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 to an African-Caribbean couple. 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 in Scarborough, Ontario.
He was an only child.
Career French made his television debut in 2009, guest starring on the CTV/CBS 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 Awards.
From 2009 to 2013, French starred as Dave Turner on the Much/TeenNick teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. During his time on the show, he earned a nomination from the Canadian Screen Awards for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series.
In 2014, he starred alongside Nia Long 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 Boost, for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards and as well as at the Prix Iris in 2018.
His final TV role was in Netflix'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 Year Title RoleNotes2012JamestownDuaneShort film2013DetentionJeremyShort film2016Boost Anthony "A-Mac" Macdonald2018At First LightNathanTMI Crossing the ThresholdJames Langston2019DaliaRockShort film
Television Year Title Role Notes2009FlashpointMatt MedeirosEpisode: "Exit Wounds"2009–2010Degrassi: MinisDave Turner7 episodes2009–2013Degrassi: The Next GenerationMain cast2014 The DivideTrey Page7 episodes A Day Late and a Dollar ShortDingusTV filmRocky RoadRazor2015Lead with Your HeartJacksonRemedyPJ Byrd7 episodes2016IncorporatedSpiderEpisode: "Cost Containment" The Night Before HalloweenKyleTV film2018Let's Get PhysicalSnacks7 episodes2019SoundtrackDante Mendoza10 episodes
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.2010Young Artist AwardsBest Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actor 14 and OverFlashpoint (Episode: "Perfect Storm")2013Canadian Screen AwardsBest Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or SeriesDegrassi: The Next Generation (Episode: "Smash Into You")2018Performance by an Actor in a Supporting RoleBoostPrix IrisBest Performance by an Actor in Supporting Role
References
External links