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Jamie Foxx (born Eric Marlon Bishop; December
13, 1967) is an American actor, singer, and stand-up comic. Foxx is possibly
best known for his portrayal of musician Ray Charles in Ray. With Ray,
he became one of the few African Americans to win the Academy Award for
Best Actor. Jamie studied at Juilliard and San Diego's United States International
University in music. Foxx received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
on September 14, 2007.
Foxx was born in Terrell, Texas, the son of Louise Annette Talley Dixon and Darrell Bishop, who sometimes worked as a stockbroker and changed his name to Shahid Abdula after converting to Islam. Shortly after his birth, Foxx was adopted and raised by his mother's adoptive parents, Esther[3] Marie (née Nelson), a domestic worker and nursery operator, and Mark Talley, a yard worker. He has had little contact with his birth parents, who were not part of his upbringing. Foxx was raised in the black quarter of Terrell, Texas, at the time a racially segregated community (In The Kingdom, Foxx makes reference to Terrell). He had a strict Baptist upbringing. He has frequently cited his adoptive grandmother's influence on his life.
At his grandmother's urging, Foxx began piano lessons at the age of five. He went on to play for church groups in Terrell, and studied classical music in college. He also played football (quarterback) at Terrell High School, and had an ambition to play for the Dallas Cowboys.
After a small part on the TV series Roc, Foxx joined the cast of In Living Color in 1991. Here he won over viewers with many unusual characters and impressions, which included: ugly girl Wanda; fictitious boxer Carl "The Tooth" Williams; and The Dirty Dozens champion T-Dog Jenkins. His impersonation of Garrett Morris would eventually find him starring against the former Saturday Night Live cast member in his sitcom, The Jamie Foxx Show.
In April of 2003 Foxx involved in an incident with two police officers who were attempting to escort him and his sister out of Harrah's casino in New Orleans. Employees claimed they had failed to show identification upon entry. Originally charged with trespassing, disturbing the peace, battery on police officers and resisting arrest, Foxx pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace in exchange for the other charges being dropped, and was sentenced to a six month suspended jail term with two years probation and a $1500 fine.
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