Jonathan Jackson

Jonathan Jackson — latest news, discussion & facts — IJR

Acting

Jackson's first notable role was Lucky Spencer on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, a role he first played from 1993 to 1999. Jackson won numerous awards for his work as Lucky. He was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series six times, winning first in 1995, and again in 1998 and 1999, making him the record holder for both nominations and wins for the Younger Actor category. He also won Soap Opera Digest Awards in 1995 and 1999. He was nominated for Young Artist Awards in 1996, 1997 and 1999. He won The Hollywood Reporter's YoungStar Award in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 1999 and was nominated in 2000. Jackson also became a popular "teen heartthrob" among fans, featured on fan magazines such as Tiger Beat and garnering many fan clubs and internet fansites. In 1999, he was named one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people.

While working at General Hospital, Jackson starred in his first feature film Camp Nowhere, as Morris "Mud" Himmel in 1994. Also during this time he starred in made-for-television films The Prisoner of Zenda, Inc. and The Legend of the Ruby Silver, and made a guest appearance during Season 5 of the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World. In 1999, Jackson filmed The Deep End of the Ocean shortly before leaving General Hospital, starring opposite Michelle Pfeiffer. Deep End director Ulu Grosbard spoke of Jackson as "an enormously gifted actor. He brought a weight and a presence and chemistry with Michelle from the beginning. He's only 15 years old and he is a very serious actor who has both concentration and humor." Pfeiffer added, "When Jonathan and I read together, it was like he was my own son. And we just went at each other in only this way that a mother and son could do. His reading was exhilarating." Jackson was nominated for YoungStar Awards in 1997 for The Prisoner of Zenda, Inc. and 1999 for The Deep End of the Ocean.

In December 1999, Newsweek magazine reported Jackson was likely to be taking on the role of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. However, he was soon dropped from the running, and publications speculated the prior publicity had hurt his chances due to creator George Lucas' preference for privacy. Jackson continued his film career in 2000 with the independent film True Rights and the ABC television movie Trapped in a Purple Haze. Jackson also wrote and directed a short film with his brother Richard entitled Crystal Clear, which won Best Dramatic Short Film and the Coen Brothers Award for Duo-Filmmaking at the Brooklyn Film Festival. In 2002, Jackson played one of his most well-known film roles as Jesse Tuck in Tuck Everlasting, which he filmed simultaneously with Insomnia. In 2004, Jackson filmed Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and Riding the Bullet. From 2008 through 2009, he had a recurring role as Kyle Reese in the hit Fox TV show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, playing the father of John Connor before the show was cancelled.

On September 29, 2009, it was announced that Jackson would return to General Hospital on October 27 to reprise the role of Lucky Spencer. In 2011, Jackson won his fourth Daytime Emmy and first Outstanding Supporting Actor Award. On November 7, 2011, it was announced that Jackson had decided to leave General Hospital and his final airdate was on December 23, 2011. His character is not planned to be recast or killed off, leaving the door open for Jackson to return with the show in the future. In 2012, Jackson won his fifth Daytime Emmy and second consecutive win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

In 2012, he got the role of singer-songwriter Avery Barkley in the ABC drama Nashville. Along with the rest of the cast, Jackson sang and played the guitar himself on the series.

On June 25, 2024, it was announced Jackson would return to General Hospital in the summer for a long run.

Religion

The son of Seventh-day Adventist parents, Jackson was raised as a non-denominational Christian and has always been vocal about his faith. As part of his belief system, as a teen Jackson chose not to drink or do drugs. Jackson was also a proponent of abstinence from premarital sex. Jackson also often thanked God during his award acceptance speeches. While Jackson was working on General Hospital, he and his family held a home church in Burbank that various cast members attended, including Jackson's future wife Lisa Vultaggio. Jackson explained how his beliefs affected his choice of acting roles in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 1999, "I won't get involved with a movie that's a direct slap in the face of God. [...] I'm an actor, so I have to play people who believe differently than me. I would be willing to play a character that was completely unbelieving and anti-God, just as long as that wasn't the message of the whole movie."

In 2002, Jackson participated in the DKNY-sponsored "What's Your Anti-Drug?" campaign, posing for the 2003 calendar featured in Cosmogirl magazine, stating that his anti-drug was faith. In 2012, Jackson and his family were baptized into the Eastern Orthodox Church. Jackson cited a trip to Romania and Rome that first brought his attention to learning about the history of Christianity. In his acceptance speech for his 2012 Daytime Emmy Award, he thanked the Holy Trinity as well as the monks on Orthodox monastic enclave Mount Athos. Jackson later explained in an interview, "These people [are] dedicating their lives to prayer, and not just praying for themselves, but truly praying for all of us. And then the thought kind of crossed my mind: with all the destruction, chaos and insanity that goes on in this world, if their prayers weren't happening, what would this world be like? I felt, personally, like I just wanted to thank them because I really believe that their prayers mean a lot."

