At age six, Jeremy was the youngest child in Kentucky to be accepted into the state's Gifted Arts program. His first grade teacher noticed that if you looked closely at his artwork, all you saw were blobs with very similar colors; but stepping back, it all blended together to make interesting pictures. Some of his artwork was exhibited in a local art gallery. Jeremy also excelled in other areas like spelling, becoming a finalist in the 4th grade spelling bee.
Although he could be seen entertaining large crowds at Central Kentucky's annual autumn festival with his humorous dancing and outgoing personality, Jeremy was not particularly interested in acting when he was younger. He did agree however to try out on the condition that if nothing happened, he would not have to ever try again. Jeremy was entered in the International Model and Talent Association preliminary competition in Lexington, Kentucky, where he was selected to compete at the International Modeling and Talent Association's Los Angeles International Convention. He went on to win "Pre-Teen Male Model of the Year" along with awards in eleven other categories. At the convention, Jeremy signed with a personal manager and in June 2000 relocated to Los Angeles with his family.
--Official Jeremy Sumpter Website
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