# Cuba Gooding Jr.

Cuba Mark Gooding Jr. (born January 2, 1968) is an American actor. After his breakthrough role as Tre Styles in Boyz n the Hood (1991), he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor playing a football star in Jerry Maguire (1996). His other notable films include A Few Good Men (1992), Judgment Night (1993), Lightning Jack (1994), As Good as It Gets (1997), Men of Honor (2000), Pearl Harbor (2001), Snow Dogs (2002), Radio (2003), Norbit (2007), Linewatch (2008), and he played Dr. Ben Carson in the film Gifted Hands (2009). He played in Red Tails (2012), and The Butler (2013). He has done voice acting in Home on the Range (2004) and The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends (2007).
For his portrayal of O. J. Simpson in the FX drama series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016), he earned a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He also co-starred that year in the FX series American Horror Story: Roanoke (2016).
Gooding made his Broadway debut playing Ludie Watts in the 2013 revival of the Horton Foote play The Trip to Bountiful. In 2018, he played Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago in both the West End and on Broadway.

## Early life and education

Gooding was born on January 2, 1968, in the Bronx, New York City. His mother, Shirley Sullivan, is a singer, and his father, Cuba Gooding Sr., was the lead vocalist of soul group The Main Ingredient. Gooding has three siblings: April, Omar, and Thomas. His paternal grandfather, Dudley MacDonald Gooding, was a native of Barbados.
His family moved from New York to Los Angeles in 1972, after his father's music group had their hit single "Everybody Plays the Fool"; two years later, the elder Gooding left the family. Gooding 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. Showing leadership, he served as class president in three of them. He had become a born-again Christian at the age of 13.

## Career
### 1984–1996: Early roles and Jerry Maguire

Gooding's first job as an entertainer was as a breakdancer, 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 such as Hill Street Blues (1987), Amen (1988) and MacGyver (1988, 1989 and 1990). He also had a small part in the popular comedy Coming to America (1988).
Gooding's first major role was the lead in John Singleton's inner-city crime drama Boyz n the Hood (1991), in which he played Tre Styles. The film was a box office surprise success and critical hit. It is now considered a modern classic. Gooding followed this success with supporting roles in major films such as A Few Good Men and Gladiator (both 1992), Judgment Night (1993), Lightning Jack (1994), and Outbreak (1995). He played Billy Roberts in the HBO film The Tuskegee Airmen (1995).
In 1996, Gooding reached a new level of prominence when he was cast as an arrogant yet charismatic football player in Cameron Crowe's dramatic sports comedy Jerry Maguire (1996), co-starring with Tom Cruise. The film was a major critical and commercial success and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture; Gooding won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. His exuberant "Show me the money!" line in the film became a nationwide catchphrase. His Oscar acceptance speech has often been cited for its enthusiasm.

### 1997–2012: Established actor

In 1997, Gooding followed his breakout with a notable supporting role in the acclaimed Academy Award-winning comedy As Good as It Gets (1997). In the following years, his career was inconsistently successful. Some of his best-received performances include turns in films such as the mystical drama What Dreams May Come (1998) and the US Naval drama Men of Honor (2000), in which he played the lead role and co-starred with Robert De Niro. Gooding also received attention for his roles in the epic Pearl Harbor (2001) as Doris Miller, the ensemble farce Rat Race (2001), musical dramedy The Fighting Temptations (2003), and the football drama Radio (2003), in which he played the title role. Additionally, though not well received critically, the family comedy Snow Dogs (2002) was a commercial success. In 2002, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Gooding starred in an online video game called "The Quest For The Code" which focuses on juvenile asthma management.
Other roles during this time include Theo Caulder in the psychological thriller Instinct (1999). He voiced Buck the Horse in the Disney animated film Home on the Range (2004). However, during this stage of his career, he appeared in a series of films that were not critically or commercially successful, such as Chill Factor (1999), Boat Trip (2002), Norbit (2007) and Daddy Day Camp (2007), all of which received extremely negative reviews and, except for Norbit, performed poorly at the box office.
Since then, in contrast to earlier stages of his acting career, Gooding has appeared in more critically ignored, direct-to-DVD films than theatrical or television releases. A well-received performance as Ben Carson in the TNT film 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.
Gooding's next major film role was in the 2012 World War II film Red Tails, produced by George Lucas. In 2012, Gooding starred in a TV pilot for Fox called Guilty, which was directed by McG. Though it was well received in screenings, it was ultimately not picked up by the network. He appeared on Channel 4's Chris Moyles' Quiz Night on August 5, 2011, closing the show in a duet, "Bad Romance", with Lulu.

