Smollett began his acting career at age 13 in 1990s films, most notably Jussie Smollett Mighty Ducks as the obnoxious Goldberg and Money Train as Jack Murphy. He played the character of an 11-year-old who accidentally catches the eponymous money train by jumping on top of it with his skateboard.
Smollett later appeared in films such as The Wood, Jungle 2 Jungle, and Breakin’ All the Rules. The actor had roles in television sitcoms and became a teen idol while starring in his own Disney Channel sitcom, On Our Own, where he played Eddie Winslow’s son, Lance.
Table of Contents
Jussie Smollett Mighty Ducks actor Early Life
Jussie Smollett became famous for his movie Jussie Smollett The Mighty Ducks. Smollett was born and raised in San Bernardino, California. His parents are Janet (Foster) and Joel Smollett; he has two siblings.
As a child, friends teased him for his ears, which were large enough to have required multiple surgeries. Friends used to call me ‘Dumbo,’ he told The Huffington Post in 2012.
Around fourth grade is when he decided to be an actor. When he was 12 years old, his family moved to Illinois. He played football and basketball at Thornton Fractional South High School and acted during his senior year but dropped out at age 17 before finishing high school due to academic issues.
His strong adverse reaction to being forced to move from California led him to confront his mother about her frequent absences from their home and eventually caused them both to cry.
He later said he knew something had to change, as later told the media. In 2015, speaking with Billboard magazine, Smollett revealed that he suffered sexual abuse as a child by older boys while living in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood.
There were so many things that were just awful, he said. In 2015, Smollett performed in an amateur production of Richard III while attending Northwestern University, where he studied theater.
Family And Personal Life
Jussie Smollett is a prominent actor; he was born at home on June 21, 1982. He has a brother named Jocque and a sister, Jazz. His father, Joel, is an employee of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and his mother, Donna, is an administrator at DePaul University.
Since his early childhood, he knew that he wanted to be an actor. Thus, after graduating from Glenbrook North High School in 2000, he moved to Los Angeles to fulfill his dream.
At first, he had some difficulties but finally started landing minor roles for TV series such as E.R. and The Guardian.
In 2007, he got his break when he landed a role in the Fox drama Prison Break and Jussie Smollett in Mighty Ducks. He appeared in I Can Do Bad All By Myself as Malcolm Davenport and later became the main character in the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee (2009–2015).
In 2016, he played one of the lead roles – Underground Railroad conductor Levi Coffin – in Free State of Jones (2016). In 2017, Smollett received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy for his role in Empire.
On January 29, 2019, Smollett alleged that two men attacked him in Chicago and shouted racial and homophobic slurs. Later it turned out that the attack never happened.
On February 20, 2019, Cook County prosecutors charged him with 16 felony counts, including disorderly conduct, for filing an untrue report to the police about a hate crime attack. On March 14, 2019, Smollett pleaded not guilty to all charges against him; his next court date is April 11.
Jussie Smollett Mighty Ducks actor’s career
Jussie Smollett got his start on Broadway and then landed a role in A Different World. In 2010, he got his film debut as Roger in Grown Ups, but his role as Rod Williams, Jr. (Rodger) put him on people’s radars.
After that, he had parts in two different seasons of American Horror Story (Coven and Hotel), Empire, The Magnificent Seven, and Snatched, among others. He also acted alongside Emma Stone and Jonah Hill in one of my all-time favorite movies: 21 Jump Street.
But, nothing will ever top his role as the kid in Jussie Smollett Mighty Ducks. His performance is what sold on wanting to play hockey when you grew up. You are missing out if you haven’t seen The Mighty Ducks or Jussie’s incredible performance. It’s definitely worth your time! And if you’ve seen it, watch it again—it’s so good!
