# Marc John Jefferies
**Marc John Jefferies** (born 1990 in New York City) is an American actor and producer best known for playing the title character as a toddler in *Losing Isaiah* (1995), a young Curtis "[50 Cent](https://www.edgepedia.org/50-cent)" Jackson in *Get Rich or Die Tryin'* (2005), and rapper [Lil' Cease](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-cease) in the 2009 biopic *Notorious*. He has worked steadily as both a child and adult performer in film and television, and he founded an acting school, the MJJ Acting Academy, also known as MSDA, in New York City.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/) • [2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990, New York City, New York, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/) |
| Breakout role | Title character in the 1995 Paramount drama *Losing Isaiah*, opposite Halle Berry, Jessica Lange, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Samuel L. Jackson[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies) |
| Signature film roles | Young Marcus (young 50 Cent) in *Get Rich or Die Tryin'* (2005); Lil' Cease in *Notorious* (2009); Wes in *Nerve* (2016)[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/) |
| Television regulars | Derrick Mitchell on NBC's *The Tracy Morgan Show* (2003, 16 episodes); voice of the youngest son in Nickelodeon's animated *Fatherhood* (2004, 26 episodes)[3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/62646-marc-john-jefferies) |
| Recurring TV roles | QDubs on Starz's *Power* (2015, 3 episodes); Darius on HBO's *Treme* (2010); Rickey Townsend on Showtime's *City on a Hill* (2021, 3 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/) • [3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/62646-marc-john-jefferies) |
| Nominations | Two Young Artist Award nominations, 2002 for *The Practice* and 2004 for *The Haunted Mansion*[4](https://www.suzeebehindthescenes.com/2013/11/meet-actor-marc-john-jefferies-or-have.html) |
| Other work | Founder of the MJJ Acting Academy (MSDA) in New York City[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies) |
## Early start
Jefferies was born in New York City, and per one French-language profile his first appearance before cameras came at three weeks old, in a print advertisement photographed by his father.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/) • [5](https://www.cinefil.com/star/marc-john-jefferies) A 1995 Columbia Daily Spectator profile reported that his father, a commercial photographer named Marc John Jeffries, began auditioning him for print ads at six weeks old, followed by television commercials for [Fisher-Price](https://www.edgepedia.org/fisher-price) toys and Cannon cameras.[6](https://columbia.edu/cu/bb/oldstuff/bb0410.31.html) The family lived in the Bronx, and his father was a Jehovah's Witness, a fact the younger Jefferies later said shaped his upbringing.[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies) • [6](https://columbia.edu/cu/bb/oldstuff/bb0410.31.html)
His first film role was the title character in *Losing Isaiah* (1995), a toddler at the center of a custody battle between characters played by [Halle Berry](https://www.edgepedia.org/halle-berry) and [Jessica Lange](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-lange).[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies) • [6](https://columbia.edu/cu/bb/oldstuff/bb0410.31.html) Sources give his age at filming as either four or five years old.[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/marc_john_jefferies)
## Child actor
Through the late 1990s and early 2000s Jefferies built a dense filmography as a child performer. Guest appearances before he reached his teens included *Homicide: Life on the Street* (1997), *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (2000), *The Practice* (2001), *Third Watch* (2002, three episodes as Miguel White), and *New York Undercover*.[3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/62646-marc-john-jefferies) • [8](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-104976/filmographie/)
**Studio films and voice work.** In 2001 he contributed voice work to Pixar's *Monsters, Inc.*, and in 2002 he played Will in *[Stuart Little](https://www.edgepedia.org/stuart-little-film) 2* and Young Dre in the romantic comedy *[Brown Sugar](https://www.edgepedia.org/brown-sugar-2002-film)*.[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies) • [3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/62646-marc-john-jefferies) In 2003, the year of his 13th birthday, he appeared in *Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle* as the Bus-Stop Kid and played Michael, Eddie Murphy's character's son, in Disney's *[The Haunted Mansion](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-haunted-mansion-2003-film)*, while also contributing additional voices to Pixar's *Finding Nemo*.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/marc_john_jefferies) • [2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies)
Television gave him his first series-regular jobs. He played Derrick Mitchell on NBC's *The Tracy Morgan Show*, appearing in 16 episodes of its one-season run, and then voiced the youngest son in the animated series *Fatherhood* for 26 episodes.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/marc_john_jefferies) • [3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/62646-marc-john-jefferies) His early voice-over work also included *Justice League Unlimited*, where he voiced Kid Green Lantern in one 2004 episode.[3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/62646-marc-john-jefferies)
He received two [Young Artist Award](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-artist-award) nominations during these years, one in 2002 for his guest role in *The Practice* and one in 2004 for his supporting work in *The Haunted Mansion*.[4](https://www.suzeebehindthescenes.com/2013/11/meet-actor-marc-john-jefferies-or-have.html)
