Jermaine R. “Huggy” Hopkins (born August 23, 1973) is an American television and film actor. Hopkins is best known for his roles as Dupree on

The WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...

sitcom ''

The Wayans Bros ''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn Wayans, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, comedian John Witherspoon (actor), John Withe ...

''. from 1996 to 1998, and as Thomas Sams in the 1989 film, '' Lean on Me'', Eric "Steel" Thurman in the 1992 crime drama thriller ''

Juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...

'', Benny King in the 1996 film ''

Phat Beach ''Phat Beach'' is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Doug Ellin, which stars Jermaine 'Huggy' Hopkins, Coolio, Brian Hooks and Gregg Vance. The movie has been considered to be "one of the greatest (and perhaps only) hip-hop beach movies ...

'' and Kilo in the 1997 comedy film '' Def Jam's How to Be a Player''.

Career

Born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, Hopkins began his acting career as a teenager. At age 15, Hopkins fell into the acting business when his mother brought him to a casting-call audition in New York for the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

feature '' Lean on Me'', in which he got a starring role opposite

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

as Thomas Sams, a misguided drug-abusing high school student. His next project ''Juice'', directed by Ernest R. Dickerson, had him starring as Steel alongside Khalil Kain,

Omar Epps Omar Hashim Epps (born July 20, 1973) is an American actor, rapper, and producer. Epps's film roles include ''Juice (1992 film), Juice'', ''Higher Learning'', ''The Wood'', ''In Too Deep (1999 film), In Too Deep'', and ''Love & Basketball''. His ...

, and

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

. Hopkins subsequently starred in the HBO worldwide release '' Strapped'', that would be

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Best Actor Award at the ...

's directorial debut. Over the next two years, Hopkins appeared in episodes of '' Murder One'' and ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' (, ) is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars Contemporary R&B, R&B singer Brandy Norwood, Brandy as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with ...

'', and six episodes as Dupree on

's ''

The Wayans Bros. ''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn Wayans, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, comedian John Witherspoon (actor), John Withe ...

'' series, before finishing production on his next film '' Def Jam's How to Be a Player'', starring opposite

Bill Bellamy William Bellamy (born April 7, 1965) is an American actor and stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian. Bellamy first gained national notoriety on HBO's Russell Simmons' ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he is credited for creating or coining the phrase "bo ...

and comedian Pierre Edwards.

Legal Issues

Hopkins was arrested on December 15, 2011, for attempting to purchase of marijuana from an undercover police officer. He faced up to five years in prison, but was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years' probation. Hopkins was arrested again on October 13, 2017, in

Apex, North Carolina Apex () is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. At its southern border, Apex encompasses the community of Friendship. In 1994, the downtown area was designated a historic district, and the Apex train depot, built in 1867, is de ...

with of marijuana in the trunk of his car. TMZ reports Hopkins pled guilty to felony possession. However, the judge suspended his four-month sentence, instead giving Hopkins 24 months of supervised probation.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Jermaine 1975 births Living people Male actors from Newark, New Jersey American male child actors American male film actors American people convicted of drug offenses 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors