Biography - Jurnee Smollett-Ball

Who is Jurnee Smollett-Ball?

Jurnee Smollett-Ball is an actress by profession and American by nationality. She is well known for starring in Eve's Bayou, The Great Debaters, Friday Night Lights, True Blood, and Birds of Prey.

Jurnee Smollett-Ball – Birth, Parents, Siblings

Jurnee Smollett-Ball’s birth took place on October 1, 1986, in New York, New York, USA. She was born Jurnee Diana Smollett to her mother, Janet Smollett, and her father, Joel Smollett. 

She is not the only child of her parents and has five siblings – sister Jazz Smollett and four brothers Jussie Smollett, JoJo Smollett, Jake Smollett, and Jocqui Smollett, who are all performers.

Education, Ethnicity

Smollett-Ball was home-schooled by her mother. 

She is of Ashkenazi-Jewish (father) and African-American (mother) ethnicity.

Jurnee Smollett-Ball – Boyfriend, Husband, Children, Divorce

Jurnee Smollett-Ball married her longtime boyfriend Josiah Bell, a musician, on 24 October 2010. She and her husband welcomed a child together – a son, Hunter Zion Bell, who was born on October 31st, 2016.

The couple separated and eventually divorced, which was finalized in 2020.

She is currently single.

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Jurnee Smollett-Ball – Career

Early Career

Jurnee Smollett-Ball first appeared on TV at 10 months old when she modeled for diapers. At the age of 3, she was featured in a Pepsi TV commercial with NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana. 

In her teen years, she had appearances on Full House, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and with her siblings had recurring appearances in the ABC sitcom On Our Own (1994-1995). 

Finally, in 1996, Jurnee Smollett-Ball landed her big-screen debut as Phoebe in the 1996 film Jack. And in 1997, she starred in the film Eve's Bayou as 10-year-old Eve. Her performance in the film was critically acclaimed.

Just a year after her breakthrough role, Jurnee Smollett-Ball was cast in Cosby, followed by a role in the 1999 TV film Selma, Lord, Selma.

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Films, Series

Since then, Smollett-Ball has starred in films Beautiful Joe (2000), Roll Bounce (2005), The Great Debaters (2007), Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013), Hands of Stone (2016), Birds of Prey (2020) as Dinah Lance / Black Canary, Lou (2022), We Grown Now (2023), The Order (2024).

Jurnee Smollett-Ball has also had guest appearances in the TV series Grey's Anatomy (2008), The Mob Doctor (2012), and Do No Harm (2013). Moreover, she is a series regular in Friday Night Lights (2009-2011), The Defenders (2010-2011), True Blood (2013-2014), Underground (2016-2017), Lovecraft Country (2020), and Smoke (2025).

Moreover, she has been active in HIV/AIDS causes since the age of 11.

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Co-stars

Jurnee Smollett-Ball’s fellow Birds of Prey cast includes Rosie Perez, Ali Wong, Chris Messina, and Charlene Amoia.

Jurnee Smollett-Ball – Awards, Nominations

Smollett-Ball has been nominated for Young Artist Awards (1995), NAACP Image Awards (1997), Black Reel Awards (1999, 2001), Teen Choice Awards (2007), and has won Critics' Choice Movie Awards (1997), San Diego Film Critics Society (1997), and NAACP Image Awards (2008).

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Jurnee Smollett-Ball – Net Worth, Salary

Her net worth has been estimated at around $2 million, while the figures on her annual salary/income have not been shared with the public.

Jurnee Smollett-Ball – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

On social media handles including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, Jurnee Smollett-Ball is active with around a million followers and counting.

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