Jessie T. Usher

Jesse T. Usher (birthname: Jesse T. Usher Jr.) has been working since he was a child actor in TV commercials, most recently earning a co-starring role in writer-director Parker Finn’s horror movie, Smile (2022), with Sosie Bacon and Kyle Gallner. His feature debut was a supporting role (alongside Gallner) in Shawn Ku’s drama, Beautiful Boy (2010), with Maria Bello and Michael Sheen.

In an unusual casting, Usher served as one of the voice-over narrators picked by writer-director for his documentary history of early 20^th century teenage culture based on Jon Savage’s book, Teenage (2013), with the voices of Jena Malone, Ben Whishaw, Julia Hummer, and Alden Ehrenreich.

Usher’s first studio film was Sony Pictures’ college football saga, When the Game Stands Tall (2014), with Jim Caviezel, Michael Chiklis, and Laura Dern. One of Usher’s more prominent roles to date happened two years later, in Roland Emmerich’s reboot for (then) 20^th Century Fox, Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), with Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Maika Monroe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Judd Hirsch.

Jessie T. Usher’s third studio outing saw him joining the cast of Kimberly Elise, Danny Glover, John Michael Higgins, Mo’Nique, J.B. Smoove, and Gabrielle Union for Universal’s holiday family movie, Almost Christmas (2016). Usher gained his first starring (and above the title) role in Jeremy Ungar’s thriller, Ride (2018), in which he played a struggling Los Angeles actor with Bella Thorne and Will Brill.

Usher’s visibility shot up further, playing opposite Samuel L. Jackson (again, above the title) as the estranged son of John Shaft in Warner Bros.’ remake of Shaft (2019), with Regina Hall and Richard Roundtree. He rejoined Jackson, playing opposite Anthony Mackie, Nicholas Hoult, and Nia Long in George Nolfi’s true-life drama, The Banker (2020). Usher was cast in his first Netflix production, Dangerous Lies (2020), a psychological thriller written by David Golden, directed by Michael Scott, and featuring Camila Mendes and Elliott Gould.