Christopher Neal Jackson (born September , ) is an American actor,
singer, musician, and composer. He began his career in starring in
the Off-Broadway musical Time and the Wind by composer Galt MacDermot
when he was just years old. He made his Broadway debut in as an
ensemble member in the Original Broadway Cast of Disney's The Lion
King. He remained with the show for several years, ultimately taking
over the role of Simba. He went on to perform leading roles in several
more Broadway musicals and plays, including After Midnight, Bronx
Bombers, Holler If Ya Hear Me, and Memphis. He drew critical acclaim
in several projects with Lin-Manuel Miranda: originating the roles of
Benny in In the Heights and George Washington in the smash hit
Hamilton. For the latter role he was nominated for a Tony Award for
Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He also collaborated with Miranda on
the Disney film Moana in which he provides the singing voice of Chief
Tui. His other film work includes secondary roles in After.Life and
Tracers.Jackson currently stars as Chunk Palmer in the main cast of
the CBS television drama Bull. His other television work includes the
recurring role of Perry Loftus in the HBO prison drama Oz and guest
appearances on Fringe, Gossip Girl, Nurse Jackie, The Good Wife and
White Collar. Also active as a film and television composer, he won a
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song for "What I Am" for
the children's television program Sesame Street. He has also written
music for LL Cool J, Sean Kingston, and will.i.am. In , Jackson
received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Oglethorpe University in
Atlanta, Georgia.Born in Metropolis, Illinois and raised in Cairo,
Illinois by his mother, Jane Adams, a vocal music teacher, and
stepfather Herbert Michael Hodges. In he graduated from Cairo High
School. While a student there he performed in plays and was encouraged
to pursue a career as an actor by one of his high school teachers,
Lynn Steveson, who also led the school's debate team of which Jackson
was a part. She also cast him in a production of Arthur Miller's The
Crucible. He credits Pilots basketball coach Larry Baldwin and Pastor
Larry Potts of Mighty Rivers Regional Worship Center as other
important mentors during his formative years in Cairo.
singer, musician, and composer. He began his career in starring in
the Off-Broadway musical Time and the Wind by composer Galt MacDermot
when he was just years old. He made his Broadway debut in as an
ensemble member in the Original Broadway Cast of Disney's The Lion
King. He remained with the show for several years, ultimately taking
over the role of Simba. He went on to perform leading roles in several
more Broadway musicals and plays, including After Midnight, Bronx
Bombers, Holler If Ya Hear Me, and Memphis. He drew critical acclaim
in several projects with Lin-Manuel Miranda: originating the roles of
Benny in In the Heights and George Washington in the smash hit
Hamilton. For the latter role he was nominated for a Tony Award for
Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He also collaborated with Miranda on
the Disney film Moana in which he provides the singing voice of Chief
Tui. His other film work includes secondary roles in After.Life and
Tracers.Jackson currently stars as Chunk Palmer in the main cast of
the CBS television drama Bull. His other television work includes the
recurring role of Perry Loftus in the HBO prison drama Oz and guest
appearances on Fringe, Gossip Girl, Nurse Jackie, The Good Wife and
White Collar. Also active as a film and television composer, he won a
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song for "What I Am" for
the children's television program Sesame Street. He has also written
music for LL Cool J, Sean Kingston, and will.i.am. In , Jackson
received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Oglethorpe University in
Atlanta, Georgia.Born in Metropolis, Illinois and raised in Cairo,
Illinois by his mother, Jane Adams, a vocal music teacher, and
stepfather Herbert Michael Hodges. In he graduated from Cairo High
School. While a student there he performed in plays and was encouraged
to pursue a career as an actor by one of his high school teachers,
Lynn Steveson, who also led the school's debate team of which Jackson
was a part. She also cast him in a production of Arthur Miller's The
Crucible. He credits Pilots basketball coach Larry Baldwin and Pastor
Larry Potts of Mighty Rivers Regional Worship Center as other
important mentors during his formative years in Cairo.
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