# Jason Weaver

Jason Michael Weaver (born July 18, 1979) is an American actor and singer best known for his roles as Marcus Henderson on The WB sitcom Smart Guy, Jerome Turrell on the short-lived sitcom Thea from 1993 to 1994, and the preteen Michael Jackson on the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, which originally both aired on ABC. He was also the singing voice of the young Simba in Walt Disney Feature Animation's 1994 film The Lion King. He was featured on Chingy's 2004 hit single "One Call Away", which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. He played Teddy in the 2006 hit movie ATL.

## Career
### Acting career

One of Weaver's earliest acting roles was on Oprah Winfrey's 1990 television series Brewster Place. He went on to portray a young Michael Jackson in the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, and starred on the television sitcoms Thea (1993–1994) and Smart Guy (1997–1999). In 1992, he provided the singing voice of young Simba in Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King.
In 2002, Weaver appeared in Drumline with Nick Cannon, followed by a role in The Ladykillers in 2004. In 2004, he also was a featured artist in the song "One Call Away", as well as in the music video that also starred Keshia Knight Pulliam and AND1 baller Phillip "Hot Sauce" Champion. In 2006, Weaver was featured in a supporting role in the film ATL starring rappers T.I. and Big Boi from OutKast. He also appeared as an extra in the music video "Rock Yo Hips" by Crime Mob featuring Lil Scrappy and "Make Up Bag" by The-Dream featuring T.I. In 2011, he starred in the film He's Mine Not Yours alongside Caryn Ward, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Carl Anthony Payne II and Clifton Powell. He is also in the hit TV show The Chi.

### Focus on music

Weaver is also a recording artist. He provided vocals for his role as Michael Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream and as the singing voice of the cub Simba in Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King.
His debut album, Love Ambition, was released on Motown Records on June 27, 1995. He released two versions of the song "Stay with Me".
In 2003, he collaborated with hip-hop rapper Chingy on the track "One Call Away". The single was a top five hit in the United States.

## Personal life

Weaver is the son of Marilyn "Kitty" Haywood and Robert Lincoln Weaver. Haywood is a member of the Chicago-based female vocal group Kitty & the Haywoods, who backed with the late Aretha Franklin on the soundtrack album to the 1976 film Sparkle.
Weaver studied at Thornwood High School. He has one son named Jaylen.

## Discography
### Albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | US R&B |
| Love Ambition | Released: June 27, 1995 Label: Motown Format: CD, cassette | 69 |

### Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and parent album :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | US R&B | Album |
| "I Wanna Be Where You Are" | 1992 | — | Non-album single |
| "Love Ambition (Call on Me)" | 1995 | 32 | Love Ambition |
| "I Can't Stand the Pain" | 1995 | 60 | Love Ambition |
| "Stay with Me" | 1996 | 59 | Non-album single |
| "I Don't Know Why" | 1996 | - | Non-album single |
| "One Call Away" (Chingy featuring J-Weav) | 2004 | 3 | Jackpot |

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | The Long Walk Home | Franklin Cotter | |
| 1990 | The Kid Who Loved Christmas | Ernie | TV movie |
| 1994 | The Lion King | Young Simba (singing voice) | |
| 1994 | Summertime Switch | Fast Freddie Egan | TV movie |
| 2000 | Freedom Song | Isaac Hawkins | TV movie |
| 2002 | Drumline | Ernest | |
| 2004 | The Ladykillers | Weemack Funthes | |
| 2006 | ATL | Teddy | |
| 2008 | Love For Sale | Vince | |
| 2008 | Jada | Jamal | |
| 2010 | Grown Man | Himself | TV movie |
| 2010 | Lottery Ticket | Ray Ray | |
| 2011 | He's Mine Not Yours | Kent | |
| 2012 | Dysfunctional Friends | Gary | |
| 2012 | Note to Self | Jay Lewis | |
| 2013 | Hope for Love | Ricky | |
| 2013 | When a Woman's Fed Up | Troy | |
| 2013 | Marry Me for Christmas | Franklin | TV movie |
| 2013 | What Would You Do for Love | Troy | TV movie |
| 2014 | Wal-Bob's | Keith Harrington | |
| 2015 | Infidelity | Frankie | |
| 2016 | Merry Ex-Mas | Perry | TV movie |
| 2017 | Another Man Will | - | |
| 2017 | BlacKorea | Mark Senior | Short |
| 2021 | AM Radio | Willie the Silly DJ | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | Brewster Place | Matthew Thomas | Main cast |
| 1992 | The Jacksons: An American Dream | Michael Jackson (aged 9–14) | Episode: "Part I & II" |
| 1993–94 | Thea | Jerome Turrell | Main cast |
| 1995 | Soul Train | Himself | Episode: "Aaron Neville/Silk/Jason Weaver" |
| 1996 | Sister, Sister | Nicky/Darnell | Episode: "Summer Bummer" & "Boy from the Hood" |
| 1997–99 | Smart Guy | Marcus Henderson | Main cast |
| 2011–14 | The LeBrons | Condor (voice) | Main cast |
| 2014 | Let's Stay Together | Curtis | Recurring cast: season 4 |
| 2015 | Black-ish | Ta-Ta | Episode: "Chop Shop" |
| 2016 | Nubbin & Friends | Ollie the Squirrell (voice) | Episode: "The Letter "A"" |
| 2018 | Unsung | Himself | Episode: "The Boys" |
| 2020 | Boomerang | Barber | Episode: "Reversal of a Dog" |
| 2021 | We Stay Looking | Miles | Episode: "Red Flavored Drink" |
| 2021–present | The Chi | Rashaad "Shaad" Marshall | Recurring |
| 2023 | Sistas | Brian | Recurring cast: season 6 |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Title of work | Result |
| 1993 | Young Artist Award | Outstanding Young Performers Starring in a Mini-Series | The Jacksons: An American Dream (Shared with Alex Burrall) | Won |
| 1994 | Young Artist Award | Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series | Thea (Shared with Brenden Jefferson, Adam Jeffries, Brandy Norwood) | Nominated |
| 1995 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Voiceover - TV or Movie | The Lion King | Won |