Of Dominican descent, New York City actor received an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series during the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, 23 September 2019. “It’s an honor. It’s a blessing, and I hope this is a step forward for Dominicans, for Latinos, for Afro-Latinos.” He is the first Afro-Latin actor to win in the category.
Jerome was honored for his portrayal of Korey Wise who spent five years wrongly imprisoned in Rikers Island prison. The plight of the men was documented in the Netflix film, “When They See Us”. Wise was one of five young men wrongfully convicted of raping a woman in 1989 and who served from five to 12 years in prison.
His acceptance speech was a memorable moment during the Emmy Awards. One of the standout moments was when the actual “exonerated five” – Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson and Yusef Salaam – stood up and gave Jerome a standing ovation.
Jerome was first noticed for performing in “Moonlight.” His debut as a young Kevin in the Oscar-winning Best Picture film catapulted him to instant fame. He would go on to win an MTV Movie and TV Award for Best Kiss for his scene with Ashton Sanders.
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Gothamist
25 September 2019