Bio
Jussie Smollett is an American actor, singer and photographer best known for his starring role as Jamal Lyon, the middle son and black sheep of the Lyon family who is a talented, gay singer-songwriter, in the musical drama television series Empire.
Smollett has been seen alongside Halle Berry and Danny Glover in Alex Haley's Queen. He appeared on Revenge and The Mindy Project. He can also be seen as British racecar driver Tariq Hamilton in the feature film Born to Race: Fast Track.
Other feature film credits include The Mighty Ducks and Rob Reiner's North. He also appeared in the telefilm A Little Piece of Heaven, opposite Cloris Leachman, and went on to star with his five real-life siblings in the network comedy On Our Own.
He was seen in the independent film Ask Me Anything, alongside Britt Robertson and Justin Long. In the 2012 film The Skinny, Smollett received rave reviews for his portrayal of Magnus, a gay medical student hosting his college friends in New York City.
Smollett is actively involved in numerous charities and was named by the Black AIDS Institute as one of the 30 artists under 30 truly making a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS. He sits on the Board of Artists for a New South Africa, and he supports the Jenesee Foundation, a shelter for battered women.
Born in Santa Rosa, CA, Smollett lives in Los Angeles. He is the older brother of actress Jurnee Smollett.