Jamie Foxx got his start in sketch comedy before becoming an Oscar-winning actor.
Foxx began playing the piano at a young age, going on to perform and lead the choir at New Hope Baptist Church in his hometown of Terrell, Texas. As a teenager, he excelled in basketball and football before choosing to study musical and performing arts composition at United States International University in California.
On a dare, Foxx gave his first stand-up comedy performance at an open mic night in 1989. Two years later, he joined the cast of In Living Color, a sketch comedy series that also featured Jim Carrey, Kim and Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier.
Foxx remained on In Living Color from season 3 to season 5 before landing his own sitcom, The Jamie Foxx Show. He was a co-creator of the WB show, which aired from 1996 to 2001.
In his romantic life, Foxx has never married but has maintained several high-profile relationships. He welcomed daughter Corinne in 1994 with ex Connie Kline and daughter Anelise in 2008 with former girlfriend Kristin Grannis. Foxx also dated Katie Holmes from 2013 to 2019.
In April 2023, Corinne and her family asked for prayers after Foxx suffered an undisclosed medical emergency. The following year, Foxx revealed that he had a stroke.
Scroll down for a look back at Foxx’s career highlights over the years:

1990 – 1994
Foxx landed his career breakthrough on the sketch comedy series In Living Color.

1996
After In Living Color ended, the actor scored his own sitcom titled The Jamie Foxx Show. Beauvais — now known for her turn on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills — costarred alongside Foxx.

1997
One of Foxx’s earliest film roles was Bunz in the buddy comedy Booty Call, which also starred In Living Color alum Tommy Davidson.

1999
Foxx’s performance in the sports drama Any Given Sunday helped his star continue to rise. Two years later, he played Muhammad Ali’s assistant trainer in the biopic Ali with Will Smith in the titular role.

2004
The Texas native earned critical acclaim for his portrayal of music legend Ray Charles in Ray. He won the Oscar for best actor at the 77th annual Academy Awards and a Golden Globe.

2004
Three more films — Breakin’ All the Rules, Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story and Collateral — coincided with the release of Ray. Foxx earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for Collateral the same year he won best actor.

2005
Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black and more starred with Foxx in the biographical war drama Jarhead. One year later, Foxx appeared in Miami Vice and Dreamgirls.

2010
Foxx won his first Grammy for “Blame It” featuring T-Pain in the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals category. It was his ninth career nomination.

2012
Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained starred Foxx as a slave who is freed to help a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) take down criminals. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kerry Washington rounded out the cast.

2013 – 2019
Us confirmed in March 2015 that Foxx had been quietly dating Holmes for two years. They attended the Met Gala together for the first time in May 2019, three months before Us confirmed their split.

2020
The White House Down actor publicly mourned the death of his younger sister, DeOndra Dixon, who had Down syndrome and competed in the Special Olympics as a child. “My heart is shattered into a million pieces,” he wrote via Instagram in October.

2021
Seven years after his appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Foxx reprised his comic book character — Maxwell “Max” Dillon/Electro — in Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.

2023
Corinne announced in April that her father was hospitalized for an unspecified health scare. “Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time,” she noted in a statement.
Amid his recovery, Foxx took to social media in May to tell fans: “Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed.”

2024
Foxx opened up about his health scare in his Netflix special Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was… which premiered in December 2024. He revealed he had a brain bleed that led to a stroke after experiencing a bad headache.

2025
The actor returned to the silver screen for his new movie Back in Action which also starred Cameron Diaz. The duo attended the red carpet in Berlin together.