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Jason Weaver

American actor and singer (born 1979)

Summary

American actor and singer (born 1979)

Field	Value
name	Jason Weaver
image	JasonWeaver2023.png
caption	Weaver in 2023
birth_name	Jason Michael Weaver
birth_date
birth_place	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
other_names	J-Weav
occupation
years_active	1990–present
children	2

the singer-songwriter

Jason Michael Weaver (born July 18, 1979), also known by his stage name J-Weav, is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his roles as a child actor, portraying a young Michael Jackson in the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, and starring in the television sitcoms Thea (1993–1994) and Smart Guy (1997–1999). He has played the recurring role of Rashaad "Shaad" Marshall in the Showtime drama series The Chi.

His most globally recognized work is providing the singing voice of young Simba in Disney's animated feature film The Lion King (1994). As a recording artist, he was featured on Chingy's 2004 hit single "One Call Away," which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Early life and family

Jason Michael Weaver was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Marilyn "Kitty" Haywood, was a member of the Chicago-based female vocal group Kitty & the Haywoods. The group provided backing vocals on Aretha Franklin's soundtrack album for the 1976 film Sparkle. Due to his mother's career, Weaver was exposed to the music industry from a young age. He attended Thornwood High School.

Career

1990–1996: Child stardom and ''The Lion King''

Weaver's acting career began in 1990 with a role in Oprah Winfrey's television drama series Brewster Place. His breakthrough came in 1992 when he was cast to portray the pre-teen version of Michael Jackson in the acclaimed ABC miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. His performance was well received by critics and audiences.

Following this success, he was cast as Jerome Turrell, the son of the title character, in the ABC sitcom Thea, which aired from 1993 to 1994 and also starred a young Brandy Norwood.

In 1994, Weaver provided the singing voice for the young lion cub Simba in Disney's animated classic The Lion King, performing on the songs "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" and "Hakuna Matata". The role was initially offered with a flat fee of $2 million. However, on the advice of his mother, Weaver's family opted for a smaller one-time payment of $100,000 in exchange for a percentage of future royalties from the film's soundtrack sales. This decision proved to be highly lucrative due to the immense and enduring success of the soundtrack, earning him significant returns over the decades.

Buoyed by his success, Weaver signed with Motown Records and released his debut studio album, Love Ambition, on June 27, 1995. The album produced two singles that charted on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart: "Love Ambition (Call on Me)" and "I Can't Stand the Pain."

1997–2010: ''Smart Guy'' and musical collaborations

From 1997 to 1999, Weaver starred as Marcus Henderson, the older brother of child prodigy T.J. Henderson, in the WB sitcom Smart Guy. After the show ended, he continued to act in film, with roles in Drumline (2002) and The Ladykillers (2004).

In 2003, Weaver collaborated with rapper Chingy as the featured vocalist on the hit single "One Call Away." The song was a major commercial success, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart. In 2006, he appeared in a supporting role as Teddy in the coming-of-age film ATL.

2011–present: Later acting roles and ''The Chi''

In his later career, Weaver has continued to act in various films and television series. In 2021, he joined the cast of the Lena Waithe-created Showtime drama series The Chi in a recurring role as Rashaad "Shaad" Marshall. His character was introduced in season 4 and has since become a significant part of the series.

Personal life

Weaver has two sons, Jaylen Zylus Weaver (b. 2002) and River Jeremiah Weaver (b. October 2025).

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	US R&B
Love Ambition
	69

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
US R&B
"Love Ambition (Call on Me)"	"I Can't Stand the Pain"	"Stay with Me"	"One Call Away"
(as featured artist with Chingy)
1995	—	32	Love Ambition
—	60
1996	—	59	Non-album single
2004	2	3	Jackpot
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Filmography

(A comprehensive filmography is available at the Internet Movie Database.)

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Brewster Place	Matthew Thomas	Television series; main cast
1992	The Jacksons: An American Dream	Michael Jackson (ages 9–14)	Television miniseries
1993–1994	Thea	Jerome Turrell	Television series; main cast
1994	The Lion King	Young Simba (singing voice)	Animated film
1997–1999	Smart Guy	Marcus Henderson	Television series; main cast
2000	Freedom Song	Isaac Hawkins	Television Film
2002	Drumline	Ernest	Film
2006	ATL	Teddy	Film
2021–present	The Chi	Rashaad "Shaad" Marshall	Television series; recurring role

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
1993	Young Artist Award	Outstanding Young Performer in a Miniseries or Special	The Jacksons: An American Dream		title=14th Annual Youth in Film Awards	url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms14.htm	website=YoungArtistAwards.org	access-date=2025-06-29	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217085145/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms14.htm	archive-date=2011-02-17}}
1994	Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series	Thea (Shared with cast)		title=15th Annual Youth in Film Awards	url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms15.htm	website=YoungArtistAwards.org	access-date=2025-06-29	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709082136/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms15.htm	archive-date=2011-07-09}}
1995	Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Voiceover	The Lion King		title=16th Annual Youth in Film Awards	url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms16.htm	website=YoungArtistAwards.org	access-date=2025-06-29	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820120120/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms16.htm	archive-date=2010-08-20}}

References

"Jason Weaver - TV Guide".
Stevens, Matt. (June 24, 2024). "The Singer Who Was Simba in 'The Lion King' Looks Back".
"Chingy Chart History (Hot 100)".
(September 1995). "Jason's Lyric".
Carras, Christi. (December 2, 2019). "The Actor Who Voiced The Singing 'Lion King' Simba Turned Down A Huge Paycheck As A Kid".
Cowen, Trace William. (November 20, 2019). "Jason Weaver Says He Turned Down $2 Million From Disney for His 'Lion King' Role for Royalties".
"Jason Weaver Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)".
"Chingy Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)".
Jones, Monique. (June 18, 2023). "'The Chi's' Jason Weaver And Rolando Boyce On Shaad And Darnell's Journey And The Importance Of Black Male Vulnerability".
(November 21, 2019). "'The Lion King': Jason Weaver Details Choosing $100K And Royalties Deal Over $2M Flat Fee From Disney".
"14th Annual Youth in Film Awards".
"15th Annual Youth in Film Awards".
"16th Annual Youth in Film Awards".

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1979-births living-people 20th-century-african-american-male-singers 20th-century-african-american-male-actors 21st-century-african-american-male-singers 21st-century-african-american-male-actors african-american-male-child-actors american-male-child-actors american-male-film-actors american-male-voice-actors american-male-television-actors male-actors-from-chicago motown-artists singers-from-chicago american-contemporary-r&b-singers 20th-century-american-male-actors 21st-century-american-male-actors american-child-singers

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