Suarez is of
African and
Cuban descent, and is the oldest of three siblings. He was raised
Muslim. In 1996, he made his debut in
Jerry Maguire as Rod Tidwell's son Tyson. He appeared in the short-lived sitcom
Built to Last (1997) as Ryce Watkins, the youngest son in a family of seven. Suarez made guest appearances on sitcoms
Sister, Sister (1996) and
The Wayans Bros. (1998), and had a recurring role as Raymond Wilkes on medical drama
Chicago Hope (1996−98). When Suarez was 11 years old, he joined the cast of the sitcom
The Bernie Mac Show (2001−06) as Jordan Tompkins, the nephew of the titular character
Bernie Mac. For portraying Jordan, Suarez received two
NAACP Image Award nominations. Suarez appeared on
Larry King Live in 2008 with his fellow cast to discuss Mac's death. He voiced Koda, a bear cub whose mother was killed by the protagonist, in the
Disney film
Brother Bear (2003). A book author believed Suarez's performance was the best in the film. Suarez received an
Annie Award nomination for
Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in a Feature Production as Koda, but lost to
Ellen DeGeneres. He reprised the role of Koda in sequel
Brother Bear 2 (2006). In 2004, Suarez appeared in two feature films. He provided the voice of Russell in an animated sequence of
Fat Albert and portrayed Li'l Gawain in
The Ladykillers. Following the end of
The Bernie Mac Show, Suarez struggled to find acting work and found employment in more conventional jobs outside of the film industry, including as a boilermaker. Most of Suarez's work post-
Bernie Mac have been in voice-overs, guest starring on
King of the Hill and voicing a puppet in
Nike commercials during the
2009 NBA Playoffs. He provided Kai's voice in the animated feature film,
Zambezia (2012). In
Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie (2014), Suarez played Cooper Folly, the nerd's sidekick. == Filmography ==