## Transition to adult roles
**Biopics.** In Jim Sheridan's 2005 drama *Get Rich or Die Tryin'*, Jefferies played Young Marcus, the childhood version of Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson; the studio's publicity stills also credit him as appearing with [Viola Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/viola-davis) in the film.[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/marc_john_jefferies) In 2009 he portrayed rapper Lil' Cease in *Notorious*, the biopic of [The Notorious B.I.G.](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-notorious-b-i-g)[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies)
**Television in the 2010s.** Jefferies played Darius, a recurring role, across the first season of HBO's post-Katrina drama *Treme* (2010), appearing in four episodes, and co-starred with [Khandi Alexander](https://www.edgepedia.org/khandi-alexander) on that series.[8](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-104976/filmographie/) • [9](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/marc-jefferies.html) On Starz's *[Power](https://www.edgepedia.org/power-tv-series)* he returned in a recurring part as QDubs, leader of the RSK, appearing in three 2015 episodes alongside 50 Cent, whom he had played as a child a decade earlier.[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/) His SAG-AFTRA resume lists recurring or guest roles on *Dexter* (as Wendell Owens), *3 Lbs.*, *NYC 22*, *Blue Bloods*, and *Law & Order: SVU*.[10](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/174231-812247)
**Later work.** In the 2015 drama *Chapter & Verse*, which Rotten Tomatoes lists as his highest-rated film at 93 percent with critics, he played B-Rock; he also played Wes in the 2016 thriller *Nerve* and Bunch in *Brotherly Love* (2015).[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/marc_john_jefferies) On Showtime's *City on a Hill* he played Rickey Townsend in three 2021 episodes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/) More recent credits include *[Equal Standard](https://www.edgepedia.org/equal-standard)* (2020) as Kenny Williamson, *Phels High* (2023), *Aurora: A Love Story* (2023) as Will, *Dope King* (2025) as Mike, and *Between Friends* (2024) as Detective Jones.[3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/62646-marc-john-jefferies) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/)
## Producing and stage work
IMDb credits Jefferies as producer on four short films: *The Will to Want* (2014), *The Township* (2015), *Do What He Wants* (2015), and *Strings Attached* (2016), on which he was co-executive producer and producer, and he is credited as director of the in-development television series *Love and Brooklyn*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/) His Actors Access resume lists stage work including a supporting role in the Broadway production *Taller Than A Dwarf* directed by [Alan Arkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-arkin) and a lead role in the Off Broadway play *The Lamb*.[10](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/174231-812247)
## Teaching
Jefferies founded the MJJ Acting Academy, known on its website as MSDA (the Modern School of Dramatic Arts), where he serves as founder and lead acting coach.[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies) The school's stated mission is to train actors to develop their own style and build sustainable careers, with classes in cold reads, character development, monologue technique, improvisation, and script analysis.[2](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies) A 2013 interview noted that he was already teaching acting classes in New York at that time.[4](https://www.suzeebehindthescenes.com/2013/11/meet-actor-marc-john-jefferies-or-have.html)
## Personal life
Jefferies stands 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m) tall.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/) His sister is the actress LaShawn Jefferies, known for voice work including the animated series *The Backyardigans*.[11](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/bio/) • [9](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/marc-jefferies.html) In interviews he has credited his parents, a disciplinarian father and a mother who was a teacher, with helping him make the transition from child actor to adult performer, saying his identity at home was "Marc John Jefferies, the son, not the actor."[12](https://bleumag.com/culture/entertainment/actors-marc-john-jefferies-gerard-cordero-share-their-secret-to-industry-success/)
## References
1. [Marc John Jefferies, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/)
2. [Marc John Jefferies, Founder & Lead Acting Coach at MSDA](https://www.msdacting.com/faculty/marc-john-jefferies)
3. [Marc John Jefferies, The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/62646-marc-john-jefferies)
4. [Interview: Meet Actor Marc John Jefferies, SuzeeBehindTheScenes (2013)](https://www.suzeebehindthescenes.com/2013/11/meet-actor-marc-john-jefferies-or-have.html)
5. [Marc John Jefferies, biographie et filmographie, Cinéfil](https://www.cinefil.com/star/marc-john-jefferies)
6. ["Losing Isaiah," finding fame, missing school, Columbia Daily Spectator (1995)](https://columbia.edu/cu/bb/oldstuff/bb0410.31.html)
7. [Marc John Jefferies Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/marc_john_jefferies)
8. [Marc John Jefferies : Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-104976/filmographie/)
9. [Marc John Jefferies, Age, Bio, Family, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/marc-jefferies.html)
10. [Marc John Jefferies, Resume, Actors Access](https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/174231-812247)
11. [Marc John Jefferies, Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420384/bio/)
12. [Actors Marc John Jefferies and Gerard Cordero Share Their Secret to Industry Success, Bleu Magazine](https://bleumag.com/culture/entertainment/actors-marc-john-jefferies-gerard-cordero-share-their-secret-to-industry-success/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Child and youth screen performers › Child performers born 1986 to 2000*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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