Filmography
Actor Jussie Smollett Mighty Ducks quickly became one of Hollywood’s up-and-coming stars. With roles in hit movies like “Eighth Grade” and “The Hate U Give,” it’s no wonder why! Here’s a list of Jussie Smollett’s top movies, with the year they were released:
- “Eighth Grade” (2018)
- Â “The Hate U Give” (2018)
- Â “The Great Wall” (2017)
- “Get Out” (2017)
- “BlacKkKlansman” (2018)
- “Straight Outta Compton” (2015)
- “Wind River” (2018)
- “The Florida Project” (2017)
- “A Star Is Born” (2018)
- “The Hate U Give” (2017)
- “Smokey and the Bandit” (1977)
- “The Blues Brothers” (1980)
- “Back to the Future” (1985)
- “E.T.” (1982)
- “Jurassic Park” (1993)
- “Mission: Impossible” (1996)
- “The Karate Kid” (1984)
- “Gremlins” (1984)
- “The Color Purple” (1985)
- “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)
- “Rocky” (1976)
- “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)
- “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” (1983)
- “The Terminator” (1984)
- “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986)
- “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1981)
- “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)
- “Back to the Future Part II” (1989)
- Mighty Ducks (1992) (T.V. series)
- Shocker on Ice (1993)
- Part 2: Send In The Clones (1993)
- Mr. Bombay (1994)
- Attack of The Zit Monster (1995)
- The Big Chill Out (1996)
- Â D2: The Mighty Ducks (1997)
- The Duck Man (1998)
Television Work
The Empire star landed a role on an episode of Jussie Smollett Mighty Ducks. The ’90s sports movie series got rebooted for the TV version. Jussie appears in an episode when it airs next year on Disney XD.
He’ll play himself and another character (with a different name) that gets drafted onto both his high school basketball team and hockey team at once. The whole thing is interesting, but you’ll take any excuse to watch more of what Jussie does best: perform.
Music Videos
Jussie has achieved recognition and critical acclaim as a recording artist in his solo career. He released two studio albums independently through his record label, Smollett Music Company, debuting at #1 on the iTunes R&B chart.
Jussie Smollett Mighty Ducks are one of the best movies. His first album received nominations for Best New Artist at Soul Train Awards (2013).
In 2016, he released a second album, A Real Good Kid, which peaked at number eight on Billboard 200.
And to date, his most successful single to date is Magic, which was certified platinum in three countries. You can hear the single in several television shows and video games such as Empire, How to Get Away with Murder, and NBA Live 16.
Your favorite musicians are hustling, performing live shows at clubs and bars, and recording videos to promote their latest music or album. You can get your share of promotional opportunities by creating your original music video (and then sharing it on YouTube).
It’s not just a chance to show off your musical chops; it’s also a way to let fans know what’s coming up next for you as an artist. For example, when rapper Wale released his Bad video earlier this year, he included content exclusive to fans who first purchased his concert tickets.
Awards And Nominations
In 2007, Jussie Smollett Mighty Ducks received a nomination for a Grammy for his work on Kanye West’s Late Registration.
He also got a recurring role on The Guardian as Joshua Matthews’s character. His breakthrough role came in 2011 when he appeared as a guest star on three episodes of Fox’s Glee.
He landed another recurring character spot on The C.W.’s short-lived 90210 reboots, followed by a multi-episode arc on CBS’ Person of Interest.
In 2014, he got one of his most prominent roles yet with Empire, where he played Jamal Lyon—the gay middle son who works at Empire Entertainment. As you can see from all of these shows, Smollett has been working hard to get into acting, and he is doing well so far.
Jussie Smollett The Mighty Ducks reboot
A reboot of The Mighty Ducks is in the works. According to insiders, the iconic hockey staple is coming back as a 10-episode T.V. spin-off on Disney+ starring Emilio Estevez.
Even though Jussie Smollett began his career with The Mighty Ducks, his publicist has failed to comment on whether he would repeat his role in the new series.
Although the performer hasn’t said anything about the film, there’s little question he relished the fame and chances that led to this opportunity.
Final thoughts
Jussie Smollett is best known for his role as Jamal on Fox’s Empire and Jussie Smollett Mighty Ducks. But some individuals may be surprised to learn that he also starred in a 90s Disney classic alongside young Frances McDormand and Elden Henson.
It’s true! In 1992, Jussie was cast as Dean Portman, opposite Portman’s on-screen girlfriend, Bethany Byrd (McDormand).
He even tried out for a small part; you guessed it, that ultimately went to Henson. If you need any further convincing of Jussie’s Disney cred, this post offers Exhibit B: From 2002 to 2008, he played Maurice Starr on The C.W. hit musical drama series ALL MY CHILDREN.
So yeah, you think it’s safe to say Jussie is more than just a pretty face. And if all of that wasn’t enough, Jussie has another connection to Disney Channel stars. His brother, Jonathan Smollett, plays Eddie Winslow on ABC’s hit comedy Black-ish.
