Jason Michael Weaver is an American actor and singer born on July 18, 1979, in Chicago, Illinois. The son of Marilyn Haywood of the vocal group Kitty & the Haywoods, Weaver was exposed to the music industry from a young age. He began his professional acting career in 1990 in the drama series Brewster Place before achieving widespread recognition for portraying a young Michael Jackson in the 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. In 1994, he provided the singing voice for young Simba in the Disney animated film The Lion King, performing the tracks “I Just Can't Wait to Be King” and “Hakuna Matata”. Weaver launched his recording career in June 1995 with the studio album Love Ambition through Motown Records. He later starred in the sitcoms Thea and Smart Guy and was the featured vocalist on Chingy's 2004 hit “One Call Away”, which reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2021, Weaver joined the cast of The Chi as Rashaad Marshall.
