Jamie Foxx

[January 2000] First man of the decade to host "Saturday Night Live" .

Was a football quarterback in high school.

Began his career as a stand up comedian.

Auditioned for the role of Rodney "Rod" Tidwell in Jerry Maguire , which went to Cuba Gooding Jr..

Had the role of Slim in The Wood , but had to drop out when he got the role of Willie Beamen in Any Given Sunday .

(February 2004) Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace, involving charges of battery against a New Orleans policeman in a casino in April 2003. He received two years probation and a $1500 fine.

His piano lessons started at the age of three at his grandmothers insistence.

His top five favorite songs are "Do Me, Baby" by Prince , "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye , "Always and Forever" by Heatwave , "Its All About the Benjamins" by Sean Combs and "Lady" by Lionel Richie.

Attended United States International University (now known as Alliant International University) from 1986 to 1988 on a music scholarship.

As a second grader, he was so talented in telling jokes that his teacher used him as a reward. If the class behaved, Foxx would tell them jokes.

In Ray , he wore prosthetic eyelids which made him virtually blind.

Is the first person to have been nominated for three acting awards at the Golden Globe Awards in the same year.

He said that Richard Pryor is his idol in comedy, Denzel Washington is his idol in acting, and that Steve Hardin is his idol in music.

His three Golden Globe Award nominations were announced on his 37th birthday.

Started out as a stand-up comedian, often doing imitations of former president Ronald Reagan.

Along with Fay Bainter , Teresa Wright , Barry Fitzgerald , Jessica Lange , Sigourney Weaver , Al Pacino , Holly Hunter , Emma Thompson , Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett , he is one of only eleven actors to receive Academy Award nominations in two acting categories in the same year. He was nominated for Best Actress for Ray and Best Supporting Actress for Collateral , winning the former award.

Is only the second male in history to receive two acting Oscar nominations in the same year for two different movies. The first male to do so was Al Pacino.

Is the first African-American to be nominated for two Academy Awards in the same year.

At the 2005 Grammy Awards, he performed "Georgia on My Mind" with Alicia Keys as a tribute to Ray Charles , whom he portrayed in Ray the previous year and became good friends with him before he passed away.

As of January 25, 2005, he became the sixth actor nominated for playing a pianist. The first to be nominated (and win) was F. Murray Abraham , who beat out co-star Tom Hulce for the Best Actor Oscar in Amadeus . The second to be nominated was Holly Hunter , who won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance as a mute pianist in The Piano . Geoffrey Rush won the Best Actor Oscar for his work in Shine . In 2002, Adrien Brody won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Pianist . Foxx was nominated, and won, for his performance as the legendary musician Ray Charles in the hit biopic Ray .

His Oscar win for Ray along with Morgan Freeman s win for Million Dollar Baby , was the second time two African-Americans won Oscars in the same year. The first was in 2002 when Denzel Washington won Best Actor for Training Day and Halle Berry won Best Actress for Monsters Ball .

He and Holly Hunter have both won Oscars for playing pianists - and for playing the piano themselves in their respective roles. In 1993, the same year that Hunter won Best Actress, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Firm in which she appeared opposite Tom Cruise. In 2004, Foxx was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Collateral , also opposite Cruise.

Only one of a few actors to win the quadruple award crown during motion picture award season. Foxx won a Golden Globe Award, the SAG Award, the BAFTA Award and topped this off with the Academy Award.

Named one of People magazines 50 Most Beautiful People in the World .

Is a huge fan of the Miami Heat basketball team and professional wrestling.

Invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2005.

His 10-year-old daughter, Corinne Foxx , accompanied him to the Academy Awards.

Second actor to receive an Academy Award for "Best Actor" and to have had a #1 Billboard single ("Gold Digger" by Kanye West ). The first to do so was Bing Crosby.

To play Ray Charles from the years 1949 to 1979 for the movie Ray , he dropped more than 30 pounds, going from 189 to 157.

Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2006 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was suggested in the Worst Actor category for his performance in the film Stealth . However, he failed to receive a nomination.

During 2005, he was nominated nine times for both Best Actor in Ray and Best Supporting Actor in Collateral . Eight out of those nine times he won Best Actor for Ray and lost for Best Supporting Actor for Collateral .

Idolizes R. Kelly and attributes his musical stylings, as well as personal style, to his influence.

His performance as Ray Charles in Ray is ranked #31 on Premiere magazines 100 Greatest Performances of All Time .

In 2006, a region of his Unpredictable Tour advertising campaigns were by filmmaker, Shane Stanley.

Ray , which he played the titled role in, is ranked #99 on the American Film Institutes 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time .

Is one of only five performers to have both a Billboard #1 single and an Oscar for acting. The others are Barbra Streisand , Cher , Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

His character Staff Sergeant Sykes in Jarhead ironically took place the same time (during the Gulf War of 1990) as his "In Living Color" stint.

He often impersonated Ray Charles when he was a cast member on "In Living Color" , satirizing Charles 1992 Diet Pepsi advertisements.

When he sings "I Got a Woman" for Ray , he recites almost the same backup refrain in Kanye West s "Gold Digger".

While performing as a stand-up comedian, changed his last name to Foxx after one of his favorite comics Redd Foxx and changed his first name to Jamie because it could be a girls name as well. In comedy clubs, female comics often perform before the male comics so when a club manager read his name on the list, he would often be moved up on the list of performers.

Named one of People magazines "Hottest Bachelors".

Won 22 awards for his performance as Ray Charles in Ray .

Was considered for the role of Ordell Robbie in Jackie Brown , which went to Samuel L. Jackson.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 14, 2007.

Is one of 11 actors to have won an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, Critics Choice Award, and SAG Award for the same performance. The others in chronological order are Geoffrey Rush for Shine , Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote , Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland , Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men , Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood , Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight , Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds , Colin Firth for The Kings Speech , Christopher Plummer for Beginners , and J.K. Simmons for Whiplash .

Currently resides in Hidden Valley, California.

Former roommates with Gary LeVox.

Has played Kerry Washington s husband in two movies: Ray and Django Unchained .

Attended the premiere of The Kingdom in Amsterdam, Netherlands on October 1, 2007.

Friends with Terrence Howard , Tom Cruise , Meagan Good , Idris Elba , Amber Rose , Luenell and Odell Beckham Jr..

Best friends with Garcelle Beauvais.

[on wearing prosthetic eyelids which made him blind in,Ray (2004/I) ] After six hours of being blind, you lose the sense,of how a person is physically. It was amazing to hear the little,buzzing voices all around you.

I know it sounds funny, but I was like,"Man, we free. " It was amazing to me what I had been missing.

When a project becomes magic and special it means that at certain points,in the script it parallels your story.

My life prepared me for this.

My worst hair experience was when I was trying to relax my hair and my grandmother did it. It went all straight and I looked like a black Bee Gee.