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Biography - Born 12/13/1967
By the mid-1990s, stand-up comic Jamie Foxx had begun to parlay his work in comedy clubs and on the TV sketch comedy "In Living Color" into a feature film career. Foxx had begun performing in comedy clubs soon after reaching Los Angeles in 1989. Within the next few years, he appeared on stage at The Comedy Store and The Improv, and at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. He won the 1991 Oakland (California) Comedy Competition. That same year, Foxx joined the cast of Fox's variety show "In Living Color" as one of the sketch players, creating Wanda, one of the ugliest women in the world. In 1992, Foxx won his first feature role, a supporting part to Robin Williams, in "Toys". In 1996, he had supporting roles in two features, the uneven comedy "The Great White Hype", as a boxer's manager, and "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" (1996), as Ben Chaplin's friend trying to make sense of the confusion.
Foxx has continued to perform comedy on TV. He was a guest on "Paul Rodriguez: Crossing Gang Lines", a 1991 Fox special, and has appeared on HBO's "Def Comedy Jam". In 1993, he starred in the one-man concert special, "Jamie Foxx: Straight From the Foxxhole" (HBO) and three years later was back in his own sitcom, "The Jamie Foxx Show" (The WB, 1996-2001). In the latter, he played an ambitious actor who goes to work for relatives at a somewhat run-down hotel. Although never a ratings smash or even a cult hit, the series allowed Foxx to build an audience and hone his talents, leading to big screen roles, first cast obviously in comedies pitched to urban audiences such as "Booty Call" (1997) opposite Tommy Davidson as two buddies who get in over their heads pursuing women; "The Players Club" (1998), a strip-club comedy from writer-director Ice Cube; and "Held Up" (1999), playing a hapless man caught in an outrageous hostage situation.
Foxx first ventured into more dramatic territory when Oliver Stone cast him as a nervous third-string quarterback turned overnight sensation in "Any Given Sunday" (1999), and the actor equated himself well with an impressive performance. He then balanced action and comedy in the middling thriller "Bait" (2000) from director Antwone Fuqua, playing an ex-con used by federal agents to lure a killer out of hiding before turning in his most complex performance to date when he played Muhammad Ali's troubled ring man Drew 'Bundini' Brown in director Michael Mann's biopic "Ali" (2001).
Foxx had a major breakthrough year in 2004: first he starred in the f/x telepic "Redemption: The Stan 'Tookie' Williams Story," giving a widely praised performance as the founder of the L.A. street gang The Crips, a man who went from Death Row to being nominated for a Nobel Peace PriceFoxx was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television, as well as an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor; next, the actor was praised for his turn in the otherwise forgettable comedy "Breakin' All the Rules" as a dumped boyfriend-turned-breakup expert author; Foxx then surprised audiences with his engrossing and sophisticated portrayal of an L.A. cabbie who finds himself at the mercy of a fare who revealed to be a mercenary hit man (Tom Cruise), and the strong performance rocketed Foxx into Hollywood's leading man A-list, earning him nominations for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He followed up with an extraordinary turn as legendary R&B singer Ray Charles in the big-screen biopic "Ray," an explosive performance that transcended a mere impersonation of the musician and firmly established Foxx as one of the most talented and versatile actors of his generation. The resultant raves culminated in a series of professional accolades and nominations, and he took home the choicest of the three Golden Globe awards he was nominated for that year, winning for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. His subsequent wins at the BAFTA Awards, SAG Awards and a multitude of critics' awards preceded his Best Actor victory at the Academy Awards.
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