CJ
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Actor, Producer, Director, WriterBorn January 2, 1968 (57 years)
Cuba Mark Gooding Jr. (born January 2, 1968) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Emmy nomination.
He was born in Bronx, New York to Shirley, a singer with the Sweethearts, and Cuba Gooding, Sr., a lead vocalist of soul group The Main Ingredient. He has two brothers, musician Tommy Gooding and fellow actor Omar Gooding, and sister, April Gooding. His family moved to Los Angeles after Gooding Sr.'s music group had a hit single with "Everybody Plays the Fool" in 1972 but abandoned his family two years later. Gooding Jr. was raised by his mother and attended four different high schools: North Hollywood High School, Tustin High School, Apple Valley High School, and John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills in Los Angeles. He served as class president in three of them.
His first job as a professional entertainer was as a break-dancer performing with singer Lionel Richie at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. After high school, Gooding studied Japanese martial arts for three years, before turning his focus toward acting. Early on, he landed guest starring roles on shows like Hill Street Blues (1981) and MacGyver (1985).
His first major role was in the John Singleton's box office surprise and critical hit Boyz n the Hood (1991). He followed this success with roles in major films like A Few Good Men (1992), Lightning Jack (1994), Outbreak (1995), Men of Honor (2000), Rat Race (2001), and The Fighting Temptations (2003) in which he co-starred alongside Beyoncé Knowles.
In 1996, he was cast as an arrogant football player on the brink of a career-ending injury in Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire (1996). The film was a success and earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. His "Show Me The Money" line in the film became a nationwide catchphrase. In 1997, he had a notable supporting role in As Good As It Gets (1997). The next several years, his films were inconsistently successful; Boat Trip (2002), Norbit (2007), and Daddy Day Camp (2007), all of which had received extremely negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office.
Gooding also starred in a film titled A Murder of Crows, which he co-produced with his long time friend and business partner Derek Broes. The film was Gooding's first attempt at producing. Since then, he has had series of starring roles in grittier films released direct-to-DVD such as the revenge dramas Hero Wanted and Wrong Turn at Tahoe, as well as the sci-fi action pic Hardwired and the action comedy Lies & Illusions.
A well-received performance as Ben Carson in Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009) and a small supporting role in Ridley Scott's American Gangster (2007) both proved to be exceptions to this trend. An appearance in the World War II film, Red Tails, produced by George Lucas and with other prominent actors such as Terrence Howard, will mark his only return to the big screen since American Gangster.
He was born in Bronx, New York to Shirley, a singer with the Sweethearts, and Cuba Gooding, Sr., a lead vocalist of soul group The Main Ingredient. He has two brothers, musician Tommy Gooding and fellow actor Omar Gooding, and sister, April Gooding. His family moved to Los Angeles after Gooding Sr.'s music group had a hit single with "Everybody Plays the Fool" in 1972 but abandoned his family two years later. Gooding Jr. was raised by his mother and attended four different high schools: North Hollywood High School, Tustin High School, Apple Valley High School, and John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills in Los Angeles. He served as class president in three of them.
His first job as a professional entertainer was as a break-dancer performing with singer Lionel Richie at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. After high school, Gooding studied Japanese martial arts for three years, before turning his focus toward acting. Early on, he landed guest starring roles on shows like Hill Street Blues (1981) and MacGyver (1985).
His first major role was in the John Singleton's box office surprise and critical hit Boyz n the Hood (1991). He followed this success with roles in major films like A Few Good Men (1992), Lightning Jack (1994), Outbreak (1995), Men of Honor (2000), Rat Race (2001), and The Fighting Temptations (2003) in which he co-starred alongside Beyoncé Knowles.
In 1996, he was cast as an arrogant football player on the brink of a career-ending injury in Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire (1996). The film was a success and earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. His "Show Me The Money" line in the film became a nationwide catchphrase. In 1997, he had a notable supporting role in As Good As It Gets (1997). The next several years, his films were inconsistently successful; Boat Trip (2002), Norbit (2007), and Daddy Day Camp (2007), all of which had received extremely negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office.
Gooding also starred in a film titled A Murder of Crows, which he co-produced with his long time friend and business partner Derek Broes. The film was Gooding's first attempt at producing. Since then, he has had series of starring roles in grittier films released direct-to-DVD such as the revenge dramas Hero Wanted and Wrong Turn at Tahoe, as well as the sci-fi action pic Hardwired and the action comedy Lies & Illusions.
A well-received performance as Ben Carson in Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009) and a small supporting role in Ridley Scott's American Gangster (2007) both proved to be exceptions to this trend. An appearance in the World War II film, Red Tails, produced by George Lucas and with other prominent actors such as Terrence Howard, will mark his only return to the big screen since American Gangster.