As of September 18, 2020, OrthoChristian.com reports that Jackson had moved to Ireland to help support a new monastery being founded by the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Southern and Western Europe. He explains in the interview, "It’s the main reason I moved, I have been praying for years for an Orthodox monastery to be founded in Ireland."

At the September 28, 2024, annual conference of the Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship he presented "The Moral and Spiritual Vision of Edward DeVere", in which he suggests that Greek Orthodox Christianity has much in common with Devere's spiritual vision as seen in his letters, poetry, and the works of Shakespeare. In particular he explores the alignment of the thought of John Chrysostom and Baldassare Castiglione with DeVere's faith.

Soundtrack appearances

The Music of Nashville: Season 1, Volume 1 (2012)

Contributed 1 track: "Twist Of Barbwire"

The Music of Nashville: Season 1, Volume 2 (2013)

Contributed 2 tracks: "Let There Be Lonely" and "Keep Asking Why"

The Music of Nashville: Season 2, Volume 1 (2013)

Contributed 2 tracks: "You Learn How To Live Alone" and "Be My Girl" with Sam Palladio

The Music of Nashville: Season 2, Volume 2 (2014)

Contributed 3 tracks: "Hennessee" with Sam Palladio and Chaley Rose, "Everything I'll Ever Need" with Hayden Panettiere and "I Ain't Leavin' Without Your Love" with Sam Palladio and Chaley Rose

Christmas with Nashville (2014)

Contributed 2 tracks: "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and Celebrate Me Home with the Nashville cast

The Music of Nashville: Season 3, Volume 1 (2014)

Contributed 1 track: "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" with Sam Palladio and Chaley Rose

The Music of Nashville: Season 3, Volume 2 (2015)

Contributed 6 tracks: "Borrow My Heart" with Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen, "This Is What I Need To Say", "Hold You In My Arms" with Hayden Panettiere, "My Song" with Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen, "Novocaine" with Laura Benanti and "One By One" with Hayden Panettiere

The Music of Nashville: Season 4, Volume 1 (2015)

Contributed 2 tracks: "History of My Heart" and "Sleep Tonight (A Lullaby)" with Chris Carmack

The Music of Nashville: Season 4, Volume 2 (2016)

Contributed 2 tracks: "History of My Heart" and "Sleep Tonight (A Lullaby)" with Chris Carmack

The Music of Nashville: Season 5, Volume 1 (2017)

Contributed 2 tracks: "Won't Back Down" and "On My Way" background vocals with Hayden Panettiere

The Music of Nashville: Season 5, Volume 2 (2017)

Contributed 2 tracks: "Eye of the Storm" and "You're Mine" with Hayden Panettiere, Connie Britton, Charles Esten, Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen, Chris Carmack, Lennon Stella, Maisy Stella

The Music of Nashville: Season 5, Volume 3 (2017)

Contributed 2 tracks: "Rose and Thorn" and "Nobody Cares About Your Dreams"

The Music of Nashville: Season 6, Volume 1 (2018)

Contributed 2 tracks: "Hold On (Not Leaving You Behind)" with Sam Palladio, Rainee Blake, and Chris Carmack and "Love is Loud" with Sam Palladio, Rainee Blake, and Chris Carmack

The Music of Nashville: Season 6, Volume 2 (2018)

Contributed 3 tracks: "The Giver", "Go" with Sam Palladio, Rainee Blake, and Chris Carmack, and "A Life That's Good" with Hayden Panettiere, Connie Britton, Charles Esten, Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen, Chris Carmack, Lennon Stella, Maisy Stella, and Ronny Cox

Jonathan Jackson

Jonathan Jackson

Article

Early life

Notable quotes

Live room · 1 here

Notable quotes

Article

Early life

Career

Acting

Music

Books

Personal life

Family

Religion

Filmography

Soundtrack appearances

🎬 Filmography

About Jonathan Jackson

About Jonathan Jackson

Article

Early life

Notable quotes

Live room · 1 here

Notable quotes

Article

Early life

Career

Acting

Music

Books

Personal life

Family

Religion

Filmography

Soundtrack appearances

🎬 Filmography