J.B. Smoove

J.B. Smoove (born December 16, 1965, Plymouth, North Carolina, U.S.) is an American actor and comedian best known for portraying the quick-witted and profane character Leon Black in the improvisation-based comedy television series Curb Your Enthusiasm (2007– ). He is also known for playing the role of Ray, a television station cameraman, in the situation comedy series The Millers (2013–15). In many of his roles, Smoove has portrayed uninhibited and fast-talking characters. He is an avid follower of hip-hop music and culture, and his professional name is derived from his former stage name, J. Smoove, which he used during a short stint as a hip-hop dancer.

Early life

Smoove was born Jerry Angelo Brooks in Plymouth, North Carolina, the eldest son of Floyd Brooks, a lighting installer, and Elizabeth Brooks, whom he credits for instilling his lively sense of humour. When he was three years old, the family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, eventually settling in the Levister Towers housing projects. His father died of complications from diabetes when Brooks was 15 years old. Brooks graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1983 and went on to study graphic design and engineering at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Career

In the early to mid-1990s Smoove performed stand-up comedy at the Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem, New York City, and he toured comedy clubs on the East Coast. Smoove made his television debut on the stand-up comedy series Def Comedy Jam in 1992. Comedian Louis C.K. cast him in the role of Trucky in the cult-favourite comedy movie Pootie Tang (2001). Smoove was also a cast member of the short-lived sketch comedy TV series Cedric the Entertainer Presents (2002–03), and he landed a job as a staff writer and bit-part actor on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live in 2003. When the show declined to renew his contract in 2006, Smoove fired both of his talent agents in an attempt to reset his career.

That same year, he traveled to Los Angeles to attend the funeral of his music producer friend Oji Pierce, and while in town he tried out for the role of Leon Black on Curb Your Enthusiasm. At the audition, he approached Larry David, the show’s star and creator, and said, “Let’s do this, baby. Let’s improv. I may mess around and slap you in the face. Anything could happen, Larry.” Smoove joined the cast in 2007. On the show, his character is part of a family from New Orleans that has lost its home after Hurricane Katrina, and David and his wife have taken the family in. Black was not supposed to be a recurring character, but Smoove earned a regular role after demonstrating his quick-witted comic instincts and on-screen chemistry with David. He has described Black as someone who gives bad advice that, often by chance, turns out to be good advice.

In addition, Smoove has served as a spokesperson for the sports betting company Caesars Sportsbook and appeared in television commercials for the sports apparel company Nike and the fast-food restaurant chain McDonald’s. Moreover, he has acted in several other movies, including the comedy Hall Pass (2011), the family comedy We Bought a Zoo (2011), the fantasy-comedy The Smurfs 2 (2013), and the action-drama Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). He has also been cast in numerous other television shows, such as the situation comedy Everybody Hates Chris (2007–08), the comedy series ’Til Death (2008–10), the animated situation comedy American Dad! (2009–21), the comedy series The Millers (2013–15), the reality television parody series Real Husbands of Hollywood (2022), the comedy series Blockbuster (2022), and the sketch comedy series History of the World: Part II (2023).

In 2007 Smoove married actress and singer Shahidah Omar; they have one daughter. In 2017 he and actress and author Iris Bahr published The Book of Leon: Philosophy of a Fool, a self-help parody based on the Leon Black character. He won an Emmy Award for outstanding actor in a short form comedy or drama series in 2021 for his performance as Chief Billy Bills in the comedy-mystery series Mapleworth Murders (2020).