Jimmy Jean-Louis

Born in Petion-Ville, Haiti, actor Jimmy Jean-Louis moved to Paris during adolescence (1980). He enrolled in business courses, but quickly realized that his heart lay in performance, and studied at the Academie International de Dance. This marked a prescient move, for around a decade later, producers discovered Jean-Louis during one of his dancing stints in a French club (1991); deeply impressed, they tapped him to appear in a Coca-Cola ad, the success of which prompted the star ascendant to spend several years modeling across Europe for such notables as Gianfranco Ferré and Valentino. By the mid-'90s, he was gracing music videos by such superstars as Mariah Carey, Seal, and George Michael, and appearing in low-budget "independent" films in Los Angeles. Hollywood A-list roles were quick to follow. Jean-Louis debuted on the big screen in the Jean-Claude Van Damme action opus Derailed, then signed for supporting roles in such films as Hollywood Homicide (2003), Monster-in-Law (2005), and Phat Girlz (2006). He achieved his most widespread fame, however, when cast in the recurring role of The Haitian on the superhero-themed serial Heroes (2007). He stuck with the program through its three-year run. His first part after the program was cancelled came in the 2010 action comedy Coursier.