Jason Mitchell (born January 5, 1987) is an American actor. Mitchell started his career acting in minor roles in films such as the action-thriller '' Contraband'' (2012), and the neo-noir ''

Broken City ''Broken City'' is a 2013 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Allen Hughes and written by Brian Tucker. Mark Wahlberg stars as a police officer turned private investigator and Russell Crowe as the mayor of New York City who hires ...

'' (2013). He is best known for portraying rapper Eazy-E in the 2015 biopic '' Straight Outta Compton''. The film is considered his career breakthrough, for which he received numerous award nominations including the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture. Mitchell has also appeared in the

Key and Peele ''Key & Peele'' (abbreviated to ''K&P'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele for Comedy Central. Both Key and Peele previously worked on ''Mad TV.'' Each episode of the show consists ...

comedy film '' Keanu'' (2016), the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

film ''

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

'' (2016),

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...

's ''

The Disaster Artist ''The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made'' is a 2013 non-fiction book written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. Sestero details the troubled development and production of the 2003 cult film ''The Room,'' hi ...

'' (2017), and the blockbuster '' Kong: Skull Island'' (2017). He has also appeared in critically acclaimed film such as

Kathryn Bigelow Kathryn Ann Bigelow (; born November 27, 1951) is an American filmmaker. Covering a wide range of genres, her films include '' Near Dark'' (1987), '' Point Break'' (1991), '' Strange Days'' (1995), '' K-19: The Widowmaker'' (2002), ''The Hurt Loc ...

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

'' (2017),

Dee Rees Diandrea Rees (born February 7, 1977) is an American screenwriter and director. She is known for her feature films '' Pariah'' (2011), '' Bessie'' (2015), '' Mudbound'' (2017), and '' The Last Thing He Wanted'' (2020). Rees has also written and d ...

' historical drama ''

Mudbound ''Mudbound'' (2008) is the debut novel by American author Hillary Jordan. It has been translated into French, Italian, Serbian, Norwegian, Swedish, and Turkish and has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide. The novel took Jordan seven years t ...

'' (2017) and

Janicza Bravo Janicza Michelle Bravo Ford (; born February 25, 1981) is an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Her films include ''Gregory Go Boom'', a winner of the short-film jury award at the Sundance Film Festival; ''Lemon'', co-writte ...

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

Zola Zola may refer to: People * Zola (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * Zola (musician) (born 1977), South African entertainer * Zola (rapper), French rapper * Émile Zola, a major nineteenth-century French writer Plac ...

'' (2021). Mitchell is also known for his television roles, making guest appearances in the

Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...

limited series '' Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams'' (2018),

Alan Yang Alan Michael Yang (born August 22, 1983) is an American screenwriter, producer, director and actor. He was a writer and producer for the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received his first Emmy nomination. With Aziz Ansari, Yang ...

's dark comedy series ''

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama * ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...

'' acting alongside

Hong Chau Hong Chau (born June 25, 1979) is an American actress who gained recognition for her supporting role in the 2017 film '' Downsizing'', in which she played the character Ngoc Lan Tran. For her performance, she was nominated for several supporting ...

. Starting in 2018 he was cast in

Lena Waithe Lena Waithe (born May 17, 1984) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series ''The Chi'' (2018–present) and the BET comedy series ''Boomerang'' (2019–20) and '' Twenties'' (2020–pres ...

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

series ''

The Chi ''The Chi'' ( ) is an American drama television series created by Lena Waithe about life in a neighborhood on the South Side, Chicago, South Side of Chicago. The pilot was directed by Rick Famuyiwa. It premiered on Showtime (TV network), Showti ...

'' until 2019 when he was accused of multiple allegations of misconduct and subsequently fired from the show. He was also dropped by several talent agencies.

Career

Mitchell had his film debut in 2011 as a 7-Eleven cashier in the crime film ''

Texas Killing Fields The Texas Killing Fields is a 25-acre patch of land in League City, Texas situated a mile from Interstate Highway 45 and approximately 26 miles southeast of Houston. Since the early 1970s, 33 bodies of murder victims have been found along the I- ...

''. He continued acting in minor roles such as the action-thriller '' Contraband'' (2012) starring

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three ...

, and the political neo-noir ''

'' (2013) starring Russell Crowe and Wahlberg. In 2014, Mitchell made his film breakthrough when he was cast as Compton rapper Eazy-E in the

F. Gary Gray Felix Gary Gray (born July 17, 1969) is an Americans, American film director, film producer, and music video director. Gray began his career as a director on numerous critically acclaimed and award-winning music videos, including "It Was a Good ...

directed biopic '' Straight Outta Compton'', with his performance being met with significant praise by critics. He received multiple awards nominations including the

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast (or Ensemble) in a Motion Picture is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film. Winners and nominees : 1990s 2000s 2010s 2 ...

