Jussie Smollett’s Father – Joel Smollett Wiki (Bio, Age, Height, Children, Cancer)
Joel Smollett was a cable splicer. He was the head of the Smollett family. Joel came of Jewish descent and had migrated from Russia and then Poland and later to America. In America, he married a very beautiful young, African- American woman, Janet Smollett. Joel Smollett is known because of his famous children.
Smollett Had a Big Family: Five Kids and a Loving Wife
Joel Smollett was born on October 8, 1956. He had migrated from Russia and Poland to America. He married Janet Smollett. Together the duo had six children. All his kids have been famous in their own fields.
Joel Smollett’s children have left a significant mark in the movie industry. Most of them are young actors/actresses who undeniably have a bright future ahead of them. Joel was a capable father who was likely a contributory factor leading to his children’s achievement.
The father of two daughters and four sons died at the age of 58, on January 7, 2014. He lost his battle with cancer. Currently, his wife Janet lives together with her children. Since the death of her husband, she has been living a single life and there is no news of her affairs with anyone.
Joel‘s Kids & Acting
Joel Smollett is known because of his famous kids who have got into the entertainment industry. They have chosen a career of acting, modeling, and music. All his kids have become famous and gained a lot of recognition in their respective fields in Hollywood. They even like to be seen together and love working with each other. His kids worked together in the popular ABC series in the ‘90s; ‘On Our Own’.
Joel Smollett had two daughters and four sons JoJo, Jazz, Jussie, Jurnee, Jake, and Jocqui Smollett.
Jojo Smollett
Jojo was born in California on August 28, 1977. He was the first son of Joel and Janet. He has five siblings, three brothers, and two sisters. Jojo is a producer and actor. He is known for his work in movies such as The Practice (1991), City of Hope (1991), and Roseanne (1988). Jojo Smollett made an appearance in the show ‘On Our Own’ with all his siblings.
Jazz Smollett
Born on April 1, 1980, Jazz Smollett Wardwell, is an actress from Northern California. She like Joel is also an actor and a producer. In the year, 1994, Jazz started her career in the entertainment industry. She landed a role in the family sitcom, ‘On Our Own’. She was the eldest sister of her well-known family; she was the one who had helped her parents to raise her siblings.
She got married to the person she loved, producer Troy Wardwell and the duo tied a knot in 2012. The duo later had a baby daughter. Both Jazz and Troy are working for the entertainment industry. Jazz likes to assists her producer husband and helps him in the movie projects as an actress and co-producer.
Jussie Smollett
Jussie Smollett is also known as ‘Justin’. He was born on June 21, 1982. He is a photographer, a singer, and an actor, by profession. He had worked in films such as The Mighty Ducks (1992), Empire (2015) & Allen Covenant (2017). At the premiere of his movie ‘Empire,’ he had lost his most loved, dad. He was also his role model. He posted a picture which had his dad with him on his official Instagram page to convey the news about his deceased father and added a caption to it stating:
“Yesterday, January 7, 2015, my family lost our king but we gained a righteous angel. Showed us the deepest strength and dignity until our very last breath. You are not just a fighter… You are the CHAMP.”
Jurnee Smollett
Joel and Janet’s second daughter and fourth child are Jurnee Smollett. She is an American actress who started her acting career with the comedy show “On Our Own” which also starred his other siblings. She was awarded the ‘Best Younger Performer’ for the film known as ‘Choice’ and also got the outstanding actress award for the same movie. She also worked for the campaigns and helped in preventing HIV AIDS from the people for 11 years. She was inspired by a girl named Hydeia Broadbent, who was an AIDS survivor in the year, 1989.
Jake Smollett
Similar to his other siblings, He is also a well-known American actor. Born on July 29, 1989. He is known to have showcased his talent in acting in movies such as On Our Own (1994), Eve’s Bayou (1997), The Middleman (2008). He has a huge fan following in social media and has more than 9k followers on Twitter, more than 5k followers on Facebook, and 78.3k followers on Instagram.
Jocqui Smollett
He was born on August 2, 1993, and is the most talented sibling of all the Smollett brothers and sisters. He is well known because he had played the role of the character “Jarreau Jerrico” in On Our Own. Later he was seen in another television show ‘Smollett Eats in 2016’. Jocqui is also a founder of Hosted Incorporation and a technologist.
Joel’s Death: Suffering from Cancer
The head of the Smollett family lost his battle for life with cancer on January 7, 2015. He was just 58. He was a dedicated and wonderful father, a loving husband. He was an inspiration for his children. His children always remembered it. One of his daughters, Jurnee posted a note for his deceased father on Instagram, on Fathers’ Day with the caption as:
“Love You Dad. Keep flying high up there. Till we meet again. Love your little girl.”
Joel had always taught his children to work hard and also help those who needed their help. Jurnee Smollett supports many charities and foundations such as Children Defense Funds, Nelson Mandela Children’s Foundation, etc.
How Rich was Joel?
The late Joel Smollett’s net worth was never known. However, as you might have thought that he had a huge net worth, as all his children were celebrities. He was a simple man and a good father, who had raised children to become good people.
