Eric Marlon Bishop, better known as Jamie Foxx is one of the many talented individuals the world has seen. He is an actor, singer-songwriter, musician and stand-up comedian. Foxx is a December baby and was born in Terrell, Texas. Within a short period of time, his parents’ marriage fell apart and his mother Louise Annette Talley Dixon’s adoptive parents Esther Marie and Mark Talley took him under their wing and brought him up as their own. He had little contact with his birth parents throughout his childhood and was raised in a racially segregated community. He was brought up in a strict and rigid environment but music and the performing arts has always been a part of his life. He started playing the piano at the age of five and was also part of the church choir. By the time he reached second grade, his teachers would let him tell the class jokes if they behaved themselves. He attended Terrell High School and there he was quarterback for his team. Sports were not the only area in life he succeeded. He was a top grade student and played basketball as well. He was also a member of a school band which called itself “Leather and Lace”. After high school, Foxx accepted a scholarship to the United States International University. He studied classical music and learned how to compose music there.

His career started by accident; his girlfriend dared him to perform at a comedy club and he did. In 1991 he joined the cast of In Living Color and also starred in the sitcom Roc. In 2001, he also started his own show called The Jamie Foxx Show. His debut as an actor was in 1992 with a film Toys. From then on he moved to playing an American football player – because of his history as a quarter-back, in the movie Any Given Sunday (1999). He got his big break when he played a taxi driver opposite Tom Cruise in Collateral in 2004. He received exceptional reviews and bagged a few nominations as well. In the same year, he released a song “Slow Jamz” with Kanye West. This song was a phenomenal hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100