Jerry Maguire

Background:

One of Hollywood’s talented young actors, Jonathan Lipnicki gained notice after portraying the lively son Ray Boyd in the Tom Cruise successful starring vehicle Jerry Maguire (1996). Due to his luminous acting, the young star nabbed a Broadcast Film Critics Association award and a Young Artist award. He received further recognition as George Little, a kid who employs a talking mouse, in Stuart Little (1999), a role he reprised for the 2002 sequel Stuart Little 2. For his brilliant effort, Lipnicki netted a 2000 Young Star award. He also played roles in such movies as the box office hit Doctor Dolittle (1998, voiced the Baby Tiger), The Little Vampire (2000), Like Mike (2002), When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (2003), The L.A. Riot Spectacular (2005) and Knights of Impossingworth Park (2005). On the small screen, Lipnicki starred in such series as “The Jeff Foxworthy Show” (1996-97) and “Meego” (1997), as well as made guest appearances in shows like “The Single Guy” (1997), “Dawson’s Creek” (2000) and “Family Guy” (2005, lent his voice for Wesly).

Off screen, Lipnicki was once voted number 13 of VH1’s “100 Greatest Kid Stars.” He is a humanitarian and is known for his involvement with charities like the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Starlight Children’s Foundation and NBA’s Read to Achieve. Moreover, he became a worldwide spokesperson for Pediatric Chiropractic and Kids Day American/International. An animal lover, Lipnicki is the owner of four dogs and actively supports the animal’s rights groups Pets & Their Stars and Nuts for Mutts. He is also an ardent drummer and was a member of the late band Thanx Mr.


Yellow Belt

Childhood and Family:

Jonathan William Lipnicki was born on October 22, 1990, in Westlake Village, California. His father is Joe Lipnicki, a Germany-born, Montreal, Quebec, Canada-raised man of Polish descent, and his mother is Rhonda Rosen. The family immigrated to the United States in 1964 in reaction to French Canadian separation in the 1960s. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his parents and his older sister, actress Alexis (born in 1988).

Jonathan Lipnicki is now a student at a California public school and is on the school’s water polo team. He also studies Vale Tudo fighting (extreme boxing) and has received a yellow belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In his leisure time, Lipnicki enjoys skateboarding, basketball, baseball and playing the electric guitar.


Stuart Little

Career:

Jonathan Lipnicki began his professional career as a little boy. At age 6, he landed his first film role in the blockbuster hit Jerry Maguire (1996), which starred Tom Cruise. With Cameron Crowe directing at the helm, he offered an engaging supporting turn as Renee Zellweger’s bubbly son Ray Boyd. Many critics felt his character was the best part of the film. His performance also handed the young actor a Young Artist award for Best Performance in a Feature Film for Actor Age Ten or Under and a Broadcast Film Critics Association for Best Child Performance.

After the much talk-about performance, Lipnicki was seen on the small screen with a regular role in the short-lived NBC sitcom “The Jeff Foxworthy Show” (1996-97), playing the title character’s youngest son Justin, and portrayed Alex Parker, opposite Bronson Pinchot’s Meego, in the Ross Brown-created sci-fi series “Meego” (1997). The same year he also made a guest appearance in an episode of “The Single Guy,” as Rudy. He returned to the wide screen in 1998 when he provided the voice for Baby Tiger in the Eddie Murphy successful vehicle Doctor Dolittle.

Lipnicki rounded out the decade with the George Little role, a boy who takes on a talking mouse, in Stuart Little (1999). Delivering an impressive comedic performance, he was garnered a 2000 Young Star for Best Young Actor/Performance in a Motion Picture Comedy. Among his costars in the family film were Michael J. Fox, Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie.
Entering the new millennium, Lipnicki made a three-episode guest appearance in the popular teen serial “Dawson’s Creek” (2000), before starring in the title role of Tony Thompson in the adventure film The Little Vampire (2000). Two years later, he found himself acting opposite Bow Wow and Morris Chestnut in director John Schultz’s Like Mike (2002) and reprised the George Little role for the 2002 sequel Stuart Little 2. In 2003, he re-teamed with Schultz for the drama-family When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (2003), starring with Sasha Neulinger and Cody Linley. On the small screen, he was seen guest starring as Stan in the series “Touched by an Angel” (2003).

Disappearing from the scene for a while, Lipnicki made his way back to the cinematic industry in 2005 with the role of Tom Saltine Jr., opposite Snoop Dogg, Emilio Estevez and George Hamilton, in writer/director Marc Klasfeld’s The L.A. Riot Spectacular, and starred with Ben Kingsley in Knights of Impossingworth Park (2005), a family film written and directed by Keith Cavelle. His voice could also be heard as Wesly in one episode of “Family Guy” (2005).


Awards:

- YoungStar: Best Young Actor/Performance in a Motion Picture Comedy, Stuart Little, 2000
- Broadcast Film Critics Association: Best Child Performance, Jerry Maguire, 1997
- Young Artist: Best Performance in a Feature Film - Actor Age Ten or Under, Jerry Maguire, 1997