Jacobs was born in
New York City,
New York, the fifth of nine children of parents Hilton Jacobs (1920–2000) and Clothilda Jacobs (1922–2008). He began his acting career in the summer of 1969 and graduated from the
High School of Art and Design in 1971. He attended
Wilkes University for a short time before his acting career took off.Afterward,he studied acting with the
Negro Ensemble Company and the Al Fann Theatrical Ensemble. In 1975, he won the role of Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington on the
ABC hit comedy series,
Welcome Back, Kotter. Jacobs also starred in cult classic
Cooley High in 1975 played as Richard "Cochise" Morris, and two years later had a role in the block-buster ABC mini-series
Roots. Jacobs starred in a few commercials over the years, including an early 1970s commercial for
The United Negro College Fund. Later in his career, he appeared in the 1989-1990 science fiction TV series
Alien Nation as Sgt. Dobbs, an LAPD detective. He portrayed Panda Thomas (#1) in
Rob Zombie's slasher film
31. Jacobs portrayed
Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, the father of the
Jackson family, in the 1992
miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. He also appeared in a commercial for
Salon Selectives. Jacobs sang on
Rick James' 1981 album,
Street Songs. As a homage to him, the
housing project in
Eddie Murphy's television program
The PJs is named the Hilton-Jacobs Projects. He has two daughters. ==Filmography==