Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), professionally known as
Jamie Foxx, is an American
actor,
stand-up comedian, and
singer. For his work in the film
Ray, Foxx won the
Academy Award and the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (
BAFTA) Award for Best Actor. He has also won a
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a musical/comedy and has been nominated for several
Grammy Awards.
Early life
Foxx was born as Eric Marlon Bishop on December 13, 1967, in
Terrell,
Texas.
He is the son of Louise Annette Talley Dixon and Darrell Bishop. Bishop was a
stock broker who changed his name to Shahid Abdula after converting to
Islam. Foxx was abandoned seven months after birth and was raised in Terrell by his mother's adoptive parents, Estelle and Mark Talley. Terrell was a racially segregated community at the time.
He had a strict
Baptist upbringing.
[[[Inside the Actors Studio]. Jamie Foxx, Season 11, Episode 1104.] November 28, 2004.] Foxx began
piano lessons at the age of five by his grandmother's orders. As a teenager, he was a part-time pianist and choir leader in Terrell's New Hope Baptist Church.
