Jeremy Steven Suarez (born July 6, 1990)[1] is an American actor, best known for his role as Jordan Tompkins on The Bernie Mac Show (2001–2006), and as the voice of Koda in Brother Bear (2003) and Brother Bear 2 (2006).

Jeremy Suarez
Born
Jeremy Steven Suarez

(1990-07-06) July 6, 1990 (age 34)
OccupationActor
Years active1996–present

Beginning his career as a child actor at the age of five, he first appeared as Tyson Tidwell in Jerry Maguire (1996), and most recently appeared as Nathaniel in The Fix (2017). Throughout his career, Suarez has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards, two Young Artist Awards and an Annie Award.

Biography

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Suarez is of African and Cuban descent, and is the oldest of three siblings. He was raised in the Muslim religion.[2]

In 1996, he made his debut in Jerry Maguire as Rod Tidwell's son Tyson.[3] He appeared in the short-lived sitcom Built to Last (1997) as Ryce Watkins,[4] the youngest son in a family of seven.[5] Suarez made guest appearances on sitcoms Sister, Sister (1996) and The Wayans Bros. (1998), and had a recurring role as Raymond Wilkes on medical drama Chicago Hope (1996−98).

When Suarez was 8 years old, he joined the cast of the sitcom The Bernie Mac Show (2001−06) as Jordan Tompkins, the nephew of the titular character Bernie Mac.[6][7] For portraying Jordan, Suarez received two NAACP Image Award nominations.[8][9] Suarez appeared on Larry King Live in 2008 with his fellow cast to discuss Mac's death.[10]

He voiced Koda, a bear cub whose mother was killed by the protagonist,[11] in the Disney film Brother Bear (2003).[12] A book author believed Suarez's performance was the best in the film.[13] Suarez received an Annie Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in a Feature Production as Koda, but lost to Ellen DeGeneres.[14] He reprised the role of Koda in sequel Brother Bear 2 (2006).[15]

In 2004, Suarez appeared in two feature films. He provided the voice of Russell in an animated sequence of Fat Albert[16] and portrayed Li'l Gawain in The Ladykillers.[17] Following the end of The Bernie Mac Show, Suarez struggled to find acting work and found employment in more conventional jobs outside of the film industry, including as a boilermaker.[18]

Most of Suarez's work post-Bernie Mac have been in voice-overs, guest starring on King of the Hill and voicing a puppet in Nike commercials during the 2009 NBA Playoffs. He provided Kai's voice in the animated feature film, Zambezia (2012).[19] In Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie (2014), Suarez played Cooper Folly, the nerd's sidekick.[20][21]

Filmography

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1996 Jerry Maguire Tyson Tidwell
1998 Susan's Plan Kevin
2001 The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze Tippy Voice, direct-to-video
2002 Treasure Planet Alien Kid, additional voices Voice (deleted scenes)
2003 Brother Bear Koda Voice
2004 The Ladykillers Li'l Gawain
Fat Albert Russell Voice[22][23]
2005 Room to Grow Teasel Short
2006 Brother Bear 2 Koda Voice, direct-to-video
2008 Extreme Movie RJ
2012 Zambezia Kai Voice
2014 Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Cooper Folly [24]
2017 The Fix Nathaniel
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1996 Sister, Sister Little Boy Episode: Kid-Napped
1996–98 Chicago Hope Raymond Wilkes 6 episodes
1997 Built to Last Ryce Watkins 8 episodes
1998 The Wayans Bros. Dexter Episode: The Son of Marlon
1998 Beverly Hills, 90210 Ryan Episode: Local Hero
2000 MADtv Cowboy Trick or Treater 2 episodes
2001 Max Steel Nuebert Voice, episode: "Fun in the Sun"
2001–06 The Bernie Mac Show Jordan Thomkins 104 episodes
2002 Hey Arnold! Scared Boy Voice, episode: "The Journal"
2005 The Proud Family Movie Wally Voice, television film
2007–08 King of the Hill Arrow Kid #1, Jack Voice, 3 episodes

