Inside Lincoln Lawyer star Jazz Raycole’s life from reason for sitcom exit to heartbreaking loss (Image: Netflix)

The Lincoln Lawyer has made a triumphant return with driver Izzy Letts star Jazz Raycole back for the latest episodes. The third season premiered on Netflix last month, featuring Mickey Haller (portrayed by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) once again striving to prove a defendant’s innocence while managing his own complex personal life.

His former client-turned-driver Izzy, played by actress Jazz, 36, is there to drive him around and offer some much-needed advice from time to time. As subscribers eagerly await news of a potential fourth season, many are keen to learn more about actress Jazz who portrays Izzy.

Jazz was born in February 1988, the daughter of water company superintendent Ray and Claudia Dillingham, who owned her own dance studio and homeschooled the actress. Jazz’s first love was dancing, and she became a competitive dancer at the tender age of four, holding state championship titles in tap, jazz, and ballet.

Jazz Raycole is a former ballet dancer (Image: Getty Images)

In addition to her passion for dance, Jazz also had an interest in acting and secured her first significant role as Claire Kyle in the first season of the comedy My Wife And Kids. However, her stint on the show was short-lived as she was replaced in the second series by actress Jennifer Freeman, reports the Daily Record.

Her mother had qualms about a plotline where one of Claire’s friends becomes pregnant, as per The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows. Talking to The Christian Post about her choice to leave the programme, Jazz said: “I was 12-years-old when I got that job. The producers wanted a different thing, they wanted someone a little bit older. I wasn’t ready for that.”

She continued, “I ended up going to New York to dance, which was my first passion. I really thank God for that because I got to grow and travel.”

Despite this, it was not the end of Jazz’s acting career, and she later featured in multiple successful series such as Jericho, First Day, A Lesson In Romance, Vanity, The Quad, and Council of Dads.

The Lincoln Lawyer book modification is notable as one of Jazz’s most prominent acting roles to date, within the Netflix legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer, which is based on Michael Connelly’s book series with the same title. Although, her part was not guaranteed initially since her character isn’t present in the original books.

Explaining to Forbes, she remarked: “In the books, my character is this white surfer dude; clearly, I’m not a white surfer dude.”

She added, “They were playing around with the idea of having a woman driver to bring a little more female energy to it, which I’m super grateful for.”

The cast of The Lincoln Lawyer (Image: Getty Images for A+E Studios.)
Aside from connecting with her Lincoln Lawyer character Izzy through dance, she divulged that they share struggles with mental health after experiencing a profound loss.

Jazz opened up about a personal tragedy and its profound effect on her, revealing to Forbes: “One instance changed my life forever: my brother’s death.” She reflected on the transformative nature of such events, saying, “It changes you. Certain things in life happen that change you. That’s where I relate to Izzy.”

Jazz compared her character’s struggles to her own, explaining, “Her addiction is similar to my mental health in the sense that it’s something that you’re never going to be able to get rid of. Addiction is something that stays with you forever. You’re going to have to fight and battle and struggle with it forever and treat it. That’s the same thing with mental health. You have to accept the ugly parts of life and yourself.”