Jeremy Allen White was born in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City on February 17, 1991,^[1] to Eloise Ziegler and Richard White.^[2][3] He has a younger sister named Annabelle.^[4][5] White grew up in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens neighborhood.^[1] His mother is from North Carolina.^[6] White's parents are both former actors, having met when his father attended a play his mother acted in. As a child, Allen began acting in theatre, attributing his confidence in performing to that early experience.^[3] Throughout elementary school, White was a dancer who performed ballet, jazz, and tap dance.^[7] Upon entering a new middle school dance program at the age of 13, he decided to pursue acting.^[8] He attended the Professional Performing Arts School in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.^[9]

White made his professional acting debut in 2006, with small roles in the film Beautiful Ohio and television series Conviction.^[10][11] In 2007, White starred in the Independent film The Speed of Life.^[12] Premiering at the Venice Film Festival, the film won the Queer Lion award for best LGBTQ related film at the festival.^[13] In 2008, White appeared in the film "Afterschool" directed by Antonio Campos.^[14] The film premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.^[15] White had minor roles in Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in three episodes between them in 2007, 2008 and 2010.^[16] White received his breakthrough role in the comedy-drama series Shameless as Lip Gallagher, the eldest son of the dysfunctional Gallagher household. He was cast shortly after graduating from the Professional Performing Arts School.^[7] White received positive reviews for the role, with Rolling Stone noting there was a "powerful stillness" to his performance.^[17] White portrayed the character in 134 episodes between 2011 and 2021.^[18] For his performance, White received a nomination at the 2014 Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.^[19] Whilst filming the show, White made appearances in several films, including Rob the Mob (2014),^[20] After Everything (2018),^[21] and actor Dave Franco's directorial debut, The Rental (2020).^[22] After the show's end, White recalled being in an "upsetting head space" and had doubts on whether he could act outside of the show.^[18]

In 2022, White began playing his first TV leading role in the Hulu series The Bear.^[23][24][25] He plays the troubled New York chef Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, who returns to his hometown of Chicago to save his deceased brother's failing restaurant.^[26][17] To prepare for the role, he attended classes at the Institute of Culinary Education alongside his co-star Ayo Edebiri.^[27][28] White received acclaim for his performance. Variety described it as the "vibrating" center of the show, praising his portrayal of Berzatto's inner turmoil.^[29] The Guardian described his performance as "career–making" and praised White's casting,^[23][30] and NPR described it as "searing" and "palpable".^[31] The role has won him two Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series,^[32][33] three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy,^[34][35][36] two Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series,^[37][38] and two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.^[39][40]

In 2023, White portrayed wrestler Kerry Von Erich in the biographical sports film The Iron Claw.^[41] In preparation for the role, White was trained by professional wrestler Chavo Guerrero.^[42] His performance earned him positive reviews, with The Hindu calling it "riveting", and Rolling Stone calling him "a hell of an actor".^[43][44] In January 2024, White became a global ambassador for Calvin Klein underwear.^[45][46] For its online campaign, he wore the brand's Spring 2024 men's underwear collection, and the advertisement generated $12.7 million in media impact value in less than 48 hours.^[47] In August, White's second campaign with the brand was released, with him wearing the Fall and Winter 2024 collection.^[48][49]

In 2025, White starred as Bruce Springsteen in the biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere, written and directed by Scott Cooper.^[50] Based upon the eponymous book by Warren Zanes, the film will chronicle Springsteen's journey towards completing his 1982 album Nebraska.^[51] White learned to play the guitar for the role, using a 1955 Gibson J-200 guitar that Springsteen had given him.^[52]

He will also join the cast of the 2026 Star Wars film The Mandalorian and Grogu as Rotta the Hutt.^[53] In September 2025, White was announced to star as Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz in The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin's sequel to The Social Network (2010).^[54][55]

White first met actress Addison Timlin while at high school when they were both 14 years old, though the pair did not enter a relationship.^[1][56] They met again while filming Afterschool (2008) at 17 years old. They married in 2019.^[57] They have two daughters, born in October 2018 and December 2020.^[58][59] Timlin filed for divorce in May 2023.^[60] White entered a relationship with Spanish singer Rosalía shortly afterwards, separating in mid-2024.^[61][62][63]