Jharrel Jerome | |
---|---|
Jerome in 2019 | |
Born | The Bronx,New York City, U.S. | October 9, 1997
Education | Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School[1] |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2016–present |
Jharrel Jerome (born October 9, 1997)[citation needed] is an American actor. He is best known for starring in Barry Jenkins' drama film Moonlight (2016) and for portraying Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries When They See Us (2019).[2] For the latter, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.
Contents
Life and career
Jerome was born in 1997 and raised in the Bronx, New York.[3][4] He is of Dominican descent and identifies as Afro-Latino.[4] He grew up in a close-knit family with parents who he described as "loving".[5] His mother suggested he pursue acting when he was in eighth grade, after which he joined the Riverdale Children's Theatre, a local youth theatre organization. He attended and graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, commuting to Manhattan each day by train.[1][3]
Shortly after Jerome enrolled as an undergraduate at Ithaca College, he was cast in his first professional acting role in the 2016 independent film Moonlight, as young Kevin.[2] A.O. Scott wrote in the New York Times that he was "excellent" in the role.[6] Director Barry Jenkins said about Jerome, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, "When you watch Jharrel in that movie, he’s not a guy who’s been over-rehearsing. That’s a dude learning by doing. It’s amazing.”[2]
Since 2017, Jerome has appeared in the Audience series Mr. Mercedes.[4] He auditioned for the role of young Korey Wise in the 2019 Netflix miniseries When They See Us, based on the Central Park jogger case.[3] After his audition the series' director, Ava DuVernay, asked him to read the lines for adult Korey Wise, and he was subsequently cast in both roles.[3] Jerome grew close to Wise throughout filming, and said in a Los Angeles Times interview, "He's my brother now. I look up to him. I look up to his courage. He's taught me so much on how to be strong.”[2]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Her Coloring Book | Artist | Short film |
Wheels | Narrator | Short film | |
Moonlight | Teen Kevin | Austin Film Critics Association Special Honorary Award for Best Ensemble Gotham Special Jury Award – Ensemble Performance Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | |
2018 | All Rise | Osvaldo | |
First Match | Omari | Credited as Jharrel A. Jerome | |
2019 | Selah and the Spades | Maxxie | |
Robu | Rob | Short film | |
2020 | Concrete Cowboys | TBA | Filming |
Television series
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | Tales | Deacon | Episode: "Children's Story" |
2017–present | Mr. Mercedes[4] | Jerome Robinson | Main role |
2019 | When They See Us[2] | Korey Wise | Lead role Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series[7] |
Accolades
Jerome and his Moonlight co-star, Ashton Sanders, won the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Kiss.[8]
Jerome was nominated and won in 2019 for a Primetime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie category and won for When They See Us.[7] He is the first Afro-Latino actor to win an Emmy for acting.[9]
References
- ^ a b Venable, Malcolm (June 5, 2019). "When They See Us' Jharrel Jerome Is As Blown Away By His Performance As the Rest of Us". TV Guide. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Villarreal, Yvonne. "After breaking out in 'Moonlight,' Jharrel Jerome channels the horrors of the Central Park Five case". latimes.com. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Herzog, Kenny. "How Moonlight's Jharrel Jerome Found Himself in Ava DuVernay's When They See Us". www.vulture.com. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Bergado, Gabe. "Jharrel Jerome Says Depicting One of the Central Park Five Was the Hardest Thing He's Ever Done". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
- ^ "'Moonlight's Jharrel Jerome Talks Playing A Queer Man As A Straight Latino". Vibe. February 16, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
- ^ Scott, A. O. (October 20, 2016). "'Moonlight': Is This the Year's Best Movie?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
- ^ a b Whitten, Sarah. "Emmys 2019: The complete list of nominees for the 71st annual TV awards show". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
- ^ "Moonlight's Ashton Sanders & Jharrel Jerome Win Best Kiss". E! Online. May 7, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
- ^ Ruiz-Grossman, Sarah. "Jharrel Jerome Makes History As First Afro-Latino To Win Emmy For Acting". www.huffpo.com.