Jussie Smollett (born June 21, 1982 in Santa Rosa, California) is an American actor, singer, and director best known for starring as Jamal Lyon in the Fox series Empire.
He is the older brother of Jurnee Smollett, and both of them have acted in several projects together, including an ABC TGiF sitcom On Our Own.
In 2019, Smollett claimed to have been the victim of a hate crime by two supporters of Donald Trump. Authorities later reported egregious inconsistencies with the story that eventually led to the revelation that Smollett had hired two Nigerian immigrant brothers to pose as white supremacists and fake an attack on him in the midst of a pay dispute with Fox. He was initially charged for disorderly conduct; the charges were later dropped, but he was reindicted for similar charges in 2021. His contract was extended for the final season of Empire, but he made no appearance in that season. He was convicted on five of the six counts he was charged on in December 2021. In March 2022, he was sentenced to 150 days in jail and 2 and half years of probation, along with having to pay $120,000 in restitution to the city of Chicago and an additional fine of $25,000.
Filmography of works on TV Tropes
Film
- The Mighty Ducks (1992) - Terry Hall
- North (1994) - Adam
- Alien: Covenant (2017) - Ricks
- Marshall (2017) - Langston Hughes
- B Boy Blues (2021, director)
Television
- Cro (1993-1994) - Mike, voice
- On Our Own (1994-1995) - Jesse Jerrico, main role
- Empire (2015-2019) - Jamal Lyon, main role
- Underground (2016) - Josey, guest
- Lee Daniels Star (2017) - Jamal Lyon, guest
Discography
- Poisoned Hearts Club (2012) - Studio Album
- Sum of My Music (2018) - Extended Play
