Jahmil French was born on July 29, 1991 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He went to Vradenburg Elementary School, where he performed in the play "Name of the tree" based on an illustrated book. He attended the Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts in Scarborough, Ontario.[1]
He was an only child.
Career
French made his television debut in 2009, guest starring on the Canadian police procedural series Flashpoint. The episode would earn him a Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actor 14 and Over nomination at the Young Artist Awards.[2]
From 2009 to 2013, French starred as Dave Turner in the Canadian teen drama show Degrassi: The Next Generation. During his time on the show, he earned a nomination from the Canadian Screen Awards for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series.[3]
In 2016, he joined the cast of the television series The Infamous as Luke Ward, however the series was passed on by A&E. It was not picked up by any other network.[4][5]
His final role was in Netflix's musical drama series Soundtrack as ex-felon Dante Sands.[9]
Death
French died on March 1, 2021, at the age of 29. Neither the circumstances nor the cause of his death were disclosed.[10][11]
Legacy
In 2021, the Armstrong Acting studio announced the "Jahmil French Legacy" scholarship in memory of French and his work with the studio.[12]
At its inaugural ceremony in 2022, the Legacy Awards introduced the Jahmil French award. The award is meant to recognize rising Black stars in Canadian media.[13]
