Texas native Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop on December 13, 1967 and raised by his grandparents from the age of seven months following the failure of his parents' marriage.  Although he was a star athlete at Terrell High (where he receive top grades) on both the school's football and basketball teams, he majored in classical music and composition at the U.S International University in California.

The versatile actor / comedian / singer / musician / writer / producer / director got his start in showbiz in 1989 when he went on stage on a dare on open mic night and tried his hand at standup. After spending time on the comedy circuit, he joined Keenan Ivory Wayans, Jim Carrey, Damon Wayans and Tommy Davidson in the landmark Fox sketch comedy series "In Living Color," creating some of the show's funniest and most memorable moments. In 1996, he launched his own series, "The Jamie Foxx Show," which was one of the top-rated programs on the WB Network during its five-year run. Jamie not only starred on the series but also was the co-creator and executive producer.   

In addition, he directed several episodes.  Foxx made his big screen in Toys in 1992, followed by appearances in Booty Call and The Players Club.  He received critical acclaim for his riveting work and in Any Given Sunday and as Bundini Brown in Ali, breakout roles which inexorably led to 2004, the Year of the Foxx, when he delivered a trio of powerful performances in Ray, Collateral and Redemption. He won an Academy Award for his portrayal of the legendary Ray Charles as well as the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild (SAG), BAFTA and NAACP Image Awards. Jamie Foxx simultaneously garnered Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG Award, BAFTA Award, and Image Award nominations in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his work in Collateral. He landed a Golden Globe and a SAG Award nominations. Jamie Foxx is the second male in movie history to receive two acting Oscar nominations in the same year for two different movies, Collateral and Ray (the only other male actor to achieve this was Al Pacino). In addition, Foxx became the fourth artist to have received an Academy Award for an acting role and to have achieved a number-one record album in the U.S. history. On December 8, 2006, Foxx won four Grammy nominations, which included Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for Love Changes featuring Mary J. Blige, Best R&B Album for Unpredictable, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for Georgia by Ludacris & Field Mob featuring Jamie Foxx, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for Unpredictable featuring Ludacris.

He also won an Image Award for his portrayal of condemned gang member-turned-Nobel Peace Prize nominee Stan "Tookie" Williams in Redemption. That amazing feat marked the first time that a single actor has received three Golden Globe nominations and four SAG Award nominations in the same year. Foxx has since appeared in Dreamgirls, Miami Vice, Jarhead and The Kingdom, and will next star in the drama Law Abiding Citizen directed by F. Gary Gray. In September 2007, Foxx was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He said, upon receiving the honor, ”[it was] one of the most amazing days of my life.” Besides his outstanding work in front of the camera, Jamie Foxx has also achieved a thriving career in music. His eagerly-anticipated J Records debut, "Unpredictable," was nominated for eight Billboard Music Awards, three Grammy Awards, one Soul Train Music Award and two American Music Awards, for which he won Favorite Male Artist. And his second album, "Intuition," was just released last December to rave reviews.  Jamie Foxx is currently working on the new movie Kne & Lynch which will be released in 2011.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jamie Foxx’s Discography

• Peep This (1994)
• Unpredictable (2005)
• Intuition (2008)
• Body (2010)

Filmography

• Toys (1992)
• The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996)
• The Great White Hype (1996)
• Booty Call (1997)
• The Players Club (1998)
• Held Up (1999)
• Any Given Sunday (1999)
• Bait (2000)
• Date from Heaven (2001)
• Ali (2001)
• Shade (2003)
• Breakin’ All the Rules (2004)
• Collateral (2004)
• Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (2004)
• Ray (2004)
• Stealth (2005)
• Jarhead (2005)
• Miami Vice (2006)
• Dreamgirls (2006)
• The Kingdom (2007)
• The Soloist (2009)
• Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
• Valentine’s Day (2010)
• Due Date (2010)
• Kane & Lynch (2011)

Selected Awards and nominations

Television Awards

Image Awards:

• 1998, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: The Jamie Foxx Show
• 1999, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: The Jamie Foxx Show (nominated)
• 2000, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: The Jamie Foxx Show (nominated)
• 2001, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: The Jamie Foxx Show (nominated)

