Christopher Jackson
Jackson in 2019
Born	Christopher Neal Jackson (1975-09-30)September 30, 1975 (age 50)[1][2] Metropolis, Illinois,[3] U.S.
Other names	Chris Jackson
Alma mater	American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Occupations	Actor singer
Years active	1996–present
Known for	In the Heights Hamilton Bull
Spouse	Veronica ​ (m. 2004)​
Children	2

Christopher Neal Jackson (born September 30, 1975^[4]) is an American actor and singer. He began his career in 1995 starring in theOff-Broadway musicalTime and the Wind by composerGalt MacDermot at the age of 20. He made his Broadway debut in 1997 as an ensemble member in the original Broadway cast of Disney'sThe Lion King. He remained with the show for several years, ultimately taking over the role of Simba. He went on to perform leading roles in several more Broadway musicals and plays, includingAfter Midnight,Bronx Bombers,Holler If Ya Hear Me, andMemphis. He drew critical acclaim in several projects withLin-Manuel Miranda: originating the roles of Benny inIn the Heights andGeorge Washington in the smash hitHamilton. For the latter role he was nominated for aTony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He also collaborated with Miranda on the Disney filmMoana in which he provides the singing voice of Chief Tui. His other film work includes secondary roles inAfter.Life andTracers.

Jackson starred asChunk Palmer in the main cast of the CBS television dramaBull between 2016–2022. His other television work includes the recurring role ofPerry Loftus in theHBO prison dramaOz and guest appearances onFringe,Gossip Girl,Nurse Jackie,The Good Wife andWhite Collar. Also active as a film and television composer, he won aDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song for "What I Am" for the children's television programSesame Street. He has also written music forLL Cool J,Sean Kingston, andwill.i.am.^[3] In 2018, Jackson received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts fromOglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Born inMetropolis, Illinois, and raised inCairo, Illinois, by his mother, Jane Adams, a vocal music teacher, and stepfather Herbert Michael Hodges.^[3][5] In 1993 he graduated from Cairo High School.^[5] While a student there, he performed in plays and was encouraged to pursue a career as an actor by one of his high school teachers, Lynn Steveson, who also led the school's debate team of which Jackson was a part. She also cast him in a production ofArthur Miller'sThe Crucible.^[5] He credits Pilots basketball coach Larry Baldwin and Pastor Larry Potts of Mighty Rivers Regional Worship Center and would often run away to his best friends John Lairds house and found comfort in the home of Esther Laird, as other important mentors during his formative years in Cairo.^[5]

After graduating from high school, Jackson attended theAmerican Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.^[6]

Jackson began his career in 1995 starring in theOff-Broadway musicalTime and the Wind by composerGalt MacDermot ofHair fame.^[7] He made his Broadway debut in 1997 as an ensemble member and the understudy for Simba in the Original Broadway Cast ofThe Lion King.^[5] He later took over the role of Simba in 2000.^[8] He then did work in the theater scenes in Chicago and Minneapolis–Saint Paul, notably earning a BATC Award nomination for Best Actor forBeggar's Holiday in 2004 for and winning aJoseph Jefferson Award (Chicago's equivalent to the Tony Awards) in 2006 forComfortable Shoes. In 2007 he returned to New York to join the cast of theOff-Broadway musicalIn the Heights as Benny.^[9] The cast won the 2007Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. He continued with the show when it moved to Broadway in 2008.^[10]

In 2009 Jackson was tapped to write music for the revived children's television programThe Electric Company.^[11] In 2012 he returned to Broadway as Delray inMemphis, and in 2013 he replacedEverett Bradley as "Diga Diga Doo" in the Broadway musicalAfter Midnight.^[12][13] In 2013 he appeared as Derek Jeter and Bobby Sturges in theEric Simonson'sOff-Broadway playBronx Bombers atPrimary Stages.^[14] He remained with the production when it moved to Broadway in 2014.^[15] That same year he portrayed Vertus in the short lived Broadway musicalHoller If Ya Hear Me which was based on the life ofTupac.^[16]

In 2015, Jackson originated the role of PresidentGeorge Washington in the musicalHamilton on Broadway.^[17][18] He was nominated for a Tony Award and concluded his run on November 13, 2016 being replaced byNicholas Christopher.^[19] Beginning with the 2016–2017 season, he played Chunk Palmer in the CBS courtroom dramaBull until the series' conclusion.6^[20] Jackson's film and TV work includesMoana,Tracers,The Good Wife,Person of Interest,A Gifted Man, andNurse Jackie. He is also a member ofhip-hop groupFreestyle Love Supreme.^[21][22] He has been nominated for three Emmy Awards for composing music and lyrics for television; he won the “Outstanding Original Song” Emmy Award in 2011 for his lyrics to "What I Am," which he co-wrote forSesame Street with Bill Sherman.^[23] The success led to a first look deal atCBS Studios.^[24]

In February 2021, Jackson signed with Nickelodeon to compose the NOGGIN SVOD original seriesRhymes Through Times,^[25] which features Nick's preschool characters in a Broadway extravaganza recreating the stories of the greatest heroes of America, specifically focusing onBlack history.^[26] The animation for the show was done by LionForge Animation LLC. who have previously worked on the Oscar-winning Netflix movieHair Love.^[27] The second season dropped on March 7, 2022. On 3 June 2025, he’s set to make his Broadway return as Davis inHell's Kitchen.^[28]

In 2004, after meeting through a production ofIn the Heights, Jackson married actress and singerVeronica. Before the first run-through of the Off-Broadway production ofIn the Heights, Jackson learned that his son had been diagnosed withautism.^[29] Jackson and his wife are advocates for KultureCity: a nonprofit promoting acceptance and inclusion of all individuals regardless of their abilities. They have one son, C. J., and one daughter, Jadelyn. They live in Scarsdale, New York.^[21]

• African-American Tony nominees and winners

• Christopher Jackson atIMDb
• Christopher Jackson at theInternet Broadway Database

• 1975 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American male actors
• 20th-century American singers
• 20th-century American male singers
• 21st-century American male actors
• 21st-century American singers
• 21st-century American male singers
• People from Cairo, Illinois
• Grammy Award winners
• American male stage actors
• American baritones
• American male musical theatre actors
• American male television actors
• American male voice actors
• American Musical and Dramatic Academy alumni

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from July 2020
• Articles with hCards
• Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata