Jahmil French (July 29, 1991 – March 1, 2021) was a Canadian actor, most noted for his role as Dave Turner in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' (2009–2013).

Early life

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 Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts (commonly known as Wexford Collegiate, WCSA, Wexford CSA, Wexford or "Wex" for short), formerly and still known as Wexford Collegiate Institute (WCI) (initially known as Northwest Collegiate Institute) is a ...

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Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. 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 Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

s. 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 The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...

for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series. In 2014, he starred alongside

Nia Long Nia Talita Long ( ; born October 30, 1970) is an American actress. Best known for her work in Black cinema, Long rose to prominence after starring in the film '' Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), and for her portrayal of Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes on the N ...

in the American legal drama '' The Divide''. 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. He appeared in Pop TV's 2018 series '' Let's Get Physical'' as Snacks. French was in the film ''

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'', for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the

6th Canadian Screen Awards The 6th annual Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 11, 2018, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2017.

and as well as at the

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in 2018. His final role was in

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's musical drama series ''Soundtrack'' as ex-felon Dante Sands.

Death

French died on March 1, 2021, at the age of 29. Neither the circumstances nor the cause of his death were disclosed.

Legacy

In 2021, the Armstrong Acting studio announced the "Jahmil French Legacy" scholarship in memory of French and his work with the studio. 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.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* 1991 births 2021 deaths Place of birth missing Black Canadian male actors Canadian male child actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Male actors from Toronto {{Canada-screen-actor-1990s-stub