Cuba Gooding Jr.

Cuba Mark Gooding Jr. (born January 2, 1968) is an American actor. After his breakthrough role as Tre Styles in Boyz n the Hood (1991), he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor playing a football star in Jerry Maguire (1996). His other notable films include A Few Good Men (1992), Judgment Night (1993), Lightning Jack (1994), As Good as It Gets (1997), Men of Honor (2000), Pearl Harbor (2001), Snow Dogs (2002), Radio (2003), Norbit (2007), Linewatch (2008), and he played Dr. Ben Carson in the film Gifted Hands (2009). He played in Red Tails (2012), and The Butler (2013). He has done voice acting in Home on the Range (2004) and The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends (2007).

For his portrayal of O. J. Simpson in the FX drama series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016), he earned a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He also co-starred that year in the FX series American Horror Story: Roanoke (2016).

Gooding made his Broadway debut playing Ludie Watts in the 2013 revival of the Horton Foote play The Trip to Bountiful. In 2018, he played Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago in both the West End and on Broadway.

Gooding was born on January 2, 1968, in the Bronx, New York City. His mother, Shirley Sullivan, was a singer, and his father, Cuba Gooding Sr., was the lead vocalist of soul group The Main Ingredient. Gooding has three siblings: April, Omar, and Thomas. His paternal grandfather, Dudley MacDonald Gooding, was a native of Barbados.

His family moved from New York to Los Angeles in 1972, after his father's music group had their hit single "Everybody Plays the Fool"; two years later, the elder Gooding 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. Showing leadership, he served as class president in three of them. He had become a born-again Christian at the age of 13.

Gooding's first job as an entertainer was as a breakdancer, performing with singer Lionel Richie at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. 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 such as Hill Street Blues (1987), Amen (1988) and MacGyver (1988, 1989 and 1990). He also had a small part in the popular comedy Coming to America (1988).

Gooding's first major role was the lead in John Singleton's inner-city crime drama Boyz n the Hood (1991), in which he played Tre Styles. The film was a box office surprise success and critical hit. It is now considered a modern classic. Gooding followed this success with supporting roles in major films such as A Few Good Men and Gladiator (both 1992), Judgment Night (1993), Lightning Jack (1994), and Outbreak (1995). He played Billy Roberts in the HBO film The Tuskegee Airmen (1995).