 Music Awards

American Music Awards:

• 2009, Favorite R&B/Soul Male Artist (nominated)
• 2006, Favorite R&B/Soul Male Artist (winner)
• 2006, Favorite R&B/Soul Album: Unpredictable (nominated)

BET Awards:

• 2009, Best Collaboration ("Blame It") with T-Pain (Winner)
• 2009, Video of the Year: ("Blame It") (nominated)
• 2009, Best Male R&B Artist (nominated)

Grammy Awards:

• 2010, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group ("Blame It") with T-Pain (winner)
• 2010, Best Contemporary R&B Album (Intuition) (nominated)
• 2010, Best R&B Song ("Blame It") (nominated)
• 2007, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Unpredictable") with Ludacris (nominated)

Image Awards:

• 2009, Outstanding Male Artist (winner)
• 2006, Outstanding Male Artist (winner)

MTV Video Music Awards:

• 2006, Best Hip-Hop Video: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)
• 2006, Best Ringtone: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)
• 2006, Best R&B Video: "Unpredictable" featuring Ludacris (nominated)
• 2004, MTV2 Award: "Slow Jamz" with Twista & Kanye West (nominated)

Soul Train Awards:

• 2009, Record of the Year: "Blame It" (winner)
• 2009, Album of the Year: Intuition (nominated)
• 2007, Best R&B/Soul Album, Male: Unpredictable (winner)
• 2006, Best Music Video: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (winner)
• 2006, Best R&B/Soul Dance Cut: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)

Vibe Awards:

• 2005, Best Collabo: "Gold Digger" with Kanye West (nominated)
• 2004, Best Collabo: "Slow Jamz" with Twista & Kanye West (nominated)

Selected Movie/TV Awards

Academy Awards

• 2004, Nominated Best Supporting Actor - Collateral
• 2004, Won Best Actor – Ray

BAFTA Awards

• 2005, Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Ray
• 2004, Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Collateral

BET Awards

• 2006, Nominated Best Actor
• 2005, Won Best Actor

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

• 2000, Nominated - Favorite Supporting Actor - Drama - Any Given Sunday

Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards

• 2005, Won Critics Choice Award Best Actor - Ray
• 2004, Nominated Critics Choice Award Best Supporting Actor – Collateral

Golden Globes

• 2005, Won Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Ray
• 2004, Nominated Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television - Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)
• 2004, Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Collateral

Hollywood Film Festival

• 2004, Won Hollywood Breakthrough Award Breakthrough Actor

Image Awards

• 2007, Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture - Dreamgirls
• 2005, Won Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture - Ray
• 2004, Won Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special - Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)
• 2004, Nominated Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - Collateral
• 2002, Won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - Ali

Independent Spirit Awards

• 2005, Nominated Best Male Lead - Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story (TV)  

Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards

• 2005, Won Best Actor - Ray (2004/I)

Kids' Choice Awards

• 2001, Nominated Favorite Television Actor - "The Jamie Foxx Show"
• 2000, Nominated Favorite Television Actor - "The Jamie Foxx Show"

Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards

• 2005, Won Sierra Award Best Actor - Ray

Online Film Critics Society Awards  

• 2005, Nominated Best Actor - Ray
• 2004, Won Best Supporting Actor - Collateral

People's Choice Awards

• 2008, Nominated Favorite Leading Man
• 2006, Nominated Favorite Leading Man

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 2007, Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Dreamgirls
• 2005, Won Actor Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role - Ray
• 2004, Nominated Actor Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Ray

About the author of this article: Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada, and the Caribbean. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee, and Rotten Tomatoes. He is a contributor to TheLoop21.com. He is also a columnist for www.afrotoronto.com and www.megadiversities.com. In 2008, he was Voted Most Outstanding Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review. Williams is an erudite Attorney who holds a BA in Black Studies from Cornell University, an MA in English from Brown University, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a J.D. from Boston University. Kam Williams is a member of the Bar in NJ, NY, CT, PA, MA & US Supreme Court bars. He lives in Princeton, (New Jersey) with his wife and son. Kam Williams can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it