Mykel Shannon Jenkins, born in Biloxi, Mississippi, to an officer in the United States Air Force, traveled with his family across the United States. With his parents and two siblings, Mykel finally settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he graduated from Bonnabel High School and, thereafter, earned a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University. While in high school, Mykel was a nationalist in drama and speech & debate. It was at this time that his fire for the dramatic was ignited. After college, while holding down a part-time job as a waiter, Mykel became a household name as the host of New Orleans’ WB38 Kids’ Club, where for more than four years he served as an on-air personality introducing kids and parents to a world of knowledge. While in New Orleans, Mykel landed many roles, including one that earned him screen time with Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd in Double Jeopardy.
Lead by his faith in Christ, armored with a winning attitude and empowered by his family, Mykel made his move to Hollywood and immediately began studying his craft at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Still developing his craft, Mykel currently studies under acting coach Eric Stewart, and have studied under Lesly Kahn and Gary Imhoff. Since moving to Hollywood, Mykel has landed leads in many highly regarded television shows, such as : TV ONE’S: Miss Me This Christmas, A Royal Christmas Ball, Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland, The Wrong Mother, StartUp, The Rich and The Ruthless, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, Born Again Virgin, Hit The Floor, and the CW’s new hit drama, Containment. Mykel’s film credits include The Last Heist, Teleios, The Masked Saint, Same Kind of Different as Me, and Undisputed III: Redemption, where he brought to life the charismatic and unforgettable American fighter, Turbo. Mykel is in post production on two of his own film projects called The Gods and Two Wolves, wherein Mykel produces, directs and stars.
Although Mykel is quite busy fine tuning his acting skills, he still finds time to train physically as well as spiritually. In his spare time, as a certified personal trainer, Mykel knows what it takes to maintain a healthy body, i.e., hard work and discipline. He enjoys training others because he is able to assist in more than just the physical development, but in spiritual and mental growth of others as well. Mykel enjoys watching movies, playing softball, bowling and creative writing.
