photo: http://static.cinemagia.ro/img/db/actor/00/06/68/cuba-gooding-jr-382324l.jpg
Biography
Early life
Gooding, Jr. 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.
Gooding, Jr., who became a Born-again Christian at age 13, was raised by his single mother and attended four different high schools (including North Hollywood High School). He served as class president in three of them.
Career
Gooding Jr. in Pearl Harbor, playing Doris Miller
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. Following the success of the film, 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.
Gooding, Jr.'s subsequent career has included box office successes like Men of Honor (in 2000), Snow Dogs (in 2002) and a supporting role as Navy Cross awardee Doris 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 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".[2]
Private life
Gooding, Jr. is married to schoolteacher Sara Kapfer, whom he has known since 1986; they have three children, Spencer, Mason, and Piper.
He is a fan of hockey and in January 2006, Cuba made an appearance as a guest announcer for the Los Angeles Kings in one game.
Selected filmography
2004 Home on the Range Buck voice-over
2003 Radio James Robert "Radio" Kennedy
2003 The Fighting Temptations Darrin Hill
2003 Boat Trip Jerry Robinson
2002 Snow Dogs Dr. Ted Brooks
2001 Rat Race Owen Templeton
2001 Pearl Harbor Petty Officer Doris Miller
2000 Men of Honor BM2/Chief/Senior Chief Carl Brashear
1999 Chill Factor Arlo
1999 Instinct Theo Caulder
1998 What Dreams May Come Albert Lewis
1997 As Good as It Gets Frank Sachs
1996 Jerry Maguire Rod Tidwell Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1994 Lightning Jack Ben Doyle
1993 Judgment Night Mike Peterson
1992 Gladiator Abraham Lincoln Haines
1991 Boyz N the Hood Tré Styles
Interviews
About.com interview (March 5, 2006)
Cinema Confidential interview (January 2002)
Hollywood.com interview (November 9, 2000)
Jet interview (October 11, 1999)
Ebony interview (June, 1997)
JAM! Movies interview (December 13, 1996)
