Jamie Foxx
The Jamie Foxx story has to rank up there with the most interesting of all celebrities out there. But when you are proficient not only at music and comedy, but also acting, you know there has to be a special story involved. Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop in Terrell, Texas. When he was just seven months old, his birth mother gave Jamie to his grandparents to raise. “For whatever reason, my biological parents didn’t want to make the effort . . . Legally, my mother is my sister, because the lady who adopted her in turn adopted me,” Foxx told TimesOnline.
At five years old Foxx’s guardians enrolled him in piano lessons, planting the seeds for music greatness early. They probably never imagined that their grandson would be launching a huge tour and would have so many fans looking for Jamie Foxx tickets to see the Intuition Tour. His grandmother made sure he practiced at least 30 minutes every day. “She was determined. She was a devout Christian, but she’d cuss like a sailor. Granny said, ‘I paid good money for that piano – and you’re going to play it!” says Foxx. Foxx spent a lot of time playing the piano, performing at the church and at various engagements.
Foxx was also a stellar athlete, especially football. He was his high school’s starting quarterback and became the first player to pass for more than 1,000 yards. Foxx attended United States International University in San Diego on a scholarship. “For me, music was my ticket out. Even now I can sit down and play classical music, modern jazz. I could do it for the rest of my life, if I had to. As long as I don’t lose my hands, I’m still making music.” While at International Foxx studied classical music as well as composition.
After graduating, while living in Los Angeles, Foxx’s girlfriend dared him to perform comedy, and his impression were an immediate hit. Eventually he landed on “In Living Color,” where he starred alongside Damon Wayans and Jim Carey. A few year later he was given his own TV show, The Jamie Foxx Show and later starred in the film Booty Call. Around the same time, Jamie Foxx released his first album, Peep This. In 1999, Oliver Stone cast him in Any Given Sunday, where he played a starting quarterback. He also had a supporting role in Ali.
In 2004 Jamie Foxx blasted into the mainstream with his Oscar-winning portrayal of singer Ray Charles. His stunning portrayal earned him the Best Actor Academy Award for Ray. In the same year, Foxx also gained wide-spread acclaim for his portrayal of Max in Tom Cruise’s Collateral. His acting in Collateral also earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, which puts Foxx in the record books. He is only the second male ever, and the first African American, to receive two Oscar nominations in the same year. The legend Al Pacino is the other male to earn this honor.
“You have to use your position to do good. What are you doing it for otherwise? I’m not here to make money. I’m trying to use this celebrity thing to get people some help. . . Aids, poverty, racism – I want to be one of the hands that helps stop all that. I’ll put it on my shoulders. I’ll charge it to my account. I want to do more. I want to make history.”
