Kareem J Grimes: Where In God's Name Is He? Unknown Facts About The Actor

Kareem J Grimes got his first acting role at the age of 13 when he played the role of the Ice Cream Truck Kid in Boyz N The Hood (1991)
He built an impressive acting resume having more than 50 credits to his name
Outside TV and film, the Inglewood born actor is the co-founder of Face Pop, a social media app

American actor and producer Kareem J Grimes grew up in an environment that made him fall in love with acting at a tender age. He made his debut on the silver screen in the early 1990s and has several works under his belt, notably, Boyz N The Hood (1991), S.W.A.T. (2017), and All American (2018).

Besides acting, Grimes dabbles in different endeavors to keep himself floating. He co-founded a social media app known as Face Pop alongside his 2 friends.

Early Life Of Kareem J Grimes

He was born on 30th August 1978 in Inglewood, California to his parents Ron and Jacquelin Jacki Grimes. The 46 years old was raised in the golden age of TV, thus sparking the innate desire in him to become an entertainer when he was just 9.

The desire was fueled by the number of time he spent in front of the TV watching different TV shows and actors particularly Gary Coleman and Philip Wilson. He went on to start performing in front of his family and friends. At this point, he became clear that he really wanted to become an actor.

Here Are Some Interesting Facts About Him

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1. He Got His First Acting Role At 13 In Boyz N The Hood

Grimes made his acting debut at the age of 13 in John Singleton’s Boyz N The Hood (1991) where he played the role of the Ice Cream Truck Kid. He got to know about the job through his mother who told him about her friend who was doing the casting for extra work for the movie.

Initially, he was cast as an extra, but all that changed when the director of the movie John Singleton camera around and asked him some questions. At the end of the day, Singleton told him that he wants to give him some lines and asked whether he is okay with it. Grims responded affirmatively, and that marked the beginning of his unprecedented journey as an actor.

2. Singleton Advised Him To Go To College After His First Acting Gig

Grimes revealed in a 2019 interview with Mel V that featuring in John Singleton’s Boyz N The Hood, the director advised him to go to school. He wanted to get an education and become a better and more sophisticated actor.

The Los Angeles native did follow the director’s advice by going to school. So after graduation, he bumped into Singleton while driving. Later on, he met the director at his office where he informed him that he was about to shoot a movie. That is how he got another opportunity to learn what it takes to do a movie. So, he became the cameraman, the runner, and the PA.

3. Masterclasses And Real World Experienced Boosted His Craft

For Grimes, learning in class and being on set complement each other. He said both are important to an actor. He went through masterclasses to learn about the different camera angles, know his lines, how to hit his marks, how not to block his scene partner, and how to find his light. While on set, he gets to experience all these theories taught in the classroom.

4. He Works Other Jobs To Keep Himself Afloat

The Boyz N The Hood actor is very hardworking. He doesn’t depend on his acting career to keep the money coming in. Besides, he describes himself as “a working actor”, which simply means he would work a job until he books an acting gig. He doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty working a job because, at the end of the day, the bills will keep coming.

In order to maintain the flow of money, he has worked 3-4 jobs and still hustles to audition or create projects. Therefore, he has worked in a couple of places including funeral homes, phone services, food, clothing, and brand ambassador jobs.

Also See-Who Is Terrell Grice? What Is There To Know About Him

**5. Despite Having A Lot Of Acting Credits, The Mule (2018) And Bones (2005-2017) Are His Memorable Ones**

Kareem J Grimes has more than 50 acting credits under his belt, but there is one he holds dear to his heart. It is the 2018 crime drama The Mule, and the TV series Bones (2005-2017).

He starred in The Mule as Nerdy Husband alongside some of the finest actors in Hollywood including the legendary actor, producer, and director Clint Eastwood. He said dancing with Eastwood in a movie was amazing. While in Bones, he portrayed the character of Brima Chalobah, an amputee from Sierra Leone. Digging really deep to intone with the character and what happened with child soldiers in Sierra Leone was a big moment for him.

**6. He Auditioned 13 Times Before He Finally Landed A Role In The Shield TV Series**

The Inglewood-born actor is not the type of actor that gives up easily even when he has been turned down several times. He auditioned for a role in The Shield TV series 13 times and wasn’t cast for a role. However, after being turned for all these times, he finally got a role as Burnout, appearing in 4 episodes that cut across 3 seasons from 2006 to 2008.

7. He Co-Created The Face Pop App

Grime delved into the techy world by co-creating an app known as Face Pop alongside his 2 friends, Bervick Deculus and Jerome Henry. The journey started somewhere in 2015/2016 with him and Bervick putting their heads together to bring out the idea.

They got stuck along the way because they had no prior knowledge of how the tech industry works, and that’s when Jerome came into the picture. Since he was working with a couple of tech companies at the time, he provided what was initially missing.

Despite that, the project needed funding. So they visited some big shots including rapper Diddy and former Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey. Unfortunately, they didn’t get any tangible response from them, so they forged ahead.

Apart from this personal tech project, he is one of the spokespersons on the social networking app called TruSo. The app was created by Matthew Newman.