| Cuba Gooding, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biographical Information | |
| Birth name: | Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. |
| Birth date: | January 2, 1968 |
| Birth place: | The Bronx, New York City, New York |
| Professional Information | |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years active: | 1986-present |
| Portrays: | Puma |
Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. is an American film actor, most notable for his as Tre in Boyz n the Hood, and his Academy Award-winning role as Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire. He portrayed Puma in the FOX television series, Empire.
Early Life and Career[]
Gooding was born on January 2, 1968 in The Bronx, New York City, the son of Shirley Gooding (née Sullivan), a singer with the Sweethearts, and Cuba Gooding Sr., a lead vocalist of the soul group The Main Ingredient. He has three siblings: April, Omar, and Tommy Gooding. His paternal grandfather was a native of Barbados. His family moved to Los Angeles after his father's music group had a hit single with "Everybody Plays the Fool" in 1972; two years later, his father left the family. Gooding was raised by his mother and attended four different high schools: North Hollywood High School, Tustin High School, Apple Valley High School, and John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills in Los Angeles. He served as class president in three of them. He became a born-again Christian at age 13.
After high school, Gooding studied Japanese martial arts for three years, before turning his focus toward acting. Early on, he landed guest starring roles on shows like Hill Street Blues, Amen and MacGyver and also had a tiny part in the popular comedy Coming to America. Gooding's first major role was in John Singleton's inner-city crime drama Boyz n the Hood, in which he played the lead, Tré Styles. A box office surprise and critical hit, the film is now considered a modern classic.
He followed this success with supporting roles in major films such as A Few Good Men (1992), Judgment Night (1993), Lightning Jack (1994), and Outbreak (1995). In 1996, Gooding reached a new level of prominence when he was cast as an arrogant yet charismatic football player on the brink of a career-ending injury in Cameron Crowe's blockbuster dramatic sports comedy Jerry Maguire (1996) with co-star Tom Cruise, which was a major critical and commercial success and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Most significantly, it earned Gooding an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. His exuberant "Show me the money!" line in the film became a nationwide catch phrase. Additionally, his Oscar acceptance speech has often been cited for its enthusiasm.
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