Brandon Hammond
Born
Brandon La Ron Hammond

(1984-02-06) February 6, 1984 (age 40)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
OccupationActor
Years active1991–2002

Brandon La Ron Hammond (born February 6, 1984) is an American former child actor who appeared in several movie and television roles mainly during the 1990s. He appeared in the feature films Waiting to Exhale (1995), Mars Attacks! (1996) and Soul Food (1997). He won an NAACP Image Award for his work in the latter.

On television, Hammond recurred on Western series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1996−98) and sitcom The Gregory Hines Show (1997−98). He earned a Young Artist Award nomination after performing in Gregory Hines. He also played the ten year old Michael Jordan in the 1996 family film Space Jam.

Hammond's latest performance was in the television film Our America (2002). In adulthood, Hammond is a filmmaker who writes and directs short films.

Early life

Hammond was born as Brandon La Ron Hammond[1] on February 6, 1984[2] in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,[3] the son of Alfreda Williams,[4] who managed her son's acting career.[5]

Career

He made his acting debut at the age of 6, appearing in commercials for Chevrolet and public service announcements.[3][4] Hammond's first film role was in Menace II Society (1993) where he played the younger version of the main character Caine.[6] He followed this up with roles in Strange Days[7] and Waiting to Exhale, both released in 1995. Hammond appeared in the horror anthology Tales from the Hood (1995) as Walter,[8] a young boy who is scared of his abusive stepfather.[9] Hammond performed as Marcus Jr. in 1996 television film The Road to Galveston.[10]

In 1996, Hammond appeared in three feature films. Hammond portrayed Sean Rayburn in The Fan,[11] the son of Wesley Snipes' character who is kidnapped by Gil (Robert DeNiro).[12] He played Neville Williams in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks![13] and was a young Michael Jordan in Space Jam.[14]

Hammond portrayed the character of Ahmad in Soul Food (1997).[15] His performance in this film was well received, with critics describing Hammond as the film's standout actor,[16] a natural[17] and having talent that "far surpasses his age."[18] He was awarded the NAACP Image Award in 1998 for Outstanding Youth Actor as Ahmad.[19]

He had a recurring role on the television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman during its final two seasons, playing the character of Anthony, an adopted son of Grace and Robert E.[20] Hammond continued playing the role until Anthony was killed off.[21] Hammond was Hines' son, Matty Stevenson, in short-lived sitcom The Gregory Hines Show (1997−98).[22] A reviewer for The New York Times opined Hines and Hammond had good chemistry.[23] In 1998, Hammond received two nominations for an Young Artist Award and YoungStar Award in recognition of his acting on Gregory Hines.

Hammond guest starred on various series during the 1990s and early 2000s, including Coach, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Dave's World, Early Edition[24] and The West Wing. He appeared in crime drama Blue Hill Avenue (2001).[25] Hammond's last role to date was Lloyd Newman in the 2002 Showtime film Our America.[26] He received his third Young Artist Award nomination for acting in Our America.

Following the end of his acting career, Hammond attended Saddleback College, where he submitted a student film titled Summer Blame (2006). His film was nominated at the Newport Beach Film Festival.[27] Hammond wrote the short film Amaru, which received the award for best screenwriting at the John Singleton Short Film Competition in 2020.[28][29]

Filmography

Film

Television

Home video

Awards and nominations

Awards
Year Result Award Category Nominated Work
1998 Won NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Youth Actor[19] Soul Food
1998 Nominated Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film: Leading Young Actor[30]
1998 Nominated Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Supporting Young Actor[30] The Gregory Hines Show
1998 Nominated YoungStar Awards Best Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series[31]
1998 Nominated Best Young Actor in a Drama Film[31] Soul Food
2003 Nominated Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special - Supporting Young Actor Our America[32]

