Many of today’s Hollywood celebrities are legacies, boasting of famous parents and relatives whose names helped them snag roles. But there are still a few actors who got into the business through pure hard work, grit, and determination.
Included in this select few is JLouis Mills, an up-and-coming star mainly known for his role as the snarky yet loveable anesthesiologist in Heartbeat, a hit medical drama on NBC.
To say that Mills has led an eventful life would be an understatement. So, to get to know him better, here are seven little-known yet interesting facts about him:
1. Mills wears an eye patch because he lost his vision
One of Mills’s defining characteristics is the eye patch he wears over his left eye. As a child, the actor struggled with Kawasaki Syndrome, a disease that causes inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body. He underwent retinal reattachment surgery in 2001 and permanently lost vision in his left eye in 2013 following complications from surgery.
“In February 2013, I had cataract surgery on my eye,” he explains. “After the complications, I was unable to work, and I lost my vision in that eye.” He adds, “Not being able to work and not being able to take care of myself, I pretty much lost who I was.”
It was this incident that left Mills homeless and without a job, but fortunately, the actor was able to pick himself up and come back stronger than ever.
“I did it. I got up. I dusted myself off. And you can do it too,” he says.
2. He used to be a homeless caretaker
Before landing his breakout role as Dr. Forrester in the NBC medical drama Heartbeat, Mills worked as a caretaker for an elderly couple with Alzheimer’s Disease. Unable to keep up with the skyrocketing rent in Los Angeles, Mills stuffed a backpack with his clothes and lived on the streets.
“It was a very humbling thing to be homeless,” says Mills in an interview. “I just really had to make a decision one day—what’s gonna stop this? How am I going to get out of this?”
3. JLouis played an anesthesiologist in Heartbeat
In Heartbeat, Mills took on the role of Dr. Forrester, the resident anesthesiologist who is blind in one eye. Featured in eight out of ten episodes, Mills worked on the show alongside other emerging names in Hollywood, including Melissa George, Dave Annable, and Don Harry.
4. He’s an actor and a producer
Not content with just acting and memorizing lines, Mills sought to have a deeper understanding of Hollywood and the film industry by working behind the scenes. He was an associate producer on the 2016 short film Beyond Approval as well as a production assistant on the 2011 coming-of-age movie Birds of a Feather.
5. Mills starred as a villain in a Snoop Dogg video
You might have recognized Mills from the 2015 music video Snoop Dogg: So Many Pros, which starred the world-famous hip hop artist as well as chart-topping singer Pharell Williams. Mills played one of the villains in the music video, which had been styled to evoke old-timey spy movies and film posters. It went on to earn Best Art Direction during that year’s MTV Video Music Awards.
6. He also starred in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
In the Quentin Tarantino blockbuster that featured some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, Mills played Land Pirate J on the set of Lancer, which also starred Ramon Franco as another land pirate and Marco Rodriguez as a bartender.
7. JLouis loves to talk with his fans one-on-one
JLouis Mills went through thorns to become a star and did not turn into an arrogant celebrity. He is so open-hearted that any fan can chat or have a video call with him personally through the Payphone X app. When texting, the actor doesn’t only accept admirations but also supports others through providing advice and motivating those who are dealing with difficult times. He himself overcame many obstacles and, despite all the challenges, was able to become a renowned TV star. So, he can find the right words to give others wings to fly to new heights.
On the Payphone X platform, JLouis Mills also congratulates fans on their birthdays, weddings, and other important life events and sometimes even shoots a personalized video where he just brilliantly jokes as he used to do in the role of Dr. Forrester in the Heartbeat series.
Talking to such a wonderful person is too exciting, so be sure to snag this opportunity and take a look at JLouis’s profile on Payphone X.
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