Jamie Foxx
Actor/Musician

Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop on December 13, 1967.  He was adopted early in his life by his grandparents and although his parents lived nearby his contact with them was limited.  He developed his stage name early in his standup career, choosing a unisex name in the hopes of having a greater chance of being called to the stage during amateur night, as women seemed to be chosen more frequently than men.

Foxx moved to Los Angeles in the late 1980s to pursue a music career.  In 1991 he was given a role on “In Living Color,” and he has been featured in several major films including Any Given Sunday, Ali, and Dream Girls.

In 2004, Foxx won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the movie Ray, in which he portrayed musical legend Ray Charles.  That year he was also nominated for the award of Best Supporting Actor for his role as Max in the film Collateral.  Foxx is only the second person in history, after Al Pacino, to be nominated for Academy Awards for two different movies in one year.  He is also the only the third African American in history to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Information from the orphan society and wikipedia.