Jimmy Jean-Louis (born August 8, 1968) is a Haitian actor and producer. Born in

Pétion-Ville Pétion-Ville ( ht, Petyonvil) is a commune and a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the hills east and separate from the city itself on the northern hills of the Massif de la Selle. Founded in 1831 by president Jean-Pierre Boyer, it was named ...

, he moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

at a young age with his family in search of a better life. His early roles were in French television commercials and Spanish musical theatre."Haitian actor Jimmy Jean-Louis joins cast of ‘Heroes Reborn’ on NBC"
interview by Taroue Brooks, ''Rolling Out'', 13 August 2015. Accessed 12 April 2017. Eventually settling in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in the late 1990s, he had small roles in '' The Bourne Identity'', ''

Tears of the Sun ''Tears of the Sun'' is a 2003 American action thriller film depicting a fictitious U.S. Navy SEAL team rescue mission amidst the 21st-century version of the civil war in Nigeria. Lieutenant A.K. Waters (Bruce Willis) commands the team sent t ...

'' and '' Arliss'' before breaking into larger roles in American television and film. He played the character of "

the Haitian This is a list of fictional characters in the television series ''Heroes'', the ''Heroes'' graphic novels, and the ''Heroes'' webisodes. Main characters Character duration In its inaugural season, ''Heroes'' featured an ensemble cast ...

" on the NBC television series ''

Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

'' from 2006-2009. He played the title character in the 2012 French telefilm ''

Toussaint Louverture François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (; also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda; 20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803) was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louverture ...

''.

Early life

Jimmy Jean-Louis was born in

, near

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

, Haiti. He lived there until the age of twelve, when he moved to Paris with his family to pursue a modeling career. After moving he experienced a culture shock because of the rural to city lifestyle change. He enrolled in business courses, but quickly realized that his heart lay in performance, and studied at the Académie Internationale de la Danse. His parents returned to Haiti, but Jean-Louis and his brother remained in Paris. Around a decade later in 1991, producers discovered Jean-Louis during one of his dancing stints in a French club. They tapped him to appear in a Coca-Cola advertisement, the success of which prompted Jean-Louis to spend several years modeling across Europe. In

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

he worked for brands including

Gianfranco Ferré Gianfranco Ferré (; 15 August 1944 – 17 June 2007) was an Italian fashion designer also known as "the architect of fashion" for his background and his original attitude toward creating fashion design. Early life and education Ferré was born ...

and Valentino. Before finding success as a model, he was homeless at times in Paris. By the mid-'90s, he had appeared in music videos for Ophelie Winter,

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single "Hol ...

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

, and

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

. He also began appearing in low-budget independent films in Los Angeles.

Acting career

He worked in musical theatre in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Spain, spending three years with musical theater "La Belle Epoque", before moving to Italy where he worked as a model. He had secondary roles in ''

'', ''

Hollywood Homicide ''Hollywood Homicide'' is a 2003 American action comedy film starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett, with an ensemble supporting cast including Lena Olin, Bruce Greenwood, Isaiah Washington, Lolita Davidovich, Keith David, Gladys Knight, Mast ...

'', ''

Monster-in-Law ''Monster-in-Law'' is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Robert Luketic, written by Anya Kochoff and starring Jennifer Lopez, Jane Fonda, Michael Vartan and Wanda Sykes. It marked a return to cinema for Fonda, being her first film in 15 year ...

'' and '' The Game of Their Lives''. He was cast as the romantic lead in the 2006 film ''

Phat Girlz ''Phat Girlz'' is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Nnegest Likké and starring Mo'Nique, as well as Kendra C. Johnson, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Godfrey, and Joyful Drake. Plot Jazmin Biltmore is a smart-mouthed, plus-size ...

'' starring opposite

Mo'Nique Monique Angela Hicks (née Imes; born December 11, 1967), known professionally as Mo'Nique, is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She has received an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. She ...

as her love interest. He was cast in the recurring role of

The Haitian This is a list of fictional characters in the television series ''Heroes'', the ''Heroes'' graphic novels, and the ''Heroes'' webisodes. Main characters Character duration In its inaugural season, ''Heroes'' featured an ensemble cast ...

on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

television series ''

'', playing a character who is an associate of

Noah Bennet This is a list of fictional characters in the television series ''Heroes'', the ''Heroes'' graphic novels, and the ''Heroes'' webisodes. Main characters Character duration In its inaugural season, ''Heroes'' featured an ensemble cast ...

. In an interview on ''

The Post Show ''The Post Show'' is an interactive television aftershow on G4, covering the NBC series '' Heroes''. Overview The Post Show is a live, half-hour wrap-up show which premiered Saturday, November 3, 2007 on G4. The show features multiple interacti ...

'' on G4, Jean-Louis stated that the Haitian was originally supposed to be from New Zealand, and that the character was going to be named "The Kiwi". He stated that he auditioned three times for the role of D.L. Hawkins, a part which he did not get. In 2013, it was announced that Jean-Louis had been cast in a recurring role in ''

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

''. He portrayed "The Captain", an associate of

Professor Ivo Professor Anthony Ivo (pronunciation: Eye-voh) is a supervillain and mad scientist in DC Comics. He is the creator of the android villain Amazo and, along with villainous scientist T.O. Morrow, the co-creator of the android Tomorrow Woman. As a r ...

