Bowie State Alum, Actor Nominated for an Emmy Award

BOWIE, Md.) – A Bowie State University alumnus and professional actor – best known for his portrayal of rapper Kurtis Blow on BET’s “The New Edition Story” – received his first Emmy nomination for his performance in his YouTube series, “This Eddie Murphy Role is Mine, Not Yours.”

Melvin Jackson Jr. (’05) is one of five actors nominated for a 2018 Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, including CBS’s “The Late Late Show” host James Corden. The 70^th Primetime Emmy Awards will air live on September 17 on NBC.

Jackson plays himself and actor/comedian Eddie Murphy in the six-part YouTube series, which he produced and co-wrote with his wife, actress Kelly Jenrette, also a first-time 2018 Emmy Award acting nominee for her guest role in Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The YouTube series begins with Jackson receiving a call from his agent about an audition for the role of Eddie Murphy in his biopic. Jackson and his friend come up with a scheme to make sure he gets the role.

A Washington, DC, native, Jackson began his professional acting career as a fine arts major at Bowie State, when he landed small roles on the TV series “America’s Most Wanted” in 2003 and the HBO series “The Wire” in 2004. After graduation, he scored a recurring role on The CW’s “Everybody Hates Chris” from 2005-2006. Since then, Jackson has added writer, stand-up comedian, director and producer credits to his resume. He played Kurtis Blow in the NAACP Image Award-winning “The New Edition Story” mini-series in 2017.