Jurnee Smollett

Infobox actor
name = Jurnee Smollett


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birthdate = birth date and age|1986|10|1
birthplace = New York City, New York, USA
deathdate =
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birthname = nowrap|Jurnee Diana Smollett
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occupation = actress
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Jurnee Diana Smollett (born October 1, 1986) is an American actress.

Career

Smollett was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of Janet and Joel Smollett. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507E6DE1231F931A35752C1A961958260 UP AND COMING: Jurnee Smollett; Calm Child at the Center of an Adult Storm] ] The fourth of six performing siblings, she received critical acclaim for her title role in the finely crafted independent "Eve's Bayou" (1997). The performance earned her a Young Star Award nomination. The young thespian pulled ahead of her brothers and sisters with her bracing portrayal of a ten-year-old who finds her father (Samuel L. Jackson) in a compromising position. She was just what writer-director Kasi Lemmons had envisioned for the lead in her film: "a light-skinned black child … who could convey the nuances of a Creole child in the 60s."

She co-starred with her siblings in the television comedy "On Our Own" (1994-1995) and appeared in numerous television shows such as "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" and "Full House" in which she played Michelle Tanner's young friend Denise. From 1998 to 2000, she appeared as a regular cast member of the Bill Cosby series titled "Cosby". She also played as a regular in "Wanda at Large" as Wanda Sykes' niece Holly in 2003, in the episode 'Fools for Love' as the character "Tracey" on "House", in The Great Debaters, and most recently as Beth, a terminally ill girl who undergoes a clinical trial to successful results in the episode "Freedom" on the popular ABC drama Grey's Anatomy.

Smollett starred with Bow Wow in the 2005 film "Roll Bounce". She played the role of Danyelle Rollins in the 2006 film "Gridiron Gang", and also played leading roles in the racial drama "Selma, Lord, Selma", as well as "Beautiful Joe" (alongside Sharon Stone and Billy Connolly) and "Ruby's Bucket of Blood". In 2007, she played the role of Samantha Booke in "The Great Debaters" (which was directed by Denzel Washington and produced by Oprah Winfrey).

Personal life

Smollett has four brothers and one sister, all of whom are actors:

* Jazz Smollett
* Jocqui Smollett
* Jake Smollett
* Jojo Smollett
* Jussie Smollett

Smollett has been active in HIV/AIDS involved causes since she was twelve. [ [http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2006-02/2006-02-28-voa48.cfm?CFID=76667357&CFTOKEN=44034378 Voice of America] ] She has spoken at the Ryan White Youth Conference, and elsewhere, on this issue. Her first encounter with the disease came at age seven when a crew member of "On Our Own" died of AIDS. [ [http://www.aumag.org/coverstory/August06cover.html Art & Understanding Magazine (AIDS-related issues magazine)] ] She is also on the Board of Directors of the group Artists for a New South Africa, [ [http://www.ansafrica.org/boardOfDir.html ANSA site] ] dedicated to dealing with HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Awards/nominations

*Black Reel Awards
**2006, Best Ensemble (Roll Bounce) Nominated
**2002, Best Supporting Actress- Network/Cable (Ruby's Bucket of Blood) Nominated

*Broadcast Film Critics Awards
**1998, Best Child Performance (Eve's Bayou) Winner

*Image Awards
**2008, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture- (The Great Debaters) Winner
**2000, Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress- (Cosby) Winner
**1999, Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress- (Cosby) Winner
**1998, Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress- (Eve's Bayou) Nominated

*Teen Choice Awards
**2008, Choice Movie: Breakout Female (The Great Debaters), Nominated

*Young Artist Awards
**1998, Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress- (Eve's Bayou) Nominated
**1995, Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten in a TV Series- "On Our Own" Nominated

References

External links

*imdb name|0810619
*tv.com person|id=11407|name=Jurnee Smollett
* [http://jurnee-smollett.com/ The Official Jurnee Smollett Fansite]