Jeremy Sumpter is the young actor who took the title role in the 2003 film version of Peter Pan. Sumpter was born in central California, but spent most of his childhood in Kentucky. It was there that, slender and blue-eyed, he began modelling and acting. In 2000, when Sumpter was 11 years old, his family moved to Los Angeles to help further his acting career. Before landing the starring role in Peter Pan, he appeared in the suspenseful drama Frailty (2001), the surfer flick Local Boys (2002) and the small-town nostalgia piece Just a Dream (2002).
Career Highlights: Frailty, Peter Pan, The Sasquatch Gang
First Major Screen Credit: Just a Dream (2001)
Biography
A California native who spent most of his childhood in Kentucky until the bright lights of Hollywood lured him back to the West Coast, Jeremy Sumpter impressed audiences with a chilling performance in Bill Paxton's 2001 shocker Frailty before hitting a grand slam with his winning turn as a batboy harboring big league aspirations in the acclaimed television series Clubhouse in 2004. It was at age 11 that Sumpter first garnered attention when he became the winner of a Kentucky-based talent contest, and shortly after booking a manager, the talented youngster impressed Paxton so much that the actor-turned-director cast him as Matthew McConaughey's young screen counterpart in Frailty. In 2002, Sumpter took to the waves as a young surfer experiencing a memorable childhood summer with his brother in Local Boys, and he next stepped in front of the camera for none other than Danny Glover in the family-friendly drama Just a Dream. By 2003, it appeared as if Sumpter might be hitting his stride when he earned a Young Artist Award for his turn as the titular character in the 2003 fantasy Peter Pan, and the very next year he was making his maiden voyage into weekly television with his role on Clubhouse. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Jeremy Robert Myron Sumpter (born February 5, 1989) is an American actor. He is mostly known for playing the lead role of Peter in the movie Peter Pan. He has been starring in the NBC series Friday Night Lights since 2008 playing the role of J.D McCoy.
Jeremy Sumpter was born in Monterey, California the son of Sandra (née Johnson) and Gary Sumpter. His siblings, twin sister, Jessica, and younger sister, Gigi, are also actresses. He also has a brother named Travis who is in college. He was raised in the small town of Mount Sterling, Kentucky, until he was eleven. He won IMTA's Pre-Teen Male Model of the Year award in 2000. Soon afterward, he signed with Mark Robert Management and his family moved to Los Angeles, where he currently resides.[citation needed]
Career
In July 2002, Sumpter, then thirteen years old, was selected for the role of Peter Pan, a role traditionally played by women on stage, and the first time a boy played the role in a live-action feature film. During filming he grew eight inches, requiring some filming and staging tricks to conceal his height in scenes filmed late in production.[citation needed] They had to make the window bigger because he kept hitting his head and they had to keep making his leaf outfit bigger. Sumpter did nearly all of his stunts for the film himself. To prepare, he says he practiced sword fighting as much as five hours a day, as well as training in gymnastics and lifting weights. While filming in Australia, he supplemented his training with cricket and surfing.[citation needed]
Sumpter spent the summer of 2005 in Oregon filming the comedy The Sasquatch Gang, which was theatrically released in November, 2006. He also appears in the film An American Crime, where he portrays Coy Hubbard along side Ellen Page and James Franco He also appeared in an episode of CSI Miami as the boyfriend of a girl whose parents are murdered. He has completed filming Calvin Marshall in which he plays the part of Caselli.[citation needed] He recently completed You're So Cupid, and the independent film Death And Cremation.
Currently Sumpter has been co-hosting the YOBI show on the online reality contest network at http://www.yobi.tv with co-host Danielle Ryan.
Young Artist Awards (nomination) 2006 Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special(Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actor for: Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life (2005) (TV)
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards (nomination) 2004 Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role - Male for: Peter Pan (2003)
Saturn Award (winner) 2004 Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Peter Pan.
Young Artist Award (winner) 2004 Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Peter Pan.
Saturn Award (nomination) 2003 Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Frailty.
Young Artist Award (winner) 2002 Best Performance in a TV Movie, Mini-Series or Special - Leading Young Actor for Just A Dream.