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result
2003 Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series[25] The Bernie Mac Show Nominated
2004 Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series[25] Nominated
BET Comedy Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series[26] Nominated
Young Artist Award Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actor[27] Nominated
Annie Award Outstanding Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production[28] Brother Bear Nominated
Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role – Young Actor[27] Nominated
2005 BET Comedy Award Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series[29] The Bernie Mac Show Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Celebrations". The Madison Courier. July 5, 2003. p. B7.
  2. ^ "ACTORS BEAR UP WELL IN THEIR BROTHERHOOD". The Orlando Sentinel. November 5, 2003. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  3. ^ "Jeremy Suarez". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015.
  4. ^ Leszczak, Bob (August 31, 2018). Single Season Sitcoms of the 1990s. McFarland & Company. p. 36. ISBN 9781476670775.
  5. ^ Bianco, Robert (September 24, 1997). "'Dharma & Greg' hipper than 'Danza,' 'Built to Last'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. D-7.
  6. ^ Riley, Sam (2009). Star Struck: An Encyclopedia of Celebrity Culture. ABC-Clio. p. 40. ISBN 9780313358135.
  7. ^ Jamieson, Patrick; Romer, Daniel (July 22, 2008). The Changing Portrayal of Adolescents in the Media Since 1950. Oxford University Press. p. 206. ISBN 9780199711390.
  8. ^ "The 34th NAACP Image Awards". The Crisis. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 2003. p. 27.
  9. ^ "The 2004 NAACP Image Award nominees". Indianapolis Recorder. January 16, 2004. p. C5.
  10. ^ "CNN Larry King Live Tribute to Bernie Mac". CNN. August 12, 2008.
  11. ^ "'Brother Bear' is lovable, huggable". Calhoun Times. November 18, 2003. pp. 1, 6.
  12. ^ "Brother Bear Movie Preview, Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Suarez, Directed by Aaron Blaise and Bob Walker, Sister, Sister". BoxOfficeProphets. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  13. ^ Klossner, Michael (January 12, 2006). Prehistoric Humans in Film and Television: 581 Dramas, Comedies and Documentaries, 1905-2004. McFarland & Company. p. 18. ISBN 9780786422159.
  14. ^ "31st Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2003)". Annie Awards. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  15. ^ Moore, Andre (June 19, 2014). "Not Kids Anymore: 16 Black TV Child Stars Who Are All Grown Up". Atlanta Black Star. p. 5.
  16. ^ Monush, Barry; Willis, John (April 2006). Screen World: 2005 Film Annual. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 176. ISBN 9781557836687.
  17. ^ Rowell, Erica (May 30, 2007). The Brothers Grim: The Films of Ethan and Joel Coen. Scarecrow Press. p. 373. ISBN 9781461664086.
  18. ^ Jones, Janesha (June 24, 2021). "'I Had Never Gone Six Months Without a Job': 'The Bernie Mac Show' Star Jeremy Suarez Explains What Happened to His Acting Career". Atlanta Black Star. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  19. ^ "Jeremy Suarez (visual voices guide)". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  20. ^ "Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie". Rotten Tomatoes.
  21. ^ Rich, Jacob (September 7, 2014). "'Angry Video Game Nerd' a disappointing failure". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  22. ^ "Fat Albert – A Film That Didn't Work Then and Doesn't Work Now". tremg.info. October 8, 2020.
  23. ^ "Russell Cosby - Fat Albert (Movie)". www.behindthevoiceactors.com.
  24. ^ "CAST INTERVIEWS - Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie (2014)". youtube.com. September 29, 2015.
  25. ^ a b "The Bernie Mac Show". Bounce TV. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  26. ^ "Steve Harvey to host BET comedy awards". Indianapolis Recorder. September 10, 2004. p. C7.
  27. ^ a b "25th Annual Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Award. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  28. ^ Williams, Kimberly (January 6, 2004). "'Nemo' finds Annie nominations". Variety. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  29. ^ "Steve Harvey to host TV awards show Sept. 27". Indianapolis Recorder. August 26, 2005. p. C6.
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