. In 2016, he appeared in '' Keanu'', which starred

Keegan-Michael Key Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He co-created and co-starred alongside Jordan Peele in Comedy Central's sketch series ''Key & Peele'' (2012–2015) and co-starred in USA Netw ...

and Jordan Peele, and in the

biopic about

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

. In 2017 starred as a

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

officer in the blockbuster

monster movie A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall under ...

, '' Kong: Skull Island''. That same year he also appeared in

's comedy film ''

''. He also starred in two critically acclaimed films,

's crime drama ''

'' starring

John Boyega John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega (born 17 March 1992), known professionally as John Boyega, is a British actor and producer. He first rose to prominence in his native Britain for his role as Moses in the sci-fi comedy film ''Attack the Block' ...

Kaitlyn Dever Kaitlyn Rochelle Dever (; born December 21, 1996) is an American actress. She gained recognition for her roles in the FX crime drama television series '' Justified'' (2011–2015), the ABC/ Fox sitcom '' Last Man Standing'' (2011–2021), the N ...

, and

Will Poulter William Jack Poulter (born 28 January 1993) is a British actor. He first gained recognition for his role as Eustace Scrubb in the fantasy adventure film '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' (2010). He received critical ...

and

' historical drama ''

''. For the later he received the

Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award The Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award is presented to the ensemble cast, director and casting director of a film by the Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. It is named after dir ...

and the Gotham Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance along the cast which included

Carey Mulligan Carey Hannah Mulligan (born 28 May 1985) is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award. Mulli ...

Jason Clarke Jason Clarke (born 17 July 1969) is an Australian actor. He has appeared in many TV series, and is known for playing Tommy Caffee on the television series '' Brotherhood''. He has also appeared in many films, often as an antagonist. His film r ...

Jonathan Banks Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Chillum Heights, Maryland, while attending Indiana University Bloomington Banks did theatre. In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles where he be ...

, and

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

. Mitchell also received his second Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture nomination. Michell has also made appearances in television including in the

limited series '' Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams'' (2017) where he appeared in the episode, "Kill all Others". He also appeared in the

created dark comedy series ''

'' (2018) starring in the episode "Andre and Sarah", playing Andre with

playing Sarah. The episode was critically acclaimed for its storytelling and performances. In 2018, Mitchell starred in the

drama series ''

'', but did not return for a third season due to his misconduct allegations.

Controversies

Sexual misconduct allegations

In May 2019, Mitchell was fired from ''The Chi'' when showrunners Ayanna Floyd Davis and co-star

Tiffany Boone Tiffany Boone (born August 27, 1987) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Roxy Jones in '' Hunters'', Mandy Lang in the second season of the FOX TV series '' The Following'' and for her supporting roles as Savannah Snow and Mimi ...

accused him of

sexual misconduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, se ...

. Boone was among many actresses who "made repeated complaints of sexual harassment" against Mitchell and said she felt "unsafe" around him. While creator and showrunner

claimed that Mitchell had never acted inappropriately towards her, she knew of the allegations after filming had wrapped on season one of ''The Chi''. Waithe reportedly sought preemptive and corrective measures to handle the situation. She stated that there had been extensive sexual harassment training on set and that she confronted Mitchell about the allegations by saying, "There was definitely a conversation where I called him and got really real". Waithe alleged the harassment and misconduct allegations continued into season two despite the corrective measures taken. Mitchell denied the multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against him saying, "I'm all for the

Me Too movement #MeToo is a social movement against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in ...

...but I think in this situation, loyd Davistried to use it as a really, really ugly weapon". Mitchell was subsequently fired from the

film '' Desperados'', and was dropped by

United Talent Agency United Talent Agency (UTA) is a global talent agency based in Beverly Hills, California. Established in 1991, it represents artists and other professionals across the entertainment industry. , the company has more than 1,400 global employees. U ...

and Authentic Talent & Literary Management.

Criminal charges

Mitchell was arrested on April 22, 2020, on multiple counts, including "possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a felon." Officers searched his SUV and found about 2 pounds of marijuana with a bag of 1,300 dosage units of Ecstasy. Deputies also found an

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms d ...

firearm and a Glock 9mm pistol with extended magazines. Mitchell was released after posting a $150,000 surety bond.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Jason 1987 births Living people African-American male actors American male film actors Male actors from New Orleans 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people