Jimmie Fails

Jimmie Fails (born November 10, 1994) is an American actor whose breakthrough came with the semi‑autobiographical feature The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019). He was born and raised in the vibrant Fillmore district of San Francisco, California, where his grandfather, a Baptist preacher, purchased a Victorian house that would later shape his artistic sensibility. After his grandfather’s death the family lost the home to foreclosure, and the young Jimmie spent much of his childhood navigating foster care and public housing, experiences that deeply inform his on‑screen authenticity. He attended Archbishop Riordan High School and briefly enrolled in college before leaving after one year to pursue creative endeavors. While still a teenager, Fails befriended future director Joe Talbot at a neighborhood park, and the two began collaborating on short films, including Last Stop Livermore, a Golden Gate Awards finalist, and American Paradise, which premiered at Sundance in 2017. Their partnership matured into a Kickstarter‑funded project in 2015 that eventually blossomed into The Last Black Man in San Francisco, a film that blurs the line between fiction and memoir as Fails portrays a fictionalized version of himself striving to reclaim his grandfather’s house amid relentless gentrification. The film garnered critical acclaim, establishing Fails as a compelling new talent and earning him industry recognition, including a direct call from fellow San Franciscan Danny Glover expressing interest in the project. In 2019, Fails and Talbot expanded their creative ambitions by launching the production company Longshot Features, aimed at nurturing independent voices. Though he remains relatively private about his personal life, it is known that he continues to reside in San Francisco, where he contributes to the local arts community. As of now, his career, which officially began in 2017, continues to evolve, promising further contributions to contemporary cinema.