The Biography

Jurnee Diana Smollett (born October 1, 1986) is an American actress. Smollett began her career as a child actress appearing on television sitcoms, including On Our Own (1994–1995) and Full House (1992–1994). As an adult, Smollett has starred in the films The Great Debaters (2007), Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013), and Birds of Prey (2020). Her television roles include the NBC sports drama Friday Night Lights (2009–2011), the HBO fantasy horror drama True Blood (2013–2014), the WGN America period drama Underground (2016–2017), and the HBO horror drama Lovecraft Country (2020). For the latter, she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.