Jeremy Robert Myron Sumpter (born February 5, 1989) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor. His prominent roles include the title role in the 2003 live action film
Peter PanPeter Pan is a 2003 fantasy film released as a joint venture of Universal Studios, Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios. P. J. Hogan directed a screenplay co-written with Michael Goldenberg which is based on the classic play and novel by J. M. Barrie. Jason Isaacs plays the roles of Captain...
and the recurring role of J. D. McCoy in the
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series
Friday Night LightsFriday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
(2008–2010). He most recently co-starred alongside
AnnaSophia RobbAnnaSophia Robb is an American film and television actress. She gained prominence in 2005 with starring roles in Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and starred in Bridge to Terabithia , Race to Witch Mountain , and Soul Surfer .-Personal life:Robb was born in Denver,...
and
Helen HuntHelen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets...
in
Soul SurferSoul Surfer is a 2011 American drama film about the life of surfer Bethany Hamilton. At the age of thirteen, Hamilton lost her arm to a shark attack. The film details the events surrounding this attack and her struggle during the aftermath...
.
Life and career
Sumpter was born in
Carmel-by-the-SeaCarmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a small city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, the town is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Sandy (née Johnson) and Gary Sumpter. He has a twin sister, Jessica, and two other siblings, Travis and Jennifer. His family moved to his mother's hometown,
Mount SterlingThe Mt. Sterling-Montgomery County Library was established in 1871. The Mt. Sterling – Montgomery County Library moved to the current location, accessible from both Main and Locust Streets, in July 1984. The building was officially dedicated on September 30, 1984...
,
KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, when he was ten months old.
Sumpter's first movie role was in the 2001 film
Frailty as the young Adam Mieks seen in flashbacks (played as an adult by the film's star
Matthew McConaugheyMatthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
). Sumpter received a
Saturn AwardThe Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
nomination for "Best Performance by a Younger Actor" for his performance. Following that, he appeared with
Danny GloverDanny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
in the Showtime film
Just a Dream, for which he received a
Young Artist AwardThe Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
for "Best Performance in a TV Movie, Mini-Series or Special - Leading Young Actor". His next film was
Local BoysLocal Boys is a 2002 American coming of age drama film. The film was directed by Ron Moler and written by Norman Douglas Bradley and Thomas Matthew Stewart...
, a family surfing drama, with
Mark HarmonMark Harmon is an American actor who has been starring in American television programs and films since the mid-1970s, after a career as a collegiate football player with the UCLA Bruins. Since 2003, Harmon has starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the CBS series NCIS.-Early life:Harmon was born Thomas...
and
Eric Christian OlsenEric Christian Olsen is an American actor. He currently portrays Detective Marty Deeks on the CBS television series NCIS: Los Angeles.-Early life:...
.
In July 2002, at age 13, Sumpter was selected for the role of
Peter PanPeter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
, a role traditionally played on stage by women. Sumpter did nearly all of his stunts for the film himself. To prepare, he says he practiced sword fighting as much as five hours a day, as well as training in gymnastics and lifting weights. While filming in Australia, he supplemented his training with cricket and surfing. Sumpter grew several inches while in the film's production, requiring staging tricks to retain
Captain HookCaptain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations. The character is a villainous pirate captain of the Jolly Roger brig, and lord of the pirate village/harbour in Neverland, where he is widely feared. Most...
's height advantage over Peter in face-to-face scenes late in the process. Producer Lucy Fisher also said that, "The window he flies out of had to be enlarged twice." Sumpter won both a Saturn and Young Artist Award for the film.
In the fall of 2004 he starred in the TV series
Clubhouse as a boy who gets his dream job of working at a batboy for a New York City
major league baseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
team. The series was canceled by CBS after five episodes; all 11 episodes made have since been broadcast on cable/satellite channels. He then starred in
Cyber Seduction: His Secret LifeCyber Seduction: His Secret Life is an original Lifetime television movie which was first broadcast on June 20, 2005. It was directed by Tom McLoughlin and written by Wesley Bishop and Richard Kletter. The movie stars Jeremy Sumpter, Kelly Lynch, and Lyndsy Fonseca...
, a Lifetime Channel movie about a popular teenager whose life is ruined by an addiction to internet pornography.
Sumpter spent the summer of 2005 in Oregon filming the teen comedy
The Sasquatch Gang (a.k.a.
The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang), released in November 2006. He had a small role in the film
An American CrimeAn American Crime is a 2007 American crime-drama film starring Ellen Page and Catherine Keener. The film is based on the true story of the torture and murder of Sylvia Likens by Indianapolis housewife Gertrude Baniszewski...
, which played on Showtime in 2008 before going to DVD. He appeared in an episode of
CSI: MiamiCSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
as the boyfriend of a girl whose parents are murdered.
He completed filming roles in the coming-of-age comedy
Calvin MarshallCalvin Marshall is a 2009 coming of age-comedy film written and directed by Gary Lundgren and starring Alex Frost as the title character, a determined but talentless college baseball player, and Steve Zahn as his coach...
