Cuba Gooding Jr. was born on January 2, 1968, in The Bronx, New York.
His mother, Shirley (Sullivan), was a backup singer for The
Sweethearts. His father, Cuba Gooding, was
the lead vocalist for the R&B group
The Main Ingredient, which had a hit
with the song "Everybody Plays The Fool". His paternal grandfather was
from Barbados.
Cuba's father moved the family to Los Angeles in 1972, only to leave
them a few years later. Despite this setback, Cuba was able to maintain
a positive outlook and overachieved throughout school. He attended four
different high schools and was elected class president in three of
them. While at high school, Cuba met and fell in love with Sara Kapfer,
whom he later lived with for seven years before tying the knot in March
1994.
Following high school, Cuba studied Japanese martial arts for three
years before turning his focus toward acting. Early on, he landed guest
starring roles on shows like
Polizeirevier Hill Street (1981)
and Macgyver (1985). His first major
role was in the 1991 box office surprise
Boyz n the Hood - Jungs im Viertel (1991). He
followed this success with supporting roles in major films like
Eine Frage der Ehre (1992),
Lightning Jack (1994) and
Outbreak - Lautlose Killer (1995).
In 1996, Cuba was cast as an arrogant but loyal football player in the
Tom Cruise-Cameron Crowe
film Jerry Maguire: Spiel des Lebens (1996). The film
became a huge box office smash and earned Cuba an Academy Award for
Best Supporting Actor. His "Show Me The Money" line in the movie became
a nationwide catchphrase. The role elevated him to superstar status, as
many of Hollywood's top producers began to "show him the money" to
appear in their films.
Since Jerry Maguire: Spiel des Lebens (1996), Cuba
has managed to keep busy with a wide range of roles alongside many of
Hollywood's biggest stars. Most recently, he won critical support for
his portrayal of a mentally handicapped man in the heartwarming film
Sie nennen ihn Radio (2003), another movie about football.
In 2002, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He resides in Studio City, California.