### 2013–present: Broadway debut and TV roles

In 2013, Gooding had roles in several theatrical release films, including a well-received supporting performance in Lee Daniels's The Butler and brief appearances in Don Jon and Machete Kills.
He made his Broadway theatre debut alongside Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams in a Tony Award-nominated production of The Trip to Bountiful.
In 2014, he appeared as Civil Rights Movement attorney Fred Gray in the widely acclaimed historical drama Selma. He has since appeared more frequently in television productions, including performances as Samuel Fraunces in the miniseries The Book of Negroes, as a comedically embellished version of himself on Big Time in Hollywood, FL, and as O. J. Simpson in the anthology series American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson.
Although his performance as 'OJ' received mixed reviews, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie. Some reviewers criticized the nomination. In 2018, Gooding headlined the 21st anniversary revival of the musical Chicago at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End, playing Billy Flynn .
His directorial debut, Bayou Caviar, was released on October 5, 2018. On March 3, 2018, Gooding appeared as star guest announcer on the 100th episode of ITV's Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

## Personal life
### Marriage

In 1994, Gooding married his high school sweetheart, Sara Kapfer. They had three children together: Spencer Gooding, Piper Gooding, and Mason Gooding, who followed him into acting.
Twenty years later, in 2014, Kapfer filed for legal separation from Gooding. Gooding filed for divorce in January 2017.

### Charity work

In 2006, Gooding earned the Public Leadership in Neurology Award from the American Academy of Neurology for his work raising awareness about multiple sclerosis.

