Jacob O'Neal Latimore Jr. (born August 10, 1996) is an American actor, singer and dancer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a singer, Latimore has self-released four studio albums, Connection (2016), Connection2 (2019), C3 (2020), and JL (2025). As an actor, he is best known for his roles in Black Nativity, The Maze Runner, Collateral Beauty, Detroit, and The Chi. He also starred in the Netflix Original movie Candy Jar alongside Sami Gayle.
Life and career Latimore was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Latitia Taylor and Jacob Latimore Sr.
Film Latimore has co-starred in several major films, including Black Nativity (2013), as Langston, and Ride Along (2014), as Ramon. He also appeared in the movie The Maze Runner, which was released in theaters September 19, 2014. He then starred in the drama film Collateral Beauty, which was released on December 16, 2016, and street magic drama movie Sleight, which was released on April 28, 2017. Latimore is currently starring on Showtime'''s The Chi as Emmett. In 2019, Bilal: A New Breed of Hero was released in which Latimore acted as a voiceover. In 2020, he co-starred in the comedy Like a Boss. In 2021, he starred in Gully.
Music Latimore's first single "Best Friend" was released in 2005. In 2006, "Superstar" was released. In June 2014, he released his hit song "Heartbreak Heard Around The World" ft. T-Pain. His debut album, Connection, was released in 2016. His second effort, Connection2, the sequel to Connection, was released on April 26, 2019.
Filmography
Film Year Film Role Notes 2010 Vanishing on 7th Street James Leary 2013 Black Nativity Langston 2014 Ride Along Ramon The Maze Runner Jeff 2016 Bilal: A New Breed of Hero Bilal (teen) Collateral Beauty Raffi / Time 2017 Sleight Bashir “Bo” Wolfe Detroit Fred Temple Krystal Bobby Bryant 2018 Candy Jar Bennett Russell 2019 Gully Calvin The Last Summer Alec 2020 Like a Boss Harry 2022 Texas Chainsaw Massacre Dante Spivey 2023 House Party Kevin
Television Year Title Role Notes2009One Tree HillKid No. 1Episode: "Now You Lift Your Eyes to the Sun"2011Tyler Perry's House of PayneDanteEpisode: "Growing Paynes"2011So Random!Himself2011Reed Between the LinesJacobEpisode: "Let's Talk About College Boys"2012The FinderYoung TreyEpisode: "Life After Death"2014Survivor's RemorseJohnny MillerEpisode: "How to Build a Brand"2018–2026The ChiEmmett WashingtonMain 2020 Amazing Stories Cody Episode: "Signs of Life"
Discography Studio albums
Title Album details Peak chart positions USIndie US R&B ConnectionReleased: December 9, 2016 Label: FTE, Jacob's Ink, EMPIRE Format: CD, Digital download, streaming 42 36 Connection2Released: April 26, 2019 Label: FTE, Jacob's Ink, EMPIRE Format: Digital download, streaming — — C3Released: May 22, 2020 Label: FTE, Jacob's Ink, EMPIRE Format: Digital download, streaming — — JL Released: May 2, 2025 Label: Jacob’s Ink, CWE DISTRO Format: Digital download, streaming — —
Mixtapes and extended plays I Am the Future (2009)This is Me (2012)This is Me 2 (2013) Leo Season'' (2020)
References
External links