Cuba Gooding Jr. American child actor Cuba Mark Gooding Jr. was born on January 2, 1968, in the Bronx, New York City, United States.

Gooding was born to Shirley Sullivan and Cuba Gooding Sr. He has the same parents as his three siblings; Tommy, April, and Omar.

His paternal grandfather Dudley MacDonald Gooding was from Barbados. After the success of his father’s band’s single “Everybody Plays the Fool”, his family moved to Los Angeles in 1972; the eldest Gooding left the family two years later.

Gooding himself was raised by his mother and attended four different high schools: John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, Los Angeles, North Hollywood High School, Tustin High School, and Apple Valley High School.

He was the class president of three of them. At the age of 13, he converted to Christianity.

Cuba Gooding Jr. Career

At the closing ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, breakdancer Gooding teamed up with singer Lionel Richie to perform a routine.

Gooding studied Japanese martial arts for three years after graduating from high school before deciding to pursue acting.

Early on, he appeared in guest roles on television series such as “Hill Street Blues” (1987), “Amen” (1988), and “MacGyver” (1988, 1989, and 1990), and even had a brief role in the hit comedy “I’m Coming to America” ​​(1988).

In John Singleton’s crime drama Boyz n the Hood (1991), Gooding played the title character Tre Styles, in his first major role.

Starring Tom Cruise in Cameron Crowe’s sports comedy-drama “Jerry Maguire” (1996), which was a huge box-office and critical success, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and earned Gooding the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Gooding reached a new level of popularity in 1996.

His exuberant phrase “Show me the money!” ” from the film has become a popular catchphrase across the country. His Oscar acceptance speech has always been praised for its tension.

Gooding’s breakthrough performance was followed by a major supporting role in the critically acclaimed comedy As Good as It Gets (1997), although her career thereafter enjoyed uneven success.

He gave some of his best work in films such as the mystical drama “What Dreams May Come” (1998) and the American naval drama “Men of Honor” (2000), in which he starred and co-starred with Robert De Niro. performance.

Gooding gained notoriety for her appearances as Doris Miller in the epic Pearl Harbor (2001), in the ensemble farce Rat Race (2001), in the musical The Fighting Temptations (2003), and for the role -title in the football drama Radio (2003). ).

During this time, he also played Theo Caulder in the 1999 psychological thriller Instinct and Buck in the 2004 Disney animated film Home on the Range.

Gooding appeared in a number of films in 2013, including Don Jon, Machete Kills and The Butler, where he played a well-received supporting role.

In 2014, he appeared in the critically acclaimed historical drama Selma as civil rights attorney Fred Gray.

Since then, he has made many more television appearances, including roles in the miniseries “The Book of Negroes” as Samuel Fraunces, “Big Time in Hollywood, FL” in a comedy version of himself and “American Crime Story: The People”. v. OJ Simpson” as OJ Simpson.

Despite mixed reviews of his performance, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. Some critics rejected Gooding’s Emmy nomination for her contribution to the series.

As Billy Flynn, Gooding starred in the 21st anniversary revival of the musical Chicago at the Phoenix Theater in 2018. Bayou Caviar, his directorial debut, was released on October 5, 2018.

Who are Cuba Gooding Jr.’s children?

Cuba Gooding Jr. and his ex-wife Sara Kapfer had three children; Mason Gooding, Spencer Gooding and Piper Gooding.