. In 2015, he took on a supporting role in the British film, The Cursed Ones. He had a recurring role on season one of

Claws A claw is a curved, pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most amniotes (mammals, reptiles, birds). Some invertebrates such as beetles and spiders have somewhat similar fine, hooked structures at the end of the leg or tarsus ...

but was upgraded to a starring role in season 2. In 2018, he was a jury member at the

Monte-Carlo Television Festival The Monte-Carlo Television Festival is held every year in June in the Monaco, Principality of Monaco at the Grimaldi Forum, under the Honorary Presidency of H.S.H. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert II of Monaco. The opening ceremony ...

and Angouleme Film Festival. In 2019 he both produced and starred in 'Rattlesnakes', based on the stage play by Graham Farrow.

Personal life

Jean-Louis and his wife Evelyn have three children. He enjoys watching and playing

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and is a member of an amateur soccer club

Hollywood United F.C. Hollywood United is an American amateur soccer team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1988, the team plays in Region IV of the United States Adult Soccer Association, a network of amateur leagues at the fifth tier of th ...

, a team consisting mostly of celebrities and former professionals. He is fluent in five languages:

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, French,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, and

Haitian Creole Haitian Creole (; ht, kreyòl ayisyen, links=no, ; french: créole haïtien, links=no, ), commonly referred to as simply ''Creole'', or ''Kreyòl'' in the Creole language, is a French-based creole language spoken by 10–12million people wor ...

. Jean-Louis received the key to

Miami-Dade Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...

County on January 10, 2010 from Mayor Carlos Alvarez. He also received the key to the city of

North Miami North Miami is a suburban city located in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, about north of Miami. The city lies on Biscayne Bay and hosts the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University, and the North Miami campu ...

on May 3, 2018 from Mayor Joseph Smith. He is a patron of the BrandAID Project.BRANDAID PATRONS

2010 Haiti earthquake efforts

After the

2010 Haiti earthquake A disaster, catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (department), Ouest department, a ...

, Jean-Louis went to

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

to search for his elderly parents in Haiti the day after a powerful earthquake struck the nation. Jean-Louis learned that a house he had grown up in collapsed, killing several of his relatives. He is the founder of Hollywood Unites for Haiti, a non-profit charitable aid organization whose original mission was to provide sports and cultural education to underprivileged youth on the island. The group mobilized for disaster relief after the magnitude-7 earthquake. Jean-Louis has taken part in a series of campaigns for Haitian aid, such as singing in the "

We Are The World "We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album ''We Are the World''. Wit ...

" remake of the original for Haiti in February 2010 which aired during the start of the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. As the Ambassador of the

Pan American Development Foundation The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) believes in creating a hemisphere of opportunity, for all. PADF works across Latin America and the Caribbean to make the region stronger—more healthy, peaceful, just, inclusive, resilient, and susta ...

for Haitian children, Jean-Louis testified to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

on their behalf in 2010. Jean-Louis was named Ambassador-at-large to

by President

Michel Martelly Michel Joseph Martelly (; born 12 February 1961) is a Haitian musician and politician who was the President of Haiti from May 2011 until February 2016. He was sanctioned by the Canadian Government for his involvement in human rights violations ...

in 2014.

Awards

* 2012 Best Actor Nomination (

Toussaint Louverture (film) ''Toussaint Louverture'' is a 2012 French film written and directed by Philippe Niang. It stars Jimmy Jean-Louis, Aïssa Maïga and Sonia Rolland and is based on the life of Toussaint Louverture. The film premiered at the 2012 Festival de ...

) -

* 2012 Best Actor Nomination (

) -

African Movie Academy Awards The Africa Movie Academy Awards, popularly known as AMAA and The AMA Awards, is presented annually to recognize excellence among professionals working in, or non-African professionals who have contributed to, the African film industry. It was fou ...

* 2012 MPAH Haiti Movie Awards Honorary Award
Motion Picture Association of Haiti
* 2012 Meilleur Acteur - Festival Vues_d’Afrique * 2012 Best Actor

Pan African Film Festival Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a non-profit corporation in Los Angeles, California, that states its goal is to promote "cultural understanding among peoples of African descent" through exhibiting art and film. It hosts a film festival and an ar ...

* 2013 Excellence in the Arts prize - Caribbean American Heritage Award www.caribbeanheritageawards.org * 2015 Best Documentary Nomination ( Jimmy Goes to Nollywood) -

* 2015 Best Documentary Nomination ( Jimmy Goes to Nollywood) -

* 2017 Best Supporting Actor - Hollywood African Prestigious Awards * 2019 Career Achievement Award -

Montreal International Black Film Festival The Montreal International Black Film Festival is an annual film festival in Montreal, Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' ( ...

* 2019 Meilleur Acteur de la Diaspora Africaine ( Desrances) - Sotigui Awards * 2019 Sotigui D’Or - Sotigui Awards * 2019 Impact In Entertainment Award -

Face2Face Africa Face2Face Africa is a media company based in New York, U.S. The company's online portal reports on Global Black news and current affairs covering topics such as politics, entertainment, and culture. Face2Face Africa holds events, such as the 30 ...

* 2020 Best Actor Win at the

Africa Movie Academy Awards The Africa Movie Academy Awards, popularly known as AMAA and The AMA Awards, is presented annually to recognize excellence among professionals working in, or non-African professionals who have contributed to, the African film industry. It was fou ...

Filmography

References

External links

Official home page
*
Interview with Jimmy Jean-Louis from The Company Podcast
*Jean-Louis' non-profit charitable aid organizatio
Hollywood Unites for HaitiJimmy Jean-Louis @ ECI Global Talent Management
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jean-Louis, Jimmy 1968 births Living people Haitian male actors Haitian male models Haitian footballers American male actors Hollywood United players People from Port-au-Prince Haitian emigrants to the United States 20th-century male actors 21st-century Haitian male actors 20th-century Haitian people Association footballers not categorized by position