TLDR: Jeremy Suarez spent his whole childhood on camera, first in Jerry Maguire at age five, then for five seasons as Jordan on The Bernie Mac Show. When Hollywood stopped calling as often, he didn’t chase it. He went and worked construction instead.
Jeremy Steven Suarez was born July 6, 1990, in Burbank, California, and started working before most kids start kindergarten.
He played Tyson Tidwell in Jerry Maguire at five, picked up guest spots on Sister, Sister and The Wayans Bros., and held a recurring role on the medical drama Chicago Hope through the late 1990s.
By the time he joined The Bernie Mac Show at 11, playing Bernie’s nephew Jordan, he already had a decade of real set experience behind him.
The Role Earned Him Two NAACP Award Nominations
Suarez played Jordan across all five seasons, earning two NAACP Image Award nominations for the role. Away from the sitcom, he also built a real animation career, voicing Koda in Disney’s Brother Bear and its 2006 sequel, work that’s arguably outlasted his live-action fame in cultural reach.
Getting Older Cost Him Work, So He Just Stopped Chasing It
Once the show ended, Suarez ran into a problem specific to child actors aging out of the roles that made them famous.
Networks preferred hiring actors already over 18 to play teenagers, since it sidestepped child labor restrictions entirely. “They’d much rather hire somebody who’s like 19 to play that age because they don’t have child actor laws,” he explained. “Not only are they not restricting you working nine and a half hours a day, they also don’t have to hire a teacher. So it’s vastly cheaper to hire an adult.”
Work slowed to a pace he’d never experienced. “I had never gone six months without a job,” he said, describing how the sudden gap made him question his own talent before he understood how much of it came down to industry economics rather than his abilities.
He Traded Sets for Construction Sites, on Purpose
By 2020, Suarez had stepped fully away from acting, working construction with his stepfather along with stretches in food service and retail, including a stint at AT&T.
He’s described the physical work with real affection rather than resentment. “It kinda put some hair on my chest, man,” he said. “I may be an actor and I may got soft hands but got dang it I’mma use ’em to lift stuff. I’m not scared, ya know.”
He’s framed the years away as something closer to research than retreat. “I always transitioned to a regular job and kind of lifestyle with a purpose of using that as like a fact-finding mission,” he said. “You go out, and you see all of this stuff. You take it, and you make all of those things part of you.”
He’s Making His Way Back, With a Different Relationship to Jordan
Suarez married Maria Suarez in 2017, and as of August 2025 had two acting projects lined up, including the comedy M.D. Is for Mr. Doula alongside Larenz Tate.
He’s stopped trying to distance himself from the character that made him famous. “I think you can run away from it and try to be the exact opposite of that character, but not really,” he said. “Jordan is one section of me.”
You can read more about the rest of the cast in our full guide to The Bernie Mac Show.
Jeremy Suarez, Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Jeremy Suarez stop acting?
He’s said roles became scarce once he aged out of the range studios preferred hiring child actors for, since casting adults to play teenagers avoided child labor law restrictions and the cost of an on-set teacher. He stepped away from acting by 2020, working construction, food service, and retail.
What other roles is Jeremy Suarez known for?
He voiced Koda in Disney’s Brother Bear and its 2006 sequel, and appeared as a child actor in Jerry Maguire, Sister, Sister, and Chicago Hope before joining The Bernie Mac Show.
Is Jeremy Suarez acting again?
Yes, as of August 2025 he had projects in the works, including the comedy M.D. Is for Mr. Doula alongside Larenz Tate.