### Sexual misconduct allegations

On June 13, 2019, Gooding was booked on charges of misdemeanor forcible touching and sexual abuse in the third degree in New York City, relating to an incident in which he allegedly groped a woman at a bar in Times Square. On October 10, he was indicted on a separate, additional sexual abuse charge. As of August 2020, 30 women have accused Gooding of unwanted sexual touching.
Gooding was formally charged for three incidents, each resulting in misdemeanor charges of forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse.
On August 19, 2020, a woman filed a lawsuit against Gooding, accusing him of raping her in 2013 in New York City. The two parties came to a settlement agreement on June 6, 2023. As a result of the settlement, Gooding will not face trial. Gooding's lawyers insisted that he and the woman had had consensual sex, saying that the woman had bragged afterwards to others that she had sex with a celebrity.
On April 12, 2022, Gooding pleaded guilty to forcibly touching a woman at a New York nightclub in 2018, telling the judge he "kissed the waitress on her lips" without her consent. He also admitted to the two other alleged incidents of non-consensual contact, which took place in October 2018 and June 2019.
Gooding reached a plea deal with prosecutors that did not require time in jail. He was allowed to withdraw his misdemeanor plea and plead to the lesser violation of harassment on the condition that he continue counseling for six months.
On February 26, 2024, Gooding was mentioned in a sexual assault lawsuit brought against Sean Combs by music producer Rodney Jones. The lawsuit alleged that Gooding had "groped and fondled [Jones] non-consensually." On March 26, 2024, Jones amended the lawsuit to include Gooding as a co-defendant.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | Coming to America | Boy Getting Haircut | |
| 1989 | Sing | Stanley | |
| 1991 | Boyz n the Hood | Jason "Tre" Styles III | |
| 1992 | Gladiator | Abraham Lincoln Haines | |
| 1992 | Judgment | Officer Alvarez | |
| 1992 | A Few Good Men | Corporal Carl Edward Hammaker | |
| 1993 | Judgment Night | Mike Peterson | |
| 1993 | Daybreak | "Torch" | |
| 1994 | Lightning Jack | Ben Doyle | |
| 1994 | Blown Away | Bomb Squad Class Member | Cameo |
| 1995 | Outbreak | Major Salt | |
| 1995 | Losing Isaiah | Eddie Hughes | |
| 1996 | Jerry Maguire | Rod Tidwell | |
| 1997 | Trading Favors | Liquor Store Clerk | |
| 1997 | As Good as It Gets | Frank Sachs | |
| 1998 | What Dreams May Come | Albert Lewis | |
| 1998 | Welcome to Hollywood | Himself | Cameo |
| 1998 | A Murder of Crows | Lawson Russell | Also producer |
| 1999 | Instinct | Theo Caulder | |
| 1999 | Chill Factor | Arlo | |
| 2000 | Men of Honor | BM2 /Chief / Senior Chief Carl Brashear | |
| 2000 | The Kid | Wedding Guest | Uncredited cameo |
| 2001 | Pearl Harbor | Petty Officer Doris Miller | |
| 2001 | Rat Race | Owen Templeton | |
| 2001 | In the Shadows | FBI Agent Draven | |
| 2001 | Zoolander | Himself | Cameo |
| 2002 | Snow Dogs | Theodore "Ted" Brooks | |
| 2002 | Boat Trip | Jerry Robinson | |
| 2003 | The Fighting Temptations | Darrin Hill | |
| 2003 | Radio | James Robert "Radio" Kennedy | |
| 2004 | Home on the Range | Buck The Domestic Horse | Voice |
| 2005 | Shadowboxer | Mikey | |
| 2005 | Dirty | Salim Adel | |
| 2006 | End Game | Alex Thomas | Direct-to-video |
| 2007 | Norbit | Deion Hughes | |
| 2007 | What Love Is | Tom | |
| 2007 | Daddy Day Camp | Charlie Hinton | |
| 2007 | American Gangster | Nicky Barnes | |
| 2007 | The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends | Loofah The Beipiaosaurus | Voice role; direct-to-video |
| 2008 | Hero Wanted | Liam Case | Direct-to-video |
| 2008 | Harold | Cromer | Also producer |
| 2008 | Linewatch | Michael Dixon | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | The Way of War | David Wolfe | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | The Devil's Tomb | Captain Mack | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | Lies & Illusions | Isaac | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | Hardwired | Luke Gibson | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | Wrong Turn at Tahoe | Joshua | Direct-to-video |
| 2011 | Ticking Clock | Lewis Hicks | Direct-to-video |
| 2011 | Sacrifice | Detective John Hebron | Direct-to-video |
| 2011 | The Hit List | Jonas Arbor | Direct-to-video |
| 2012 | Red Tails | Major Emanuel Stance | |
| 2012 | One in the Chamber | Ray Carver | Direct-to-video |
| 2013 | Don Jon | Hollywood Actor #2 | Cameo |
| 2013 | Absolute Deception | John Nelson | Direct-to-video |
| 2013 | Life of a King | Eugene Brown | |
| 2013 | The Butler | Carter Wilson | |
| 2013 | Machete Kills | El Chameleón 2 | |
| 2014 | Freedom | Samuel | Also executive producer |
| 2014 | Selma | Fred Gray | |
| 2018 | Bayou Caviar | Rodney Jones | Also director and co-writer |
| 2020 | Life in a Year | Xavier | |
| 2023 | The Weapon | "Blue" | |
| 2024 | Skeletons in the Closet | Andres | |
| 2024 | Angels Fallen: Warriors of Peace | Balthazar | |
| 2024 | The Firing Squad | Samuel Wilson | |
| 2025 | Athena Saves Christmas | Sheriff Jacobs | In post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | Better Days | Bully | Episode: "Wooly Bully" |
| 1986 | The Dating Game | Himself / Contestant | IDK |
| 1987 | Hill Street Blues | Gang member #2 / Ethan Dillon | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Paul | Episode: "No Means No" |
| 1988 | Amen | Kenny | Episode: "Thelma's Handyman" |
| 1989–1991 | MacGyver | Billy Colton | 4 episodes |
| 1992 | Murder Without Motive: The Edmund Perry Story | Tyree | TV film |
| 1993 | Daybreak | Stephen "Torch" Tolkin | TV film |
| 1993 | The Untouchables | Tommy Taylor | Episode: "Betrayal in Black & Tan" |
| 1995 | The Tuskegee Airmen | Billy Roberts | TV film |
| 1999 | Saturday Night Live | Himself | Host; episode: "Cuba Gooding Jr./Ricky Martin" |
| 2007 | Sesame Street | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story | Ben Carson | TV film |
| 2012 | Firelight | Dwayne Johnson (DJ) | TV film |
| 2012 | Guilty | Billy Remz | Pilot |
| 2013 | Summoned | Detective Callendar | TV film |
| 2015 | Empire | Dwayne "Puma" Robinson | Episode: "The Devil Quotes Scripture" |
| 2015 | The Book of Negroes | Samuel Fraunces | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Big Time in Hollywood, FL | Himself | 6 episodes |
| 2015 | Forever | Isaac Monroe | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson | O. J. Simpson | Miniseries; 10 episodes |
| 2016 | American Horror Story: Roanoke | Matt Miller | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | American Horror Story: Roanoke | Dominic Banks | 5 episodes |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
| 2013 | The Trip to Bountiful | Ludie Watts | Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Broadway |
| 2018 | Chicago | Billy Flynn | Phoenix Theatre, West End |
| 2018 | Chicago | Billy Flynn | Ambassador Theatre, Broadway |

