Cuba Gooding Jr.

Gooding was born in The Bronx, New York, the son of Shirley, a singer with the Sweethearts, and Cuba Gooding, Sr., a lead vocalist of soul group The Main Ingredient. He has a brother, fellow 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. Cuba, Jr. became a born-again Christian at age 13. Gooding was raised by his mother and attended four different high schools (including North Hollywood High School, Tustin High School, Apple Valley High School, and John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills in Los Angeles). 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 throughout Los Angeles. Gooding has been married to Sara Kapfer since 1994; the two have known each other since 1986. Together, they have three children: sons Spencer Gooding (born in 1994) and Mason Gooding (born in 1996), and a daughter, Piper Gooding (born in 2005).

Gooding's first job as a professional entertainer was as a breakdancer performing with singer Lionel Richie at the closing ceremoines of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Following 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 like Hill Street Blues (1981) and MacGyver (1985). His first major role was in the 1991 box office surprise Boyz n the Hood (1991). He followed this success with supporting roles in major films like A Few Good Men (1992), Lightning Jack (1994), Outbreak (1995), The Fighting Temptations (2003), and most recently, Daddy Day Camp (2007) and Hero Wanted (2008). In 1996, Gooding was cast as an arrogant but loyal football player in Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire (1996). The film became a huge box office smash and earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His "Show Me The Money" line in the movie became a nationwide catchphrase. The role elevated him to superstar status. He has also appeared in movies which were critically or commercially unsuccessful, such as Snow Dogs, Boat Trip, Norbit, and Daddy Day Camp, which either received strongly negative reviews or performed poorly at the box office. In 2002, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2007, he appeared in a television commercial for Hanes underwear alongside Michael Jordan.