Jermaine R. “Huggy” Hopkins (born August 23, 1973) is an American television and film

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. Hopkins is best known for his roles as Dupree on

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...

sitcom ''

The Wayans Bros ''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans. The series also starred John Witherspoon and Anna Maria Ho ...

''. from 1996 to 1998, and as Thomas Sams in the 1989 film, '' Lean on Me'', Eric "Steel" Thurman in the 1992 crime drama thriller ''

Juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...

'', Benny King in the 1996 film ''

Phat Beach ''Phat Beach'' is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Doug Ellin, which stars Jermaine 'Huggy' Hopkins, Coolio , Brian Hooks and Gregg Vance. Made by a group of young independent film lovers, the movie turned out to be considered by many a ...

'' and Kilo in the 1997 comedy film ''

Def Jam's How to Be a Player ''Def Jam's How to Be a Player'' is a 1997 sex comedy film, starring Bill Bellamy, Natalie Desselle and Bernie Mac. The film was directed by Lionel C. Martin, and written by Mark Brown and Demetria Johnson. The '' How to Be a Player Soundtrack'' ...

''.

Career

Born in Elizabeth New Jersey, Hopkins began his acting career as a teenager. At age 15, Hopkins fell into the acting business when his mother brought him to a casting-call audition in New York for the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

feature '' Lean on Me'', in which he got a starring role opposite

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

as Thomas Sams, a misguided drug-abusing high school student. His next project ''Juice'', directed by Ernest R. Dickerson, had him starring as Steel alongside

Khalil Kain Khalil Kain is an American actor, film producer and rapper best known for his role as Raheem Porter in the 1992 crime thriller film ''Juice'' and as the second Darnell Wilkes on the UPN/CW sitcom '' Girlfriends'' (2001–2008). He is also known fo ...

Omar Epps Omar Hashim Epps (born July 20, 1973) is an American actor, rapper, and producer. He has been awarded nine NAACP Image Awards, two Teen Choice Awards, one MTV Movie Award, one Black Reel Award, and one Screen Actors Guild Award. Epps's film role ...

, and

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...

. Hopkins subsequently starred in the HBO worldwide release ''

Strapped ''Strapped'' is a 1993 American television crime drama film produced by HBO Showcase. The film was directed by Forest Whitaker and is the cinematic debut of Bokeem Woodbine. It features several rappers including Fredro Starr, Sticky Fingaz, Bu ...

'', that would be

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Forest Whitaker, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award ...

's directorial debut. Over the next two years, Hopkins appeared in episodes of '' Murder One'' and ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' () is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class famil ...

'', and six episodes as Dupree on

's ''

The Wayans Bros. ''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans. The series also starred John Witherspoon and Anna Maria Hors ...

'' series, before finishing production on his next film ''

'', starring opposite

Bill Bellamy William Bellamy (born April 7, 1965) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Bellamy first gained national notoriety on HBO's Russell Simmons' ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he is credited for creating or coining the phrase "booty call", descri ...

and comedian

Pierre Edwards Pierre Edwards (born May 7, 1967) known as Pierre, is an American actor, director, writer, and stand-up comedian. Pierre is best known for producing, writing, directing, and starring as Dre Mitchell in ''For Da Love of Money'' (2002), and starr ...

Legal Issues

Hopkins was arrested on December 15, 2011, for attempting to purchase of marijuana from an undercover cop. He previously faced up to five years in prison, but was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years' probation. Hopkins was arrested again on October 13, 2017, in

Apex, North Carolina Apex () is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. At its southern border, Apex encompasses the community of Friendship. In 1994, the downtown area was designated a historic district, and the Apex train depot, built in 1867, is desig ...

with of marijuana in the trunk of his car. TMZ reports Hopkins pled guilty to felony possession. However, the judge suspended his four-month sentence, instead giving Hopkins 24 months of supervised probation.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Jermaine 1975 births Living people African-American male actors Male actors from New Jersey American male child actors American male film actors 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people