Movies & Shows on Plex
Known For
Featured Videos
Filmography
| 2025 | Dog Patrol · as Sheriff Jacobs |
| 2024 | The Firing Squad · as Samuel Wilson |
| 2024 | Angels Fallen: Warriors of Peace · as Balthazar |
| 2024 | Skeletons in the Closet · as Andres |
| 2023 | The Weapon · as Blue |
| 2020 | Life in a Year · as Xavier |
| 2018 | Bayou Caviar · as Rodney Jones |
| 2016 | American Crime Story (TV Series) · as O. J. Simpson |
| 2015 | Empire (2015) (TV Series) · as Puma |
| 2015 | The Book of Negroes (TV Series) · as Sam Fraunces |
| 2014 | Selma · as Fred Gray |
| 2014 | Forever (2014) (TV Series) · as Isaac Monroe |
| 2014 | |
| 2013 | Machete Kills · as El Camaleon |
| 2013 | Don Jon · as Hollywood Actor #2 |
| 2013 | The Butler · as Carter Wilson |
| 2013 | Summoned · as Detective Callendar |
| 2013 | Absolute Deception · as John Nelson |
| 2013 | Life of a King · as Eugene Brown |
| 2013 | Guilty · as William 'billy' Remz |
| 2012 | One in the Chamber · as Ray Carver |
| 2012 | Firelight · as Dj |
| 2012 | Doggiewoggiez! Poochiewoochiez! · as Cast |
| 2012 | Red Tails · as Major Emanuelle Stance |
| 2012 | Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airmen at War · as Narrator (voice) |
| 2011 | American Horror Story (TV Series) · as Dominic Banks |
| 2011 | |
| 2011 | The Hit List · as Jonas Arbor |
| 2011 | These Amazing Shadows · as Tre Styles |
| 2011 | Ticking Clock · as Lewis Hicks |
| 2010 | 2 Everything 2 Terrible 2: Tokyo Drift · as (archive Footage) |
| 2009 | Wrong Turn at Tahoe · as Joshua |
| 2009 | Hardwired · as Luke Gibson |
| 2009 | The Devil's Tomb · as Mack |
| 2009 | Lies & Illusions · as Isaac |
| 2009 | The Way of War · as David Wolfe |
| 2009 | Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story · as Ben Carson |
| 2008 | Linewatch · as Michael Dixon |
| 2008 | Harold · as Cromer |
| 2008 | Hero Wanted · as Liam Case |
| 2007 | The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends · as Loofah (voice) |
| 2007 | American Gangster · as Nicky Barnes |
| 2007 | Daddy Day Camp · as Charlie Hinton |
| 2007 | What Love Is · as Tom |
| 2007 | Norbit · as Deion Hughes |
| 2006 | |
| 2006 | Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters · as Tré Styles |
| 2005 | Dirty · as Salim Adel |
| 2005 | Shadowboxer · as Mikey |
| 2004 | A Dairy Tale · as Buck (voice) |
| 2004 | Home on the Range · as Buck (voice) |
| 2003 | Radio · as Radio |
| 2003 | The Fighting Temptations · as Darrin Hill |
| 2003 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! (TV Series) |
| 2002 | Boat Trip · as Jerry Robinson |
| 2002 | Snow Dogs · as Ted Brooks |
| 2001 | Rat Race · as Owen Templeton |
| 2001 | In the Shadows · as Draven |
| 2001 | Pearl Harbor · as Doris Miller |
| 2000 | Men of Honor · as Senior Chief Carl Brashear |
| 2000 | The Kid · as Wedding Guest |
| 1999 | Chill Factor · as Arlo |
| 1999 | Instinct · as Dr. Theo Caulder |
| 1998 | A Murder of Crows · as Lawson Russell |
| 1998 | What Dreams May Come · as Albert Lewis |
| 1997 | As Good as It Gets · as Frank Sachs |
| 1997 | Trading Favors · as Liquor Store Clerk |
| 1996 | Jerry Maguire · as Rod Tidwell |
| 1995 | The Tuskegee Airmen · as Billy Roberts |
| 1995 | Losing Isaiah · as Eddie Hughes |
| 1995 | Outbreak · as Major Salt |
| 1994 | Blown Away · as Bomb Squad Class Member |
| 1994 | Lightning Jack · as Ben Doyle |
| 1993 | Judgment Night · as Mike Peterson |
| 1993 | The Untouchables (1993) (TV Series) |
| 1993 | Daybreak · as Torch |
| 1992 | A Few Good Men · as Cpl. Carl Hammaker |
| 1992 | Hitz · as Officer Alvarez |
| 1992 | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (TV Series) |
| 1992 | Gladiator · as Abraham Lincoln Haines |
| 1992 | |
| 1991 | Boyz n the Hood · as Tré Styles |
| 1990 | Nasty Boys (TV Series) · as Poptop |
| 1989 | Mancuso, FBI (TV Series) |
| 1989 | Sing · as Stanley |
| 1988 | Coming to America · as Boy Getting Haircut |
| 1987 | The Bronx Zoo (TV Series) |
| 1986 | Amen (TV Series) · as Kenny Mitchell |
| 1985 | MacGyver (TV Series) · as Billy Colton |
| 1985 | 227 (TV Series) |
| 1984 | CBS Schoolbreak Special (TV Series) · as Paul |
| 1981 | Hill Street Blues (TV Series) |
| 1969 | Sesame Street (TV Series) |