Cuba Gooding Jr.

Cuba Gooding Jr. is best known for his Oscar-winning portrayal of the charmingly arrogant pro football player Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire. Gooding was born in the Bronx and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 4.

In 1991, he received critical acclaim his portrayal of Tré Styles in John Singleton's comingof-age classic Boyz in the Hood, which earned him ShoWest's Newcomer Award. He followed this success with roles in numerous critically acclaimed major films, such as As Good as It Gets, What Dreams May Come, and the Oscar-nominated A Few Good Men.

In 1997, Gooding was honored with the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Jerry Maguire. In addition to the Academy Award, Gooding was presented with the Screen Actors Guild Award, the Broadcasters Film Critics Award, the Critics Choice Award and the Chicago Film Critics Award.

Gooding's versatility as an actor is exemplified by the diversity of the roles he has played. His repertoire has grown to include major roles in numerous critically acclaimed films including Men of Honor, Pearl Harbor, Radio, American Gangster, Shadowboxer and the George Lucas-helmed Red Tails.

He has also appeared in award-winning movies for television including Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story and Firelight – the highest-rated Hallmark Hall of Fame movie ever. Gooding will next be seen on the big screen in Joseph Gordon Levitt's directorial debut, Don Jon's Addiction and Robert Rodriquez's sequel to Machete, Machete Kills.

Gooding has also explored other aspects of filmmaking – in 1993 he co-produced and starred in the well-received thriller A Murder of Crows. His film company, Dudley Pictures, is currently involved in several projects in development for film and television. In 2002, Gooding received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honoring his extraordinary achievements.

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