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December 13th, 2007 - Happy Birthday Jamie Foxx!
By Allie | December 13, 2007
Jamie Foxx (born December 13, 1967) is an American actor, singer, and stand-up comic.
He’s 40!
Foxx is possibly best known for his portrayal of musician Ray Charles in Ray, and for his collaborations with director Michael Mann.
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 Eric Marlon Bishop in Dallas, 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 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 age 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.
Foxx changed his name while doing stand up once he found out that female comedians were often called first to perform. He felt Jamie Foxx was an ambiguous enough name to disallow any biases. His last name was chosen as a tribute to Redd Foxx.
Foxx’s first dramatic role came in Oliver Stone’s 1999 film Any Given Sunday, where he played a heavy-partying football player. He was cast in the role in part because of his background as a football player. Foxx has since evolved into a respected dramatic actor. Following Any Given Sunday, Foxx was featured as taxi driver Max Durocher in the film Collateral alongside Tom Cruise, for which he received outstanding reviews and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His standout performance, however, was his portrayal of Ray Charles in the biopic Ray (2004), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Other December 13th Birthdays:
Dick Van Dyke-Actor -82
Christopher Plummer-Actor -80
Robert Prosky-Actor -77
Ted Nugent-Singer -59
Wendie Malick-Actress -57
Steve Buscemi-Actor -50
Johnny Whitaker-Actor -48
Tom Delonge-Singer/Guitarist -32
Amy Lee-Singer -26
Topics: Celebrity Birthdays, Wired Gossip |
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