Lee Thompson Young was an American actor, who was known for playing the lead role on The Famous Jett Jackson for Disney. He also appeared in the television film Johnny Tsunami and was a guest star on The Jersey. Additionally, he voiced Teen Bebe in The Proud Family.
Young was born in Columbia, South Carolina and discovered a passion for acting when he played Martin Luther King Jr. in a play called A Night of Stars and Dreams at the Phillis Wheatley Repertory Theater of Greenville. He briefly moved to New York City in 1996 before moving Los Angeles where auditioned for The Famous Jett Jackson.
He soon found work in projects outside of Disney, such as the films Friday Night Lights, Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story, Akeelah and the Bee, The Hills Have Eyes 2, and Just an American. His other television credits included Smallville, Scrubs, FlashForward, The Guardian, Xiaolin Showdown, South Beach, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Lincoln Heights, and as Det. Barry Frost on the TNT drama Rizzoli & Isles. Outside of acting, Young graduated from the University of Southern California, where he majored in Cinematic Arts and wrote the screenplay for the 2007 short film Mano.
On August 19, 2013, Young failed to show up to film an episode of Rizzoli & Isles. Police discovered him dead in his apartment from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been suffering from depression before his death. His family launched the Lee Thompson Young Foundation in an effort to help remove the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Filmography[]
| Year | Film | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–2001 | The Famous Jett Jackson | Jett Jackson / Silverstone | |
| 1999 | Johnny Tsunami | Sam Sterling | |
| 2001 | Jett Jackson: The Movie | Jett Jackson / Silverstone | |
| 2003 | The Jersey | Himself | Episode: "Origins: Part 2" |
| 2004 | The Proud Family | Teen Bebe | Episode: "Twins to Tweens" |
Roles[]
Gallery[]
