Early life

Smollett-Bell was born Jurnee Diana Smollett in New York City, the daughter of Janet and Joel Smollett. Her father was Jewish (his family immigrated from Russia and Poland), and her mother is African American. She is the fourth of six performing siblings, one sister, Jazz, and four brothers: Jussie, JoJo, Jake, and Jocqui.

Career

Early works

Smollett-Bell began her acting career appearing in a recurring roles on the ABC family sitcoms include Full House and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper playing Denise Frazer. From 1994 to 1995, she co-starred with her siblings in the short-lived ABC sitcom On Our Own. In 1996, she appeared in the Francis Ford Coppola film Jack, making her big screen debut.

Smollett-Bell received critical acclaim for her performance as 10-year-old Eve in the 1997 independent film Eve's Bayou opposite Lynn Whitfield, Samuel L. Jackson and Debbi Morgan. In casting the role, writer-director Kasi Lemmons envisioned "a light-skinned black child who could convey the nuances of a Creole child in the 60s." She received the Critic's Choice Award and was nominated for the NAACP Image Award. The following year, she joined the cast of CBS sitcom Cosby, for which she won two NAACP Image Award. In 1999, Smollett-Bell starred in the racially charged Disney channel film Selma, Lord, Selma. In 2000, she co-starred with Sharon Stone and Billy Connolly in the film Beautiful Joe. In 2001, she played the daughter of Angela Bassett in the television film Ruby's Bucket of Blood. In 2005, she co-starred with Bow Wow and Brandon T. Jackson in the roller skating film Roll Bounce. In 2006, she appeared in the drama film Gridiron Gang.

2007—present

In 2007, Smollett-Bell portrayed Samantha Booke (loosely based on Henrietta Bell Wells), the sole female debater at Wiley College in the historical film The Great Debaters. The film was produced by Oprah Winfrey and Harvey Weinstein and starred Denzel Washington, who also directed the feature. For her performance, Smollett-Bel received NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. The following year, she returned to television, appearing in two episodes of ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. From 2009 to 2011, she was regular cast member in the DirecTV drama series Friday Night Lights playing Jess Merriweather. From 2010 to 2011, she also co-starred with Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell on the short-lived CBS legal drama The Defenders. From 2013 to 2014, she was regular on HBO series True Blood.

In 2013, Smollett-Bell played the leading role in the drama film Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor directed by Tyler Perry. The film received negative reviews from critics, but was box-office hit grossing $53,125,354. It is the highest-grossing Tyler Perry film which the writer-director did not star in and the highest-grossing Tyler Perry drama. She later played Juanita Leonard, the wife of boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, in the 2016 biographical sport film Hands of Stone co-starring with Usher and Robert De Niro.

In 2015, Smollett-Bell was cast as lead character in the WGN America period drama series Underground. Smollett-Bell plays Rosalee, a shy house slave, working on a plantation in 1857.

Personal life

Smollett-Bell has been active in HIV/AIDS causes since she was 11. She spoke at the Ryan White Youth Conference. Her first encounter with the disease came at age seven when a crew member of On Our Own died of AIDS. Smollett-Bell is on the Board of Directors of Artists for a New South Africa, an organization dedicated to HIV/AIDS in Africa. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Children’s Defense Fund.

On October 24, 2010, she married musician Josiah Bell.

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1996	Jack	Phoebe
1997	Eve's Bayou	Eve Batiste	Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Child Performance San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress Nominated — Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film Nominated — YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Drama Film
2000	Beautiful Joe	Vivien
2005	Roll Bounce	Tori Turner
2006	Gridiron Gang	Danyelle Rollins
2007	The Great Debaters	Samantha Booke	NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Female
2012	Captain Planet 4	Gaia	Short film
2013	Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor	Judith
2016	Hands of Stone	Juanita Leonard
2017	One Last Thing

Television

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1991	Sunday in Paris	Alison Chase	Unsold pilot
1992	Out All Night	Laquita	Episode: "The Kid"
1992-1994	Full House	Denise Frazer	13 episodes
1992	Hangin' with Mr. Cooper	Denise Frazer	4 episodes
1992	Martin	Little Girl	Episode: "I Saw Gina Kissing Santa Claus"
1994-1995	On Our Own	Jordee Jerrico	Series regular, 20 episodes Nominated — Young Artist Award for Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten in a TV Series
1996	NYPD Blue	Hanna	Episode: "Where's 'Swaldo"
1998-2000	Cosby	Jurnee	Series regular, 8 episodes NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress (1999, 2000)
1999	Selma, Lord, Selma	Sheyann Webb	Television film Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress: Television Movie/Cable
1999	Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child	Ali Baba	Episode: "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves"
2001	Ruby's Bucket of Blood	Emerald Delacroix	Television film Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress: Television Movie/Cable
2002	Strong Medicine	Ruby	Episode: "Positive"
2002	ER	Romy	Episode: "Next of Kin"
2003	Wanda at Large	Holly Hawkins	Series regular, 6 episodes
2006	House	Tracy	Episode: "Fools for Love"
2008	Grey's Anatomy	Beth	2 episodes
2009-2011	Friday Night Lights	Jess Merriweather	Series regular, 26 episodes Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
2010-2011	The Defenders	Lisa Tyler	Series regular, 18 episodes
2012, 2013	The Mob Doctor	Traci Coolidge	2 episodes
2013-2014	True Blood	Nicole Wright	Series regular, 19 episodes
2013	Do No Harm	Abby Young	2 episodes
2013	Parenthood	Heather Hall	7 episodes
2016-present	Underground	Rosalee	Series regular

[ Source: Wikipedia ]