He’s a movie star, but he started as a stand-up comic. By the mid-1990s, stand-up comic Jamie Foxx had begun to parlay his work in comedy clubs and on the TV sketch comedy, “In Living Color,” into a feature film career. Foxx had begun performing in comedy clubs soon after reaching Los Angeles in 1989. In 1991, Foxx joined the cast of Fox’s “In Living Color” as one of the sketch players, creating Wanda, one of the ugliest women in the world. In 1992, Foxx won his first feature role, a supporting part to Robin Williams, in “Toys.” In 1996, he had supporting roles in two features, “The Great White Hype” and “The Truth About Cats and Dogs,” as Ben Chaplin’s friend trying to make sense of the confusion. Foxx has continued to perform comedy on TV. In 1993, he starred in the one-man HBO concert special, “Jamie Foxx: Straight From the Foxxhole.” Three years later, he was back in his own sitcom, “The Jamie Foxx Show.” In 2001, Foxx was given an opportunity to again flex the dramatic chops he displayed in “Any Given Sunday” and in Michael Mann’s biopic “Ali.” 2004 saw him star in no fewer than four films, the most noteworthy of them “Collateral.” When it was announced shortly thereafter that Foxx would be donning the trademark sunglasses to essay the role of legendary blues pianist Ray Charles in eagerly anticipated biopic “Ray,” it was only a matter of time before audiences found out how deep Foxx’s talents as an actor truly ran. More recent credits include “Horrible Bosses 2” and “Annie.” Foxx is still an awesome stand-up and is a must see.
