Birthdate: May 3, 2005
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Maxwell Jenkins is best known as Will Robinson in the new TV remake of Lost in Space (2018-2021), but has also appeared in feature films, beginning with a supporting role in the political thriller, Consumed (2015), directed by Daryl Wein and co-written and co-produced by Wein and lead star Zoe Lister-Jones, with Anthony Edwards, Victor Garber, Danny Glover, and Beth Grant, and released by MarVista Entertainment.
Jenkins was cast as the 10-year-old version of the co-lead adult character played by Jorma Taccone opposite Andy Samberg, with Akiva Schaffer, Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Joan Cusack, Imogen Poots, and Chris Redd in the cult music spoof, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016), but failed to make money for Universal Pictures ($9.7 million gross on $20 million costs).
Jenkins played the son character of Gerard Butler’s father character and Gretchen Mol’s mother character in director/producer Mark Williams’ drama written by Bill Dubuque, A Family Man (2016), with Alison Brie, Anupam Kher, Alfred Molina, and Willem Dafoe, and premiered at the Toronto film festival before a release by Vertical Entertainment. Jenkins had a supporting role opposite star Mark Wahlberg in the biopic road movie, Joe Bell (2020), with Reid Miller, Connie Britton, and Gary Sinise, grossing a small $1.7 million gross for distributor Roadside Attractions after a Toronto film festival premiere.
Jenkins co-starred opposite Nicolas Cage and Jaeden Martell in the post-apocalyptic horror movie, Arcadian (2024), directed by Ben Brewer, and released by RLJE Films after premiering at the South by Southwest film festival.
Maxwell Jenkins was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, by parents Jeff Jenkins (former Ringling Circus clown) and Julie Greenberg (actor). Maxwell has one sister, Samantha. Jenkins attended and graduated from Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago. Jenkins attended UCLA, where he was a member of the cheerleading squad. Jenkins’s height is 5’ 11”.
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Joining the Circus: Maxwell Jenkins began performing with his family’s circus company, Midnight Circus, when he was three years old, and continues performing in the circus with both his sister Samantha and his father Jeff in an acrobatic balancing act. Midnight Circus is a non-profit that channels its proceeds into park renovations, community projects, and overseas disaster relief efforts in Chicagoland.
Musician: Jenkins plays mandolin, guitar, bass guitar, violin, and drums with several Chicago bands, including his band, Cowboy Jesus and the Sugar Burns, when he’s not acting.
Accolade: Maxwell Jenkins was named one of the “30 Top Actors Under 30” by The Hollywood Reporter in 2019.