Brandon Hammond Explained

Brandon Hammond
Birth Name:Brandon La Ron Hammond
Birth Date:6 February 1984
Birth Place:Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation:Actor
Years Active:1991–2002

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 De Niro).[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
YearResultAwardCategoryNominated Work
1998NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Youth ActorSoul Food
1998Young Artist AwardsBest Performance in a Feature Film: Leading Young Actor[30]
1998Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Supporting Young ActorThe Gregory Hines Show
1998YoungStar AwardsBest Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series[31]
1998Best Young Actor in a Drama FilmSoul Food
2003Young Artist AwardsBest Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special - Supporting Young ActorOur America[32]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hammond, Brandon 1984–. Encyclopedia.com. October 31, 2022.
  2. News: February 6, 2006. Today's Birthdays. 7A. Warsaw Times-Union.
  3. Web site: COVER STORY; Father, Sure. But Dancer? In His Dreams.. Marks. Peter. September 21, 1997. The New York Times. October 31, 2022.
  4. News: Perkins. Ken Parish. January 14, 1998. Child Actor's Mom Worries About Hollywood's Toll. D4. Lakeland Ledger.
  5. Web site: Players. Loggia. Cynthia. April 19, 2000. Variety. October 31, 2022.
  6. Book: Magill, Frank N.. 229. Magill's Cinema Annual 1994. October 1994. Cengage. 9780893564131.
  7. Book: Screen World 1996. 111. Willis. John. John A. Willis. Monush. Barry. January 1, 1997. Hal Leonard Corporation. 9781557832528.
  8. Book: 168. Folklore/Cinema: Popular Film as Vernacular Culture. Koven. Mikel J.. Sherman. Sharon R.. September 30, 2007. Utah State University Press. 9780874216738.
  9. News: Gaul. Lou. May 28, 1995. 'Tales From Hood' more preachy than scary. C11. Beaver County Times.
  10. Book: Marill, Alvin H.. 433. Movies Made for Television, 1964-2004: 1990-1999. 2005. Scarecrow Press.
  11. Book: Erickson, Hal. The Baseball Filmography, 1915 Through 2001. 168. 2nd. March 23, 2016. McFarland & Company. 9781476607856. Hal Erickson (author).
  12. News: Horwitz. Jane. August 23, 1996. 'House' not an arresting effort. 2-B. The Daily News.
  13. Book: DuVal, Gary. 117. The Nevada Filmography: Nearly 600 Works Made in the State, 1897 Through 2000. July 29, 2002. McFarland & Company. 9780786412716.
  14. Web site: 'Space Jam,' My Dad and Me. Marsh. Calum. July 20, 2021. The New York Times. October 31, 2022.
  15. 15 December 1997. Hottest Child Stars on TV and in the Movies. Jet. 93. 4. 60–64. Johnson Publishing Company. 0021-5996. 24 February 2016.
  16. News: Philpot. Robert. September 25, 1997. 'Soul Food' leaves big soapy aftertaste. 4-B. The Daily News.
  17. News: Pendleton. Tonya. September 26, 1997. This film is food for the soul. 18C. Boca Raton News.
  18. News: Soul Food cooks up a universal tale of family. 27. The Heights. Lane. Katherine. September 29, 1997.
  19. News: February 17, 1998. 'Soul Food' awarded 5 NAACP Image Awards. 9B. The Telegraph-Herald.
  20. News: November 1, 1997. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. D6. Lakeland Ledger.
  21. Book: Race in American Television: Voices and Visions that Shaped a Nation. 187. Leonard. David J.. Stephanie. Troutman Robbins. January 26, 2021. ABC-CLIO. 9781440843068.
  22. News: Huff. Richard. January 16, 1998. Son is shining on 'The Gregory Hines Show'. Rome News-Tribune.
  23. Web site: NEW TV SEASON IN REVIEW. Joyner. Will. September 15, 1997. The New York Times. October 31, 2022.
  24. Book: Lentz, Harris M.. 1815. Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Television shows. 2001. McFarland & Company.
  25. Book: Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema. 66. Berry. S. Torriano. Berry. Venise T.. May 7, 2015. Rowman & Littlefield. 9781442247024. 2nd. S. Torriano Berry. Venise T. Berry.
  26. News: Crook. John. July 27, 2002. Sundance hit chronicles an inspirational NPR experiment. 8D. Ocala Star-Banner.
  27. News: Student film focuses on teens in trouble. Sollberger. Nicole. April 11, 2006. 8. The Lariat.
  28. Web site: John Singleton Short Film Competition Winners. March 5, 2020. Los Angeles Sentinel. October 31, 2022.
  29. Web site: 'Soul Food' Turns 25: See The Film's Cast Then And Now. Jones. Okla. September 27, 2022. Essence. October 31, 2022.
  30. Web site: Nineteenth Annual Youth in Film Awards. Young Artist Awards. October 31, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20161222144713/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms19.htm. December 22, 2016.
  31. Web site: Nominations for the 3rd Annual Hollywood Reporter YoungStar Awards.. September 17, 1998. The Free Library. October 31, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20180615004424/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Nominations+for+the+3rd+Annual+Hollywood+Reporter+YoungStar+Awards.-a053015735. June 15, 2018.
  32. Web site: Twenty-Fourth Annual Young Artist Awards. Young Artist Awards. October 31, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20161204172303/http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms24.htm. December 4, 2016.