Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and singer. For his work in the film Ray, Foxx won the Academy Award and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Actor. He has also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a musical/comedy and has been nominated for several Grammy Awards.
Foxx was born as Eric Marlon Bishop on December 13, 1967, in Terrell, Texas.[1] He is the son of Louise Annette Talley Dixon and Darrell Bishop. Bishop was a stock broker who changed his name to Shahid Abdula after converting to Islam. Foxx was abandoned seven months after birth and was raised in Terrell by his mother's adoptive parents, Estelle and Mark Talley. Terrell was a racially segregated community at the time.[2] He had a strict Baptist upbringing.[3][4] Foxx began piano lessons at the age of five by his grandmother's orders. As a teenager, he was a part-time pianist and choir leader in Terrell's New Hope Baptist Church.[2]
Foxx attended Terrell High School, where he received top grades, played basketball and football as quarterback, and had an ambition to play for the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first player in the school's history to pass for more than 1,000 yards.[2][5] He also sang in a band called Leather and Lace.[2] After completing high school, Foxx received a scholarship to United States International University, where he studied classical music and composition.[2][6] He has often acknowledged his grandmother's influence in his life as one of the greatest reasons for his success.[3][7]
[edit] Early career and In Living Color
After accepting a girlfriend's dare, Foxx told jokes and did impressions at a comedy club's open mic night in 1989. When he found that female comedians were often called first to perform, he changed his name to Jamie Foxx, feeling that it was an ambiguous enough name to disallow any biases.[2][8] He chose his surname as a tribute to comedian Redd Foxx.[8]
Foxx joined the cast of In Living Color in 1991 and subsequently played a recurring role in the comedy-drama sitcom Roc.[9] From 1996 to 2001, Foxx starred in his own sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, and in 1992 he made his film debut.
Foxx was born as Eric Marlon Bishop on December 13, 1967, in Terrell, Texas.[1] He is the son of Louise Annette Talley Dixon and Darrell Bishop. Bishop was a stock broker who changed his name to Shahid Abdula after converting to Islam. Foxx was abandoned seven months after birth and was raised in Terrell by his mother's adoptive parents, Estelle and Mark Talley. Terrell was a racially segregated community at the time.[2] He had a strict Baptist upbringing.[3][4] Foxx began piano lessons at the age of five by his grandmother's orders. As a teenager, he was a part-time pianist and choir leader in Terrell's New Hope Baptist Church.[2]
Foxx attended Terrell High School, where he received top grades, played basketball and football as quarterback, and had an ambition to play for the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first player in the school's history to pass for more than 1,000 yards.[2][5] He also sang in a band called Leather and Lace.[2] After completing high school, Foxx received a scholarship to United States International University, where he studied classical music and composition.[2][6] He has often acknowledged his grandmother's influence in his life as one of the greatest reasons for his success.[3][7]
[edit] Early career and In Living Color
After accepting a girlfriend's dare, Foxx told jokes and did impressions at a comedy club's open mic night in 1989. When he found that female comedians were often called first to perform, he changed his name to Jamie Foxx, feeling that it was an ambiguous enough name to disallow any biases.[2][8] He chose his surname as a tribute to comedian Redd Foxx.[8]
Foxx joined the cast of In Living Color in 1991 and subsequently played a recurring role in the comedy-drama sitcom Roc.[9] From 1996 to 2001, Foxx starred in his own sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, and in 1992 he made his film debut.