References

  1. ^ "Hammond, Brandon 1984–". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  2. ^ "Today's Birthdays". Warsaw Times-Union. February 6, 2006. p. 7A.
  3. ^ a b Marks, Peter (September 21, 1997). "COVER STORY; Father, Sure. But Dancer? In His Dreams". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Perkins, Ken Parish (January 14, 1998). "Child Actor's Mom Worries About Hollywood's Toll". Lakeland Ledger. p. D4.
  5. ^ Loggia, Cynthia (April 19, 2000). "Players". Variety. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  6. ^ Magill, Frank N. (October 1994). Magill's Cinema Annual 1994. Cengage. p. 229. ISBN 9780893564131.
  7. ^ Willis, John; Monush, Barry (January 1, 1997). Screen World 1996. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 111. ISBN 9781557832528.
  8. ^ Koven, Mikel J.; Sherman, Sharon R. (September 30, 2007). Folklore/Cinema: Popular Film as Vernacular Culture. Utah State University Press. p. 168. ISBN 9780874216738.
  9. ^ Gaul, Lou (May 28, 1995). "'Tales From Hood' more preachy than scary". Beaver County Times. p. C11.
  10. ^ Marill, Alvin H. (2005). Movies Made for Television, 1964-2004: 1990-1999. Scarecrow Press. p. 433.
  11. ^ Erickson, Hal (March 23, 2016). The Baseball Filmography, 1915 Through 2001 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 168. ISBN 9781476607856.
  12. ^ Horwitz, Jane (August 23, 1996). "'House' not an arresting effort". The Daily News. p. 2-B.
  13. ^ DuVal, Gary (July 29, 2002). The Nevada Filmography: Nearly 600 Works Made in the State, 1897 Through 2000. McFarland & Company. p. 117. ISBN 9780786412716.
  14. ^ Marsh, Calum (July 20, 2021). "'Space Jam,' My Dad and Me". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  15. ^ "Hottest Child Stars on TV and in the Movies". Jet. Vol. 93, no. 4. Johnson Publishing Company. 15 December 1997. pp. 60–64. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  16. ^ Philpot, Robert (September 25, 1997). "'Soul Food' leaves big soapy aftertaste". The Daily News. p. 4-B.
  17. ^ Pendleton, Tonya (September 26, 1997). "This film is food for the soul". Boca Raton News. p. 18C.
  18. ^ Lane, Katherine (September 29, 1997). "Soul Food cooks up a universal tale of family". The Heights. p. 27.
  19. ^ a b "'Soul Food' awarded 5 NAACP Image Awards". The Telegraph-Herald. February 17, 1998. p. 9B.
  20. ^ "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman". Lakeland Ledger. November 1, 1997. p. D6.
  21. ^ Leonard, David J.; Troutman Robbins, Stephanie (January 26, 2021). Race in American Television: Voices and Visions that Shaped a Nation. ABC-CLIO. p. 187. ISBN 9781440843068.
  22. ^ Huff, Richard (January 16, 1998). "Son is shining on 'The Gregory Hines Show'". Rome News-Tribune.
  23. ^ Joyner, Will (September 15, 1997). "NEW TV SEASON IN REVIEW". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  24. ^ Lentz, Harris M. (2001). Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Television shows. McFarland & Company. p. 1815.
  25. ^ Berry, S. Torriano; Berry, Venise T. (May 7, 2015). Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 66. ISBN 9781442247024.
  26. ^ Crook, John (July 27, 2002). "Sundance hit chronicles an inspirational NPR experiment". Ocala Star-Banner. p. 8D.
  27. ^ Sollberger, Nicole (April 11, 2006). "Student film focuses on teens in trouble". The Lariat. p. 8.
  28. ^ "John Singleton Short Film Competition Winners". Los Angeles Sentinel. March 5, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  29. ^ Jones, Okla (September 27, 2022). "'Soul Food' Turns 25: See The Film's Cast Then And Now". Essence. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  30. ^ a b "Nineteenth Annual Youth in Film Awards". Young Artist Awards. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  31. ^ a b "Nominations for the 3rd Annual Hollywood Reporter YoungStar Awards". The Free Library. September 17, 1998. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  32. ^ "Twenty-Fourth Annual Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Awards. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2022.

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