Jason Wright Downs (born September 8, 1973, in

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

, Maryland) is an American actor and singer. He has released two albums on

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, ...

, ''White Boy with a Feather'' and ''The Spin''. He also released "White Boy with a Feather", "Revenue", "Cherokee", "Trippin'", "Shut Up (Let's Hook Up)", and a cover of

Harry Chapin Harold Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Gramm ...

's "

Cat's in the Cradle "Cat's in the Cradle" is a 1974 folk rock song by Harry Chapin from the album '' Verities & Balderdash''. The single topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in December 1974. As Chapin's only number-one song, it became the best known of his work a ...

". His single "White Boy with a Feather" debuted at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. The rap artist Milk Dee has appeared on and produced many of his songs, and the songs without the rapper are more rooted in folk, rock, country or pop music. As a music artist, he appeared in many British radio and variety shows, including ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

'', '' CD:UK'', ''

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

'', a radio2XS Barn Session and ''

The Big Breakfast ''The Big Breakfast'' is a British breakfast light entertainment television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4. Originally presented by Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin, the show was latterly presented by Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu. The ...

''. His last, independently released album, ''Love Me Alone'', is produced by Grammy Award winner

Malcolm Burn Malcolm Burn (born October 4, 1960) is a Canadian-born music producer, recording engineer and musician. Emmylou Harris's '' Red Dirt Girl'', produced by Burn, won Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 2001 Grammys. Biography Born in Cornwall, Ontar ...

. As an actor, Downs has appeared in the films ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

'', '' Clara's Heart'', and ''Come Lovely'', which he also produced. He starred in a feature film titled ''Racing Daylight'' alongside

David Strathairn David Russell Strathairn (; born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures such as Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John D ...

Melissa Leo Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and two Critics' Choice Awa ...

and

Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He is best known for portraying Gus Fring in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'', from 2009 to 2011, and in its prequel series ''Better Ca ...

as well as a supporting role in the film ''

Gospel Hill ''Gospel Hill'' is a 2008 American independent drama film directed and produced by Giancarlo Esposito (in his directorial debut) and written by Jeff Stacy, Jeffrey Pratt Gordon, and Terrell Tannen. Esposito also stars alongside Adam Baldwin, Angel ...

''. He wrote and directed his first film, a short, in 2014 titled ''Growth Spurt''. His television credits include ''K.C. Undercover'', ''NCIS: Los Angeles'', ''NCIS: New Orleans'', ''NCIS: Hawaii'', and ''Days of our Lives''. He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Lenny in

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that span ...

's ''The Homecoming'' with the Pacific Resident Theatre Company.

Personal life

Downs' parents are Jay and Jeanie Downs. He has a brother Jordan and a sister Jillian. Jason currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Sharon Raab Downs and their two children. He claims to be of Dutch, Irish, Scottish, and Cherokee descent.

References

External links

Official site
* 1973 births Living people American male actors American people who self-identify as being of Cherokee descent American people of Dutch descent American people of Irish descent American people of Scottish descent American bass-baritones People from Columbia, Maryland 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers {{US-singer-stub