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A lot of entertainers can go their entire lives without getting the accolades that they work so hard for. Meanwhile, there are some that are talented in so many facets that they end up winning awards in different fields. That’s the case for Jamie Foxx, who is not only a Grammy award winning musician, but also an Oscar winning actor. Foxx got his start in a sketch comedy series, and since then has been a versatile entertainer. These days, he’s even added hosting duties to his already lengthy resume.

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Foxx was born as Eric Bishop on December 13, 1967 in Terrell, Texas. “When I was growing up in Terrell...I felt that it was not where I was supposed to be,” Foxx said. “I knew that I was meant for a different destination. I think that the minute I was born, there was something inside me telling me where I would go. It’s like energy - an intangible destiny.”

Growing up, it was clear that there was a future in both singing and comedy for Foxx that took him into his college years. In the late 1980s, Foxx started to perform comedy in front of crowds, which led to him getting attention for the first time. He then auditioned for television, and it didn’t take long for him to find his stride.

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In 1991, Foxx made his television debut when he joined the main cast of “In Living Color”, hopping on in the third season. Foxx remained with the series until its conclusion in 1994, and during that time had also appeared on the show “Roc”, while also making his film debut with 1992’s “Toys”. It was also at this time that Foxx released his first album called “Peep This”.

During the rest of the 1990s, Foxx continued his film career with movies such as “The Great White Hype”, “The Players Club” and “Any Given Sunday”. Foxx landed his own sitcom, too, starring in “The Jamie Foxx Show” that aired for 100 episodes. Since then, Foxx has been more focused on his film career, but has served as the host of the game show “Beat Shazam” since 2017.

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Foxx got off to a strong start to the new millennium when he starred in the films “Collateral” and “Breakin’ All the Rules”. In 2004, he served as the title character in “Ray”, playing legendary musician Ray Charles. The role earned Foxx his first Oscar win. “I never planned to win an Oscar,” Foxx said. “When I auditioned for ‘Ray’, I was just thinking about what a great project it would be.” Some of his other 2000s films included “Dreamgirls” and “Miami Vice”, just to name a couple.

In the mid 2000s, Foxx got back to his musical roots when he released a pair of successful albums with “Unpredictable” and “Intuition”. There were many hits from the albums, with the biggest one being the Grammy winning “Blame It” in a collaboration with T-Pain. Foxx has released two more albums in the years since with 2010’s “Best Night of My Life” and 2015’s “Hollywood: A Story of a Dozen Roses”.

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There have been multiple collaborations between Foxx and actor Robert Downey Jr., and the two have become close friends. In 2009, they starred in the drama film “The Soloist”, and the following year had a hit comedy with “Due Date”. The two have given each other gifts, including Downey gifting Foxx a 1967 El Camino that popped up in Foxx’s driveway.

The gift exchange between the two popular actors started with Foxx giving Downey a nice housewarming present. Downey moved into a ranch, which he had shown off to Foxx. Foxx couldn’t help but notice that there was something missing from the large ranch. “Dude, here’s my empty stables, dude,” Foxx said while doing an impersonation of Downey taking him on the tour. That’s when Foxx got the idea to buy a pair of horses for $4,000, giving Downey and his wife one each.

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Since getting his big birthday gift, Foxx has remained very busy on the big screen. He starred in the Quentin Tarantino film “Django Unchained”, as well as blockbusters like “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and “Robin Hood”. His most recent work came with “Just Mercy” and “Soul”, and he has many other projects lined up for the next few years.

While he’s had a lot of success, Foxx still doesn’t see himself as a leading man in Hollywood. “To be the leading man it’s about the celebrity and the looks, and it’s tough to do that,” Foxx said. “People who do it great are people like Tom Cruise and Will Smith - they’re built for that. I ain’t. I’m more of a character guy.”