, the family comedy
You're So Cupid,
Soul SurferSoul Surfer is a term coined in the 1960s, used to describe a surfer who surfs for the sheer pleasure of surfing. Although they may still enter in competitions, winning is not the soul surfer's main motive, since they scorn the commercialization of surfing. The term denotes a spirituality of surfing...
and
Death And Cremation.
Sumpter has been co-hosting
The YOBI Show, an online reality contest show, with Danielle Ryan.
Filmography
| Film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 |
Frailty |
Young Adam |
|
| 2002 |
Local Boys Local Boys is a 2002 American coming of age drama film. The film was directed by Ron Moler and written by Norman Douglas Bradley and Thomas Matthew Stewart...
|
Skeeter Dobson |
|
| 2003 |
Peter PanPeter Pan is a 2003 fantasy film released as a joint venture of Universal Studios, Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios. P. J. Hogan directed a screenplay co-written with Michael Goldenberg which is based on the classic play and novel by J. M. Barrie. Jason Isaacs plays the roles of Captain...
|
Peter Pan |
|
| 2006 |
The Sasquatch Gang |
Gavin Gore |
|
| 2007 |
An American CrimeAn American Crime is a 2007 American crime-drama film starring Ellen Page and Catherine Keener. The film is based on the true story of the torture and murder of Sylvia Likens by Indianapolis housewife Gertrude Baniszewski...
|
Coy Hubbard |
|
| 2009 |
Calvin Marshall Calvin Marshall is a 2009 coming of age-comedy film written and directed by Gary Lundgren and starring Alex Frost as the title character, a determined but talentless college baseball player, and Steve Zahn as his coach...
|
Caselli |
|
| 2010 |
You're So Cupid |
Connor Miller |
|
| Death and Cremation |
Jarod Leary |
|
| 2011 |
Soul Surfer Soul Surfer is a 2011 American drama film about the life of surfer Bethany Hamilton. At the age of thirteen, Hamilton lost her arm to a shark attack. The film details the events surrounding this attack and her struggle during the aftermath...
|
Byron Blanchard |
|
| Television Films |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2001 |
Murphy's Dozen |
Sean |
|
| 2002 |
Just a Dream |
Henry Sturbuck |
|
| 2005 |
Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life is an original Lifetime television movie which was first broadcast on June 20, 2005. It was directed by Tom McLoughlin and written by Wesley Bishop and Richard Kletter. The movie stars Jeremy Sumpter, Kelly Lynch, and Lyndsy Fonseca...
|
Justin Petersen |
|
| Television |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2001 |
Raising Dad Raising Dad is an American television series that aired on the WB from September 2001 until May 2002. The series starred Bob Saget, Kat Dennings, Brie Larson, Riley Smith, Beau Wirick, and Jerry Adler.-Premise:...
|
Henry |
1 Episode |
| 2002 |
ERER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
|
Nathan |
1 Episode |
| 2002 |
Strong Medicine Strong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and...
|
Randy |
1 Episode |
| 2004–2005 |
Clubhouse |
Pete Young |
Lead Role |
| 2007 |
CSI: MiamiCSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
|
Zach Griffith |
1 Episode |
| 2008–2010 |
Friday Night Lights Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
|
J.D. McCoy |
Recurring; Season 3–4 |
Awards
| Awards |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2000 |
IMTA Award IMTA may refer to:*Integrated Multi-trophic Aquaculture*International Modeling and Talent Association*International Map Trade Association*Institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants which was renamed the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy in 1973.See also:*ITMA, a popular...
|
Pre-Teen Male Model of the Year |
– |
|
| 2003 |
Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
|
Best Performance in a TV Movie, Mini-series or Special - Leading Young Actor |
Just a Dream |
|
| 2003 |
Saturn Award The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
|
Best Performance by a Younger Actor |
Frailty |
|
| 2004 |
Young Artist Award |
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor |
Peter PanPeter Pan is a 2003 fantasy film released as a joint venture of Universal Studios, Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios. P. J. Hogan directed a screenplay co-written with Michael Goldenberg which is based on the classic play and novel by J. M. Barrie. Jason Isaacs plays the roles of Captain...
|
|
| 2004 |
Saturn Award |
Best Performance by a Younger Actor |
Peter Pan |
|
| 2004 |
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award |
Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role - Male |
Peter Pan |
|
| 2006 |
Young Artist Award |
Best Performance in a TV Movie, Mini-series or Special (Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actor |
Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life is an original Lifetime television movie which was first broadcast on June 20, 2005. It was directed by Tom McLoughlin and written by Wesley Bishop and Richard Kletter. The movie stars Jeremy Sumpter, Kelly Lynch, and Lyndsy Fonseca...
|
|
| 2009 |
Change The World Award |
Youth for Humanity Award, Male |
– |
|
External links