on *Sons of Anarchy*, *Being Mary Jane*, *Bones*, and *House*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/person/khleo-thomas/)
## Music
Thomas pursued a rap career alongside acting. A mixtape tallied 100,000 downloads in its first month, convincing him he could manage his own music career through the internet.[7](https://edgemagazinesite.com/the-boy-next-door-khleo-thomas/) When he was not on set, he toured alongside Bow Wow, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Sean Kingston, and [Chris Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-brown), and Bow Wow later took him on a sold-out, 32-city music tour.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/) • [2](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/khleo-thomas-holes-zero-tiktok-twitch-quotes) His song "Five On It" gained traction during the Vine era and carried him and his team on tour.[2](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/khleo-thomas-holes-zero-tiktok-twitch-quotes) Since 2010 he has released hip hop and rap EPs and mixtapes, including the 2013 collaborative EP *After Everything Fades* with artist Chris Batson, which the pair turned into a visual album.[4](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/then-now-cast-holes-over-153322946.html)
## Content creation and gaming
**Streaming career.** Thomas pivoted to social media in the 2020s, streaming on Twitch and building a following across TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Twitch; as of 2023 he had 1.3 million TikTok followers, and his IMDb profile cites over 10.8 billion impressions on Instagram and 8.1 million views on YouTube.[2](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/khleo-thomas-holes-zero-tiktok-twitch-quotes) • [5](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/RESUMEN-DE-MEDIOS-2-3-2023.pdf) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/) On his YouTube channel, which he started around 2009, he reported passing 115,000 subscribers.[13](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2541944/episodes/18862011-khleo-thomas)
His community has produced visible projects. For one [Halloween](https://www.edgepedia.org/halloween), his Twitch community raised the budget for a reenactment of the "Eye to Eye" dance routine from 1995's *A Goofy Movie*, a goal filled within a week and a half, which paid for a choreographer, dancers, stage, lighting, and crew.[2](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/khleo-thomas-holes-zero-tiktok-twitch-quotes)
His gaming profile has brought brand and hosting work. He was the Nike representative in *NBA 2K19*, has hosted for RapTV, All Def Digital, and Trivia Mob, and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Digital Creator in Gaming & Tech.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/) • [6](https://www.spreaker.com/episode/still-in-the-game-khleo-thomas-on-30-years-of-entertainment--69784294) In 2026 he attended BlizzCon, where he discussed video game nostalgia and artificial intelligence in entertainment with *Men's Journal*.[14](https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/blizzcon-2026-entertainment-icon-khleo-thomas-discusses-video-game-nostalgia-ai-and-more)
## Legacy of the Zero role
More than two decades after its release, *Holes* remains closely identified with Thomas. He has said that making the film at a young age made his dreams come true and described seeing his own face on a theater poster as a formative moment.[15](https://parade.com/news/disney-holes-film-star-khleo-thomas-career-reflection-interview-nostalgia) The film's enduring popularity, particularly among viewers who were not alive when it premiered, is a recurring subject of his interviews and a foundation of his online audience, which he describes as interested in what he does next as much as in the film that made him known.[2](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/khleo-thomas-holes-zero-tiktok-twitch-quotes)
## References
1. [Khleo Thomas – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1169490/)
2. [Khleo Thomas, AKA Zero From 'Holes,' Parlayed Nostalgia Into Internet Fame – Bustle](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/khleo-thomas-holes-zero-tiktok-twitch-quotes)
3. [Khleo Thomas – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/khleo-thomas)
4. [THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Holes' over 20 years later – Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/then-now-cast-holes-over-153322946.html)
5. [Media summary printing a 2023 passage on Khleo Thomas – Movistar Plus PDF](https://www.movistarplus.es/comunicacion/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/RESUMEN-DE-MEDIOS-2-3-2023.pdf)
6. [Still in the Game: Khleo Thomas on 30 years of Entertainment – Blerd's Eyeview on Spreaker](https://www.spreaker.com/episode/still-in-the-game-khleo-thomas-on-30-years-of-entertainment--69784294)
7. [The Boy Next Door: Khleo Thomas – EDGE Magazine Online](https://edgemagazinesite.com/the-boy-next-door-khleo-thomas/)
8. [BAADASSSSS production notes (Khleo Thomas bio page) – Mongrel Media](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filmtrackonline.com/mongrelmedia/starcm_vault_root/images%2Ffiles%2F27%2F27457553-6c37-48b2-9f62-a37ae26ad32e.pdf)
9. [Khleo Thomas – Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/khleo-thomas/)
10. [Khleo Thomas interview on playing Zero – Scholastic News](https://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/holes/zero.htm)
11. [Holes: What The Cast Is Doing Today – Looper](https://www.looper.com/495249/holes-what-the-cast-is-doing-today/)
12. [The Cast of 'Holes': Where Are They Now? – Us Weekly](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/holes-cast-where-are-shia-labeouf-and-khleo-thomas-now/)
13. [KHLEO THOMAS episode – Killin It Podcast, Buzzsprout](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2541944/episodes/18862011-khleo-thomas)
14. [BlizzCon 2026: Entertainment Icon Khleo Thomas Discusses Video Game Nostalgia, AI, and more – Men's Journal](https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/blizzcon-2026-entertainment-icon-khleo-thomas-discusses-video-game-nostalgia-ai-and-more)
15. [From 'Zero' to Hero: 'Holes' Star Says Disney's Nostalgic Film Made His 'Dreams Come True' – Parade](https://parade.com/news/disney-holes-film-star-khleo-thomas-career-reflection-interview-nostalgia)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames T*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license