Jenkins is the son of Jeff Jenkins, a former Ringling clown, and Julie Greenberg, a film and theatre actress. They are the co-founders and directors of the Chicago-based Midnight Circus, whose proceeds help fund general improvements for the Chicago parks the circus is hosted in. Jenkins began performing with the circus at age three, and has performed acts including rola-bola, acrobatics, tightwire walking, juggling, and playing mandolin.
Jenkins started his acting career in ABC's Betrayal at age eight in 2013. He would then go on to have recurring roles in several series including Sense 8, directed by the Wachowski sisters, and Chicago Fire, where he portrayed the character of J.J. Holloway.  In 2016, Jenkins was cast as Will Robinson in Lost in Space, a Netflix remake of the iconic 1965 television series. His performance has been nominated for several Young Artist and Saturn Awards. In 2021, Jenkins was cast as a young Jack Reacher in the Amazon original show based on the popular book series.
Jenkins' work also includes several feature films. In 2016 he starred in A Family Man, which premiered at TIFF. In it he portrayed a young boy whose new illness forces his father, played by Gerard Butler, to reevaluate his priorities and search for a way to reconnect with his family. In 2020 he also starred alongside Mark Wahlberg, Connie Britton, and Reid Miller in the film Joe Bell. His role as Jadin Bell's younger brother was praised, with one critic noting his scenes to be among the film's most powerful.

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