Jabari Banks
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Jabari Banks | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Jabari Banks during an interview with Ebony magazine (2022). | |
| Born | August 2, 1998 West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of the Arts (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2022–present |
Jabari Banks (born August 2, 1998) is an American actor. His notable lead roles in television series include Bel-Air (2022), 97th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2023), Bad Genius (2024), and American Dream: The 21 Savage Story (2024). Banks was nominated for the 2024 NAACP Image Awards for his role as Will Smith in Bel-Air.[1]
Career[edit]
Birth and background[edit]
Born in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Maurice Banks, an African-American and the mother, Jenifer Banks, a Jamaican descent had five children including Jabari. However, his parents got divorced when he was eight and he completed his primary education at Simeon Career Academy. Afterwards, he proceeded to Chicago Public School where he attended his secondary education. Banks bagged his BA in fine arts and theatre art from University of the Arts, Philadelphia.[2]
Rise to prominence: career breakthrough[edit]
Banks rose to prominence by his role as Will Smith in the Peacock's American television series, Bel-Air. He was called "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", which adopted a show after the film release. He has also featured in other movies including Access Hollywood (existed since 1996), The Amber Ruffin Show (2020).
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bad Genius | Remake of the 2017 Thai thriller film Bad Genius | [3] | |
| American Dream: The 21 Savage Story | Upcoming film set to be released in July 2024. | [4][5] |
Television series[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–present | Bel-Air | Will Smith | [6] | |
| 2022 | Kid of the Year | Guest | Appeared as guest, hosted by Trevor Noah |
Discography[edit]
Singles[edit]
- “Something Else” (2023)
Awards and nominations[edit]
If I can brag on Jabari for a quick second here: There's what you see on screen and that's talent and that's great but that's not the entire job. You're No. 1 on the call sheet and you have to show up at 5 O'clock in the morning day in and day out. You have to pace yourself through a lot of pages and a lot of work—and you have to do it during a pandemic. You have to be spot-on every day and that's a lot. He didn't have a lot of professional experience when he started which kept me up at night as we were trying to decide to give him the job but it was a very good gamble which paid off tremendously."
—Rasheed Newson, in praising Bank's role in Bel-Air on Deadline.[7]
In 2023, Banks was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for his roles in Bel-Air.[8] He was also nominated in BET Awards 2022 for the BET Award for Best Actor.
References[edit]
- ^ "NAACP Image Awards 2024: See the Complete Winners List". People. March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Skyler Caruso (February 11, 2022). "What to Know About 'Bel-Air's Breakout Star Jabari Banks". People.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (March 23, 2023). "Benedict Wong, 'Bel-Air' Star Jabari Banks Set for English-Language Remake of 'Bad Genius'". hollywoodreporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Curto, Justin (January 12, 2024). "Savage and Donald Glover's Movie American Dream Isn't Just a Fever Dream". vulture.com. Vulture magazine. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Bloom, Madison (January 26, 2024). "21 Savage Calls Trailer for Donald Glover Biopic a "Parody," Says Movie Isn't Likely Happening". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork magazine. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Hailu, Selome (June 6, 2022). "Bel-Air Star Jabari Banks on Being Compared to Will Smith and the Power of Gen Z Artists". Variety. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ 'Bel-Air' Cast & Creator On Being Faithful To The Classic Sitcom While Forging New Identity – Contenders TV. deadline.com. Deadline magazine. March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (February 25, 2023). "NAACP Image Awards: Abbott Elementary, P-Valley and The Best Man: Final Chapters Are TV's Big Winners". tvline.com. TVLine. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
External links[edit]
- Jabari Banks at IMDb
- 1998 births
- 21st-century African-American people
- Living people
- 21st-century American male actors
- African-American male actors
- American male television actors
- 21st-century African-American male singers
- African-American male singer-songwriters
- Male actors from Philadelphia
- 21st-century American male singers
- Epic Records artists
- American people of Jamaican descent
- University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni