Cuba Gooding Jr. is an American actor best known for catchphrase "Show Me The Money," a line from the movie Jerry Maguire. Born in New York, he is the son of Shirley, a singer with the Sweethearts, and Cuba Gooding, Sr., a lead vocalist of soul group The Main Ingredient.
Raised by his mother, Cuba Gooding Jr. attended four different high schools, including North Hollywood High School, Tustin High School, Apple Valley High School, and John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills in Los Angeles. He served as class president in three of them.
Although he studied Japanese martial arts for three years after high school, he turned his focus toward acting. Initially, he landed guest roles on shows like Hill Street Blues and MacGyver. He then landed his first major role in the 1991 box office hit Boyz n the Hood, followed by a series of supporting roles in major movies like A Few Good Men, Lightning Jack and Outbreak.
In 1996, Cuba Gooding Jr. landed the role of an arrogant but loyal football player in Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire, which became huge box office success. The film earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and elevated him to stardom. His other credits include As Good as It Gets, A Murder of Crows, Men of Honor, The Fighting Temptations, American Gangster, Hero Wanted, The Way of War, Snow Dogs, What Dreams May Come, Pearl Harbor, Chill Factor, What is Love, Daddy Day Camp, Rat Race, In the Shadows and Radio, where he received positive reviews for his portrayal of a mentally handicapped man.
Cuba Gooding Jr. married Sara Kapfer in 1994. Together, they have three children, including Spencer Gooding, born in 1994, and Mason Gooding, born in 1996, and a daughter, Piper Gooding, born in 2005.