Adoptees Who Inspire: Jamie Foxx

Essential comedy right here

Ah Jamie Foxx. A very talented and multidimensional man. I first knew him from his exceptionally raunchy stand up comedy. He made Chris Rock look tame by comparison! His boxed set is still part of our home comedy collection.

However, Jamie is so much more than dirty humor and loud suits.

Jamie Foxx was born Eric Morlon Bishop in Texas on December 13, 1967. Shortly after birth, he was adopted by his mother's own adoptive parents. He had little contact with his birthparents after the adoption.

His parents raised him in a strict baptist household in Terrell, Texas, which was still racially segregated at that time. At five he learned to play the piano, and later played in his church as a teenager. He even started dabbling in stand up in third grade when his teacher would reward the class for good behavior by allowing Jamie/Eric to entertain the class with his jokes.

In high school, Jamie excelled in both basketball and football (as quarterback), and aspired to play for the Dallas Cowboys! He was part of a band called Leather and Lace. His extreme talents helped him get a scholarship to the United States International University, where he studied classical  musical and composition.

Jamie's recurring character Wanda from In Living Color

Eric became Jamie not long after he began performing at open mics at local comedy clubs after his girlfriend dared him to. After he found out that female comics were usually called up first, he wanted a more ambiguous first name to disallow biases, and the new last name was a tribute to the legendary comedian Redd Foxx.

Now Jamie Foxx, his career took off quickly. He became a cast member of In Living Color in 1991, and went on to have his own show, The Jamie Foxx Show from 1996-2001.

Too talented to be contained by the television screen, he made the jump to film in the 1992 movie Toys, which launched him in to many more memorable roles. His talent was recognized with top honors when he won the Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the film Ray.

An excerpt from his 2005 Oscar speech, when he thanks his mom for being a huge reason for his success:

Jamie as Ray Charles

"This is probably going to be the toughest part of this speech. My daughter shares my grandmother's name: Marie. My grandmother's name is Estelle Marie Talley. And she's not here tonight. And this is going to be the toughest part. But she was my first acting teacher. She told me, "Stand up straight. Put your shoulders back. Act like you got some sense." We would go places and I would wild out, and she says, "Act like you've been somewhere." And then when I would act the fool, she would beat me. She would whup me. And she could get an Oscar for the way she whupped me because she was great at it. And after she whipped me, she would talk to me and tell me why she whipped me, said, "I want you to be a southern gentleman." And she still talks to me now; only now she talks to me in my dreams. And I can't wait to go to sleep tonight because we got a lot to talk about. I love you."

Just beautiful. The whipping part is bit rough, but the sentiment is so sweet. What a lovely tribute to the woman who raised him.

Jamie's success didn't stop with his golden statue. He's continued to show his range and talent to this day, even appearing on the Kanye West song Gold Digger and Georgia with Ludacris and Field Mob. He's also released five of his own studio albums. Other notable film appearances include Collateral, Dream Girls, Django Unchained, The Soloist, and so many more.

Despite being a Hollywood big timer,  Jamie still finds time to show his appreciation for adoption. In 2003, he appeared in the A Home for the Holidays, part of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption CBS special. In it, he shared his adoption story and encouraged others to adopt or foster in turn. He returned in 2008 again to share this tribute, which you can watch below.


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Check out some of our other Adoptees who Inspire.