Cuba Gooding Jr. (born January 2, 1968) is an American actor and singer. He rose to fame for his portrayal of the football player Rod Tidwell in the 1996 sports drama film Jerry Maguire, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has also starred in a number of films, including As Good as It Gets, Men of Honor, American Gangster, Lee Daniels' The Butler, and Red Tails.
Gooding was born in The Bronx, New York City, the son of Shirley and Cuba Gooding Sr. He was raised in the rough South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens and attended John Adams High School. At the age of 19, Gooding joined the singing group The Main Ingredient, which had previously included his father.
Gooding's breakthrough performance came in 1996, when he was cast in the role of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire, starring Tom Cruise. His role in the film earned him critical acclaim and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1997, he starred in the psychological thriller As Good as It Gets, alongside Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. For his performance in the film, he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Gooding has continued to appear in films over the years, including the biopic Men of Honor (2000), the crime drama American Gangster (2007), Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013), and the war drama Red Tails (2012). In addition to his film work, Gooding has also had a successful television career, appearing in shows such as The Practice, Hill Street Blues, and the sitcom Girlfriends.
Gooding has also established himself as a recording artist, having released four studio albums: Reachin' Back (1995), Heart of a Man (2000), The Truth (2003) and Dirty (2009).
Gooding has been married to Sara Kapfer since 1994 and the couple has three children. He has been active in philanthropy, working with organizations such as the Starlight Children's Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He is also an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness, having suffered from depression himself.
