Ray (2004)

Jamie Foxx is an American actor, singer and comedian. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, for his work in the biographical film Ray (2004). The same year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the action film Collateral (2004). Other prominent acting roles include the title role in the film Django Unchained (2012), the supervillain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and William Stacks in the modern version of Annie (2014). Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop in Terrell, Texas, to Louise Annette Talley and Darrell Bishop, who worked as a stockbroker and had later changed his name to Shahid Abdula. His mother was an adopted child. When her marriage to his father failed, his maternal grandparents, Mark and Estelle Talley, stepped in and, at age seven months, adopted Jamie too. He has said that he had a very rigid upbringing that placed him in the Boy Scouts and the church choir. During high school, he played quarterback for his high school team and was good enough that he got press in Dallas newspapers. He studied music in college. He released a music album, "Peep This" (1994), and sings the theme song for his movie, Any Given Sunday (1999). However, in 1989, his life changed when a girlfriend challenged him to get up onstage at the Comedy Club. In fact, he says he took his androgynous stage name because he learned that women got preference for mike time on open stage nights. That led to his being cast on Roc (1991) and In Living Color (1990). Foxx had his own WB television show from 1996 to 2001, the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show (1996), in which he played Jamie King Jr. Foxx is also a Grammy Award-winning musician, producing four albums which have charted highly on the US Billboard 200: "Unpredictable" (2005), which topped the chart, "Intuition" (2008), "Best Night of My Life" (2010), and "Hollywood: A Story of a Dozen Roses" (2015). In 2012, Foxx starred in the title role of the Quentin Tarantino written and directed Django Unchained (2012). Foxx starred alongside his Ray co-star Kerry Washington, as well as Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson. In 2013, Foxx was cast as President James Sawyer in White House Down (2013) alongside Channing Tatum. The following year, Foxx appeared as the villain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and co-starred with Quvenzhané Wallis in Annie (2014), Sony's Will Smith and Jay-Z produced update of the comic strip-turned-musical. He has two children, including Corinne Foxx, (born 1994), who resides with her mother.

Kerry Washington was born on January 31, 1977 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA as Kerry Marisa Washington. She is an actress and producer, known for Django Unchained (2012), Scandal (2012) and Save the Last Dance (2001). She has been married to Nnamdi Asomugha since June 24, 2013. They have two children.

Bokeem Woodbine grew up in Harlem, New York. At the age of 19, he secured the lead role in the HBO production of Forest Whitaker's directorial debut Strapped (1993). Bokeem moved to Los Angeles shortly after completing the film Jason's Lyric (1994), and has pursued his dream of becoming a noteworthy film actor while balancing a passion for musical expression. Along the way he has appeared alongside Oscar- wining actors and worked with many of today's top directors, producers, and networks. To date he has appeared in biographical movies, like "Ray," comedies like "Life," horror, "Devil," and most recently science fiction, in the much anticipated film, In the Shadow of the Moon (2019). Bokeem respects the responsibilities inherent in taking on any role, and enjoys the process.

David Krumholtz was born on May 15, 1978 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Deuce (2017), The Plot Against America (2020) and Numb3rs (2005). He has been married to Vanessa Britting since May 22, 2010. They have two children.

Terrence Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Anita Jeanine Williams (née Hawkins) and Tyrone Howard. He was raised in Cleveland, Ohio. His love for acting came naturally, through summers spent with his great-grandmother, New York stage actress Minnie Gentry. He later began his acting career after being discovered on a New York City street by a casting director. Soon, he followed with several notable TV appearances on shows such as Living Single (1993), NYPD Blue (1993) and Soul Food (2000). He became well known for his lead role in the UPN TV series Sparks (1996). Howard broke onto the big screen with his riveting performance in Mr. Holland's Opus (1995). Howard's most memorable performances to date are of scene-stealing characters such as "Cowboy" in the Hughes brother's film Dead Presidents (1995) and as "Quentin" in Malcolm D. Lee's Independent film The Best Man (1999). The latter earning him a NAACP Image Award, Independent Spirit Award nomination and a Chicago Film Critics Award nomination. A self taught musician, Howard plays both the piano and the guitar. You can see Terrence display his musical talents opposite Jamie Foxx in this year's breakout film Ray (2004). A promising songwriter, Howard's lyrics are soon to be acquired by some of today's biggest artists. In addition to his musical talents, Howard also has a strong interest in science.