Jurnee Smollett is an American actress who has starred in many well-known films and television shows, including Lovecraft Country, Friday Night Lights, and Birds of Prey.
Personal Life
Early Life
Jurnee Smollett was born on October 1, 1986 in New York City. She is one of six siblings. She has four brothers named Jussie, JoJo, Jake, and Jocqui and one sister named Jazz. Her mother is Africian American and her dad was Jewish.
Relationship & Family
Jurnee Smollett married musician Josiah Bell on October 24, 2010. On October 31, 2016, they two had their first child, Hunter Zion Bell. Jurnee filed for divorce in March 2020 and she is currently not known to be dating anyone.
Career
Jurnee Smollett’s first acting role was at just 10 months old when she appeared in a diaper commercial and received her SAG card at the age of 3. She began acting in more serious roles in 1992, when she appeared on Martin and Out All Night. Her first big screen role was in the film Jack, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Since then, Jurnee Smollett has starred and appeared in many films and television shows, including Beautiful Joe, Ruby’s Bucket of Blood, The Defenders, and Lovecraft Country.
Filmography
- Out All Night, 1992
- Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, 1992
- Martin, 1992
- Full House, 1992-1994
- On Our Own, 1994-1995
- NYPD Blue, 1996
- Jack, 1996
- Eve’s Bayou, 1997
- Cosby, 1998-2000
- Selma, Lord, Selma, 1999
- Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, 1999
- Beautiful Joe, 2000
- Ruby’s Bucket of Blood, 2001
- Strong Medicine, 2002
- ER, 2002
- Wanda at Large, 2003
- Roll Bounce, 2005
- Gridiron Gang, 2006
- House, 2006
- The Great Debaters, 2007
- Grey’s Anatomy, 2008
- Friday Night Lights, 2009-2011
- The Defenders, 2010-2011
- Captain Planet 4, 2012
- The Mob Doctor, 2012-2013
- Do No Harm, 2013
- Parenthood, 2013
- True Blood, 2013-2014
- Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, 2013
- Hands of Stone, 2016
- Underground, 2016-2017
- One Last Thing, 2018
- Birds of Prey, 2020
- The Twilight Zone, 2020
- Lovecraft Country, 2020-present
- Escape from Spiderhead, 2021
Awards
Jurnee Smollett has won 5 awards throughout her career, including:
- Best Supporting Actress award at the San Diego Film Critics Society for her role in Eve’s Bayou (1997)
- Best Young Performer award at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards for her role in Eve’s Bayou (1997)
- Two outstanding Young Actress award at the NAACP Image Awards for her role in Cosby (1999 and 2000)
- Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture award at the NAACP Image Awards for her role in The Great Debaters (2008)
In The News
Jurnee Smollett has been very involved in HIV/AIDS awareness and causes from a very young age, ever since a crew member on set with her died. She has done work for the Black AIDS Institute and Red Cross and is on the Board of Directors of Artists for a New South Africa. This organization is focused on preventing HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Right now, Jurnee Smollett is filming for the upcoming film, Escape from Spiderhead.
For more information on Jurnee Smollett, keep up with The Shade Room!
