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John Earl Jelks
Born (1959-07-16) July 16, 1959 (age 65)
Nationality American
Education City College of San Francisco
Occupation Actor
Spouse(s)
Naomi Jelks
(m. 1988; died 2002)
Children Jamal, Jabari, Jamila
Awards Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (2007 nomination)

John Earl Jelks (sometimes called John Jelks) was born on July 16, 1959. He is an American actor. John Earl Jelks is very well known for his work in theatre plays. He has also acted in movies like Compensation (1999), Miracle at St. Anna (2008), and Night Comes On (2018). On television, he has appeared in shows such as True Detective (2019), The I-Land (2019), and On Becoming a God in Central Florida (2019).

In 2007, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. This was for his role as Sterling Johnson in August Wilson's play Radio Golf. In 2014, Jelks won two Obie Awards for his roles in Fetch Clay, Make Man and Sunset Baby. He also won an AUDELCO Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for First Breeze of Summer.

Early Life and Beginnings

John Earl Jelks' family originally came from Mississippi. He spent most of his childhood in different states. These included California and Illinois, where he lived in the city of Chicago.

Jelks started acting when he was 18 years old. He was attending the City College of San Francisco at the time. His acting career began in 1979. His first play was called Pinocchio Jones. It was performed at Balboa High School. He acted in many plays after that. It took him seven years to get an agent to help him find acting jobs.

Acting Career Highlights

John Earl Jelks has had a long and successful acting career. He has performed in many plays and appeared in several movies and TV shows.

Stage Performances

For ten years, from 1989 to 1999, Jelks performed in a play called The Diary of Black Men. In 2002, he acted in The Piano Lesson at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. Later that year, Jelks performed in Joe Turner's Come and Gone. He performed this play at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre and then at the Penumbra Theatre. He later became a member of the Penumbra Theatre company.

In 2004, Jelks made his first appearance on Broadway. This was in the August Wilson play Gem of the Ocean. He acted alongside famous actress Phylicia Rashad. Gem of the Ocean was the first play in a series of ten plays by August Wilson. This series is called The Pittsburgh Cycle. It tells stories about the African-American experience throughout the 20th century. The play was directed by Kenny Leon. It was performed at the Walter Kerr Theatre and was nominated for five Tony Awards.

Jelks worked with August Wilson again in 2007. This was for the first performance of the play Radio Golf on Broadway. Radio Golf was the last play in The Pittsburgh Cycle. This production was nominated for three Tony Awards. These included Best Play and Best Featured Actor in a Play for both Jelks and Anthony Chisholm.

In 2010, Jelks performed in the first-ever stage version of The Shawshank Redemption. This play was performed in Dublin, Ireland. The play was based on a popular novel by Stephen King. Jelks played the character named Red.

Jelks has also performed in many other plays. These include Magnolia (2009), Fetch Clay, Make Man (2010), The Break of Noon (2010), Two Trains Running (2013), Sunset Baby (2013), and Sweat (2016-2018). In Sweat, he played a character named Brucie. Brucie was a middle-aged man who had lost his factory job.

In 2014, Jelks led acting workshops in Amman, Jordan. He also performed in a play called The Meeting there.

Screen Appearances

Jelks' first main role in a movie was in the 1999 film Compensation. This movie was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. The film tells two love stories that happen in Chicago. One story is from the 1900s, and the other is from the 1990s. The same actors played both couples. Jelks played two characters: Arthur Jones and Nico Jones.

He also appeared in Spike Lee's movie Miracle at St. Anna in 2008. This film was about World War II. In 2018, he was in the movie Night Comes On, which also premiered at Sundance. In 2019, he acted in the TV series True Detective and The I-Land. He also had a repeating role in the comedy show On Becoming a God in Central Florida.

Personal Life

John Earl Jelks is a widower. This means his wife, Naomi, passed away. She died in a traffic accident in 2002. They had been married for 14 years. John and Naomi had three children together: two sons named Jamal and Jabari, and a daughter named Jamila. After his wife passed away, Jelks thought about quitting acting. However, he decided to continue his career for his children. He dedicated his performance in the play Gem of the Ocean to his late wife.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1991 A Powerful Thang Craig Watkins Credited as John Jelks
1999 Compensation Arthur Jones / Nico Jones
2008 Miracle at St. Anna Detective Dillard
2010 The Start of Dreams Self Documentary Film, Credited as John Jelks
2013 Enter the Dangerous Mind Lt. Ike
2018 Night Comes On John Lamere Credited as John Jelks
2024 Exhibiting Forgiveness La'Ron

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Mr. Achok 1 episode
2011 Da Brick Jermaine Dansby Sr. Television film, Credited as John Jelks
2012 Blue Bloods Ray Bell 1 episode
2019 True Detective Sam Whitehead 1 episode
2019 The Good Fight Perry Cardwell 1 episode
2019 The I-Land Professor Verne 2 episodes
2019 On Becoming a God in Central Florida Judd Waltrip 5 episodes
2021 Love Life Kirby Watkins 4 episodes
2022 East New York James Hilliard 1 episode
2022–2023 New Amsterdam Horace Reynolds 8 episodes

Short film

Year Title Role Notes
1985 Dark Exodus Credited as John Jelks
1986 Crocodile Conspiracy Credited as John Jelks
2014 The Miraculous Man from the Desert Credited as John Jelks
2015 Tough Larry Credited as John Jelks

Stage

Year Play Role Production Notes
1989–1999 The Diary of Black Men Muslim
2002 The Piano Lesson Boy Willie Lorraine Hansberry Theatre
2002 Joe Turner's Come and Gone Herald Loomis Kansas City Repertory Theatre
2002 Joe Turner's Come and Gone Herald Loomis Penumbra Theatre
2004 Gem of the Ocean Citizen Barlow Walter Kerr Theatre Production won NAACP Theatre Award and Ovation Award
2007 Radio Golf Sterling Johnson Cort Theatre Nominated - Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play
2008 The First Breeze of Summer Harper Edwards Signature Theatre Company Production won AUDELCO Award
2009 Magnolia Thomas Goodman Theatre
2010 The Shawshank Redemption Red Gaiety Theatre
2010 Fetch Clay, Make Man Brother Rashid McCarter Theatre Center
2010 The Break of Noon Detective Lawyer The Geffen Playhouse, MCC Theater
2013 Two Trains Running Wolf Two River Theater Company
2013 Fetch Clay, Make Man Brother Rashid New York Theatre Workshop Obie Award, Production Nominated for 11 AUDELCO Awards
2013 Sunset Baby LAByrinth Theater Company Obie Award
2014 Holler If Ya Hear Me Street Preacher Palace Theatre
2015 ToasT Stackolee The Public Theater
2016 The Piano Lesson Doaker McCarter Theatre Center
2016 Head of Passes Creaker Berkeley Repertory Theatre
2016 Sweat Brucie The Public Theater
2017 Sweat Brucie Studio 54
2018 Sweat Brucie Mark Taper Forum
2019 Floyd's Montrellous The Guthrie Theater
2022 Birthday Candles Matt / William American Airlines Theatre

Video games

Year Title Role
2008 Midnight Club: Los Angeles Doc (Voice)

Awards and Nominations

Year Award Title Notes
2007 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play Radio Golf Nominated
2008 AUDELCO Award First Breeze of Summer Won
2014 Obie Award - Performance Gold Star Sunset Baby and Fetch Clay, Make Man Won
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