Person Details

Birthday: 1968-01-02 23:13:40

Aliases: No known aliases

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Bronx, New York, USA

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 61

TV Involvements: 7


Most Famous Work

Biography

Cuba Gooding was born in Bronx, New York to Shirley, a singer with the Sweethearts, and Cuba Gooding, Sr., a lead vocalist of soul group The Main Ingredient. He has two brothers, musician Tommy Gooding and fellow actor Omar Gooding, and sister, April Gooding. His family moved to Los Angeles after Gooding Sr.'s music group had a hit single with "Everybody Plays the Fool" in 1972 but abandoned his family two years later. Gooding Jr. 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. He served as class president in three of them. His first job as a professional entertainer was as a break-dancer 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 like Hill Street Blues (1981) and MacGyver (1985). His first major role was in the John Singleton's box office surprise and critical hit Boyz n the Hood (1991). He followed this success with roles in major films like A Few Good Men (1992), Lightning Jack (1994), Outbreak (1995), Men of Honor (2000), Rat Race (2001), and The Fighting Temptations (2003) in which he co-starred alongside Beyoncé Knowles. In 1996, he was cast as an arrogant football player on the brink of a career-ending injury in Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire (1996). The film was a success and earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. His "Show Me The Money" line in the film became a nationwide catchphrase. In 1997, he had a notable supporting role in As Good As It Gets (1997). The next several years, his films were inconsistently successful; Boat Trip (2002), Norbit (2007), and Daddy Day Camp (2007), all of which had received extremely negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office. Gooding also starred in a film titled A Murder of Crows, which he co-produced with his long time friend and business partner Derek Broes. The film was Gooding's first attempt at producing.  Since then, he has had series of starring roles in grittier films released direct-to-DVD such as the revenge dramas Hero Wanted and Wrong Turn at Tahoe, as well as the sci-fi action pic Hardwired and the action comedy Lies & Illusions. A well-received performance as Ben Carson in Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009) and a small supporting role in Ridley Scott's American Gangster (2007) both proved to be exceptions to this trend. An appearance in the World War II film, Red Tails, produced by George Lucas and with other prominent actors such as Terrence Howard, will mark his only return to the big screen since American Gangster. Gooding is married to Sara Kapfer; they have two sons, Spencer and Mason.  

Most Famous Work

American Crime Story
Average
8

American Crime Story

(2016) O. J. Simpson
MacGyver
Average
8

MacGyver

(1985) Ray Collins
Nasty Boys
Average
5

Nasty Boys

(1989) Poptop
American Horror Story
Average
8

American Horror Story

(2011) Dominic Banks / Matt Miller
Life in a Year
Average
8

Life in a Year

(2020) Xavier
American Gangster
Average
8

American Gangster

(2007) Nicky Barnes
Men of Honor
Average
7

Men of Honor

(2000) Senior Chief Carl Brashear
Pearl Harbor
Average
7

Pearl Harbor

(2001) Doris Miller

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
2024 Sheriff Jacobs
Samuel Wilson
Andres
2023 Blue
2020 Xavier
N/A
2018 Rodney Jones
2016 Himself
O. J. Simpson
2015 Self
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Sam Fraunces
2014 Fred Gray
Samuel
Samuel Woodward
2013 El Camaleon
Hollywood Actor #2
Carter Wilson
Eugene
John Nelson
Detective Callendar
Shadoweyes
2012 Ray Carver
DJ
Major Emanuelle Stance
Narrator (voice)
2011 Dominic Banks / Matt Miller
Self
John Hebron
Jonas Arbor
Lewis Hicks
2010 Self
2009 Joshua
Luke Gibson
Isaac
Mack
David Wolfe
Ben Carson
2008 Michael Dixon
Cromer
Liam Case
Self - Guest
2007 Loofah (voice)
Nicky Barnes
Charlie Hinton
Tom
Self
Deion Hughes
2006 Alex Thomas
2005 Mikey
Salim Adel
Self
2004 Buck (voice)
Buck (voice)
2003 Radio
Darrin Hill
Self
N/A
2002 Jerry Robinson
Self
Ted Brooks
2001 Cuba Gooding Jr.
Self
Owen Templeton
Draven
Doris Miller
2000 Senior Chief Carl Brashear
1999 Arlo
Lawson Russell
Dr. Theo Caulder
1998 Albert Lewis
Cuba Gooding Jr.
1997 Frank Sachs
Self
Liquor Store Clerk
1996 Rod Tidwell
Self
1995 Self
Billy Roberts
Eddie Hughes
Major Salt
1994 Bomb Squad Class Member
Ben Doyle
1993 Mike Peterson
Self - Guest
Torch
N/A
1992 Cpl. Carl Hammaker
Officer Alvarez
N/A
Abraham Lincoln Haines
Tyree
1991 Tré Styles
1989 N/A
Poptop
Stanley
1988 Boy Getting Haircut
1987 N/A
1985 Ray Collins
Billy Colton
N/A
1981 N/A
1975 Self - Host
1969 N/A
1953 Self
Year Character Movie/Tv

Directing

Year Role Movie/Tv
2018 Director
Year Role Movie/Tv

Writing

Year Role Movie/Tv
2018 Writer
Year Role Movie/Tv

Production

Year Role Movie/Tv
1999 Producer
Year Role Movie/Tv

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