Jharrel Jerome

Jerome was born in 1997 and raised in the Bronx, New York.[4][5] He is of Dominican descent and identifies as Afro-Latino.[5] He grew up in a close-knit family with parents who he described as "loving".[6] 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 and commuted to Manhattan each day by train.[1][4]

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.[3] A.O. Scott wrote in The New York Times that he was "excellent" in the role.[7] 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."[3]

Since 2017, Jerome has appeared in the Audience series Mr. Mercedes.[5] 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.[4] 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.[4] 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."[3]

Jharrel released "For Real" ft. Kemba on September 23, 2020. The song was produced by hit production and songwriting duo Take A Daytrip and marks Jharrel's first single as a hip hop artist.[8] Zane Lowe premiered "For Real" on his Apple Music radio show. Upon release, Jharrel included this message on his social media accounts:

Before I became an actor, hip hop was my first love. I grew up listening to everything old school, from Slick Rick, to the Tribe, to Big Pun. I was the one spitting off top at the lunch table in the sixth grade. If there was a freestyle cypher happening at the park, I was there. Being from the BX, rap was in my blood whether I knew it or not.

Before my life changed, I had no idea I’d want to turn rap from a hobby to a career. But given my acting platform and these unbelievable blessings through the past few years, I decided to hone in on my music. Since 2016, I’ve been putting all the bank I’ve made from my films into studio sessions and recording equipment; trying to find my sound, my voice, my cadence, and my style.

4 years, 600 sessions and 80 songs later, I think I’ve found it.[9]

Jerome and his Moonlight co-star, Ashton Sanders, won the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Kiss.[11]

Jerome won the 2019 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie category for his role in When They See Us.[12] He is the first Afro-Latino actor to win an Emmy for acting.[13] He also won in 2020 at the 10th Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries for When They See Us.

Jerome was placed on BET's "Future 40" list, which is a list of "40 of the most inspiring and innovative vanguards who are redefining what it means to be unapologetically young, gifted & black".[14] Time listed Jerome on their first annual TIME 100 Next list, which is a list of 100 rising stars.[15]

• Official Instagram
• Jharrel Jerome at IMDb