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Cuba Gooding, Jr. (born January 2, 1968) is an Academy Award-winning American actor.
Personal life
Gooding was born in The Bronx, New York to Cuba Gooding, Sr. (lead vocalist of soul group The Main Ingredient) and Shirley (a singer); he has two siblings, one of whom is actor Omar Gooding. His family moved to Los Angeles after Gooding, Sr.'s music group had a hit single with "Everybody Plays the Fool" in 1972; the elder Gooding abandoned his family two years later. He became a born-again Christian at age 13.
Gooding, Jr., was raised by his single mother and attended four different high schools (including North Hollywood High School, Tustin High School, and Apple Valley High School). He served as class president in three of them. During his appearance on the "The Howard Stern Show", Gooding, Jr. revealed that after his father had left, his family lived in hotels through out Los Angeles, CA. He now has a relationship with his father who re-married his mother a few years ago. Cuba has been married to schoolteacher Sara Kapfer since 1994, whom he has known since 1986; they have three children, Spencer, Mason, and Piper.
Career
Gooding first appeared in a commercial for the clothing line Bugle Boy during the 80's.Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s first major film role was in director John Singleton's 1991 film, Boyz N The Hood, a well-reviewed film about inner city youths. Prior to this, he had appeared in many TV shows, including a recurring role on MacGyver. He also had a very minor part in the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy Coming to America as a customer in the barbershop scene.
Following the success of Boyz N The Hood, he was cast in a series of roles, both leading and supporting, including the 1996 film, Jerry Maguire, for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The murder mystery A Murder of Crows has gained cult status among murder mystery buffs. Gooding Jr.'s subsequent career has included box office successes like Men of Honor (2000), Snow Dogs (2002), and a supporting role as Navy Cross awardee Dorie Miller in the 2001 film, Pearl Harbor.
In 2006, he appeared in the crime-drama, Dirty, which received a limited theatrical release, as well as the direct-to-DVD, 24-esque political drama End Game where he plays a Secret Service agent who uncovers a conspiracy after a presidential assassination.
He also hosted the 37th Annual NAACP Image Awards. After a string of comedies that were mostly disliked by critics, Gooding, Jr. has vowed to never appear in another comedy again, saying that he "thought people wanted me to make them laugh, but I was wrong on so many levels. I try to take all my energy and take it into comedy, and that's when I'm terrible".
Selected filmography
Year Title Role Other notes
1988 Coming to America Barber Shop Customer
1991 Boyz N the Hood Tré Styles
1992 Gladiator Abraham Lincoln Haines
1992 A Few Good Men Cpl. Carl Hammaker
1993 Daybreak Stephen Tolkin
1993 Judgment Night Mike Peterson
1994 Lightning Jack Ben Doyle
1995 Outbreak Maj. Salt
1996 Jerry Maguire Rod Tidwell Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1997 As Good as It Gets Frank Sachs
1998 What Dreams May Come Albert Lewis
1998 A Murder of Crows Lawson Russel Produced by Derek Broes
1999 Instinct Theo Caulder
1999 Chill Factor Arlo
2000 Men of Honor BM2/Chief/Senior Chief Carl Brashear
2001 Pearl Harbor Petty Officer Doris Miller
2001 Rat Race Owen Templeton
2002 Snow Dogs Dr. Ted Brooks
2003 Boat Trip Jerry Robinson
2003 The Fighting Temptations Darrin Hill
2003 Radio James Robert Kennedy "Radio"
2004 Home on the Range Buck voice-over
2005 Dirty Salim Adel
2006 Shadowboxer Mikey
2006 End Game Alex Thomas
2006 What Love Is Tom
2007 Norbit Deion Hughes Now in Theaters
2007 Daddy Day Camp Charlie Hinton (Filming)
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