Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, as well as number three on the UK singles chart. His music career shifted into a higher gear when, in 2004, he was featured on rapper Twista's song, "Slow Jamz", which also featured Kanye West. Originally charged with trespassing, [disturbing the peace, battery on police officers and resisting arrest, Foxx pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace in exchange for the other charges being dropped, and was sentenced to a six month suspended jail term with two years probation and a $1,500 fine.Ģ004-2006: Ray, Collateral and Unpredictable Employees claimed they had failed to show identification upon entry. In April 2003, Foxx was involved in an incident with two police officers who were attempting to escort him and his sister out of Harrah's casino in New Orleans. In 1994, Foxx released an album (on the Fox Broadcasting Company record label) entitled Peep This.
Following Any Given Sunday, Foxx was featured as taxi driver Max Durocher in the film Collateral alongside Tom Cruise, for which he received outstanding reviews and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.įoxx began piano lessons at age five. He was cast in the role in part because of his background as a football player. His first dramatic role came in Oliver Stone's 1999 film Any Given Sunday, where he portrayed a hard-partying American football player. From 1996 to 2001, Foxx starred in his own sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show and made his film debut in the 1992 comedy Toys.
In addition, his recurrent In Living Color character LaWanda shared names with Redd's friend and co-worker, LaWanda Page.įoxx joined the cast of In Living Color in 1991 and subsequently played a recurring role in the comedy-drama sitcom Roc. He chose his surname as a tribute to comedian Redd Foxx. When he found that comediennes were often called first to perform, he changed his name to Jamie Foxx, feeling that it was an ambiguous enough name to disallow any biases. He has often acknowledged his grandmother's influence in his life as one of the greatest reasons for his success.ġ989-1994: Stand-up career, acting debut, Peep This and legal issueĪfter accepting a girlfriend's dare, Foxx told jokes at a comedy club's open mic night in 1989. After completing high school, Foxx received a scholarship to United States International University, where he studied classical music and composition. He also sang in a band called Leather and Lace. He was the first player in the school's history to pass for more than 1,000 yards.
As a teenager, he was a part-time pianist and choir leader in Terrell's New Hope Baptist Church.įoxx attended Terrell High School, where he received top grades, played basketball and football as a quarterback, and had the ambition to play for the Dallas Cowboys. Terrell was a racially segregated community at the time and began piano lessons at the age of five by his grandmother's orders. Foxx was abandoned seven months after birth and was subsequently adopted and raised in Terrell by his mother's adoptive parents. He is the son of Louise Annette Talley Dixon and Shaheed Abdulah.
He released his debut album, Peep This, in 1994, but he did not gain significant musical success until 2004 when he was featured in Twista's song "Slow Jamz".
In his twenties, Foxx began performing stand-up at comedy clubs, and eventually joined the cast of In Living Color in 1991 this exposure helped him land film roles and star in his own sitcom, The Jamie Foxx Show. He performed in high school and was awarded with a scholarship to United States International University. He is also a Grammy Award winning musician, producing three albums which have charted highly on the Billboard 200: Unpredictable, which topped the chart, Best Night of My Life and Intuition.īorn in Terrell, Texas, Foxx was raised by his mother's adoptive parents. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a musical/comedy. Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, rapper, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host.