Jeremiah Caleb

Jeremiah Caleb (Jeremiah R. Caleb, also published as J. R. Caleb) is an actor, author and activist based in Los Angeles. He has appeared in national television commercials, television series and independent films, has written novels, a poetry collection and a children's book, and founded the Caleb Hope Foundation, a nonprofit working in slum and rural communities in India.

Early life and education

According to his official biography, Caleb was born in Singapore in 1981, the son of the Reverend A. S. K. Caleb and Victoria Caldwell-Caleb, and spent his early teens in Cwmbran, South Wales. His family moved to East Tennessee in 1994. He studied at King College (now King University) in Bristol, Tennessee, graduating in English and fine arts, and acted in community theatre in the area. He then trained in musical theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City and later studied at the Groundlings in Los Angeles.

Acting

Caleb began his career in New York City, where he booked a national Kellogg's commercial in 2005; he has since appeared in commercials for brands including Subway, Burger King, Walmart and Honda. On television he has had guest roles in Child of the '70s (2016–2018, three episodes), Grey's Anatomy (2017), Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (2017), in which he played the unsub opposite Gary Sinise, The Pet Peeve Police (2018), Single Parents (2020), and Never Have I Ever and The Lincoln Lawyer (both 2022). His film roles include Rajeesh in the 2017 romantic comedy Home Again, starring Reese Witherspoon, and the 2019 short Home. He wrote, produced and starred in the short film Here for the Party, and made Coming Home, a documentary that grew out of a 2006 trip to India; its trailer was released in 2018.

Writing

His books include:

• It's All a Process (as J. R. Caleb), a coming-of-age novel about college students teaching English in Hubei, China
• He Walks With Me, book one of the Caleb Saga, a biographical novel based on the life of his father, the Reverend A. S. K. Caleb
• In His Time, its sequel
• Unsung Melodies, a collection of poetry, narratives and illustrations about the late artist Joy Noel Ashley
• What Monty Saw, a children's book about a boy who does not speak

Caleb Hope Foundation

Caleb founded the Caleb Hope Foundation after his 2006 documentary trip to India and is its executive director; his wife, Angel Caleb, sits on its board. The foundation describes its work as education, health care and sponsorship for children and women in urban slums and rural areas of India, including the Ivy Scholarship.