### Video game

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Quest for the Code | Cyrus | Live-action |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Project | Result |
| 1991 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | Boyz n the Hood | Nominated |
| 1995 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actor in Television | The Tuskegee Airmen | Nominated |
| 1995 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Outbreak | Nominated |
| 1996 | Academy Award | Best Supporting Actor | Jerry Maguire | Won |
| 1996 | American Comedy Awards | Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Jerry Maguire | Won |
| 1996 | Broadcast Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | Jerry Maguire | Won |
| 1996 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | Jerry Maguire | Won |
| 1996 | Golden Globe Award | Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture | Jerry Maguire | Nominated |
| 1996 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture | Jerry Maguire | Nominated |
| 1996 | Satellite Award | Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture | Jerry Maguire | Won |
| 1996 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role | Jerry Maguire | Won |
| 1997 | Satellite Award | Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture | As Good as It Gets | Nominated |
| 1998 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | What Dreams May Come | Nominated |
| 2000 | BET Award | Best Actor | Men of Honor | Nominated |
| 2000 | Black Reel Award | Best Actor | Men of Honor | Nominated |
| 2000 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Men of Honor | Nominated |
| 2003 | Razzie Award | Worst Actor | Boat Trip | Nominated |
| 2003 | Razzie Award | Worst Actor | The Fighting Temptations | Nominated |
| 2003 | Razzie Award | Worst Actor | Radio | Nominated |
| 2004 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Radio | Won |
| 2007 | Razzie Award | Worst Actor | Norbit | Nominated |
| 2007 | Razzie Award | Worst Actor | Daddy Day Camp | Nominated |
| 2007 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture | American Gangster | Nominated |
| 2009 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story | Nominated |
| 2009 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Special | Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story | Won |
| 2012 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Special | Firelight | Won |
| 2013 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | The Butler | Nominated |
| 2013 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture | The Butler | Nominated |
| 2016 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson | Nominated |
| 2016 | Critics' Choice Television Award | Best Actor in a Movie/Limited Series | American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson | Nominated |
| 2016 | Satellite Award | Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson | Nominated |
| 2016 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Special | American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson | Nominated |