Cuba Gooding Jr. is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Emmy nomination. After his success as Tre Styles in Boyz n the Hood (1991), he appeared in A Few Good Men (1992), The Tuskegee Airmen (1995), Outbreak (1995) and Jerry Maguire (1996), for which he won. The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Bio/Wiki
Age-55years
Height-1.78 m
Weight-75 kg
Born-2 January 1968
Birthplace-The Bronx, New York, United States
Profession-Film Producer, Voice Actor
Spouse-Sara Kapfer (m. 1994; div. 2017)
Nationality- American
Family
His mother, Shirley Sullivan, is a singer, and his father, Cuba Gooding Sr., was the lead vocalist of soul group The Main Ingredient. Cuba Mark Gooding Sr. (April 27, 1944 – April 20, 2017) was an American singer. He was the lead singer of the soul group The Main Ingredient, replacing former singer Donald McPherson, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 1971.
Relationship
Wife
In 1994, Gooding married his high school sweetheart, Sara Kapfer, Gooding and Kapfer tied the knot in 1994, but split 20 years later. According to documents obtained by TMZ, Kapfer cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split and sought joint custody of the couple’s three children.
A few years after Kapfer filed for divorce, the “Jerry Maguire” actor confirmed the split by filing for divorce. In response, Gooding asked his to keep all his earnings, but agreed to pay alimony to his estranged wife. While the couple split, some may wonder who Gooding’s soon-to-be ex-wife really is. The truth is that there is much more to Kapfer’s life than her famous marriage.
Claudine De Niro.
After his separation from Sara Kapfer, Cuba Gooding Jr. was romantically linked to Claudine De Niro.
De Niro, the ex-wife of actor Robert De Niro’s son, Raphael De Niro, has been dating the actor since 2018, according to Page Six. “I wouldn’t say they’re dating, but they are,” a source told the publication at the time. However, De Niro and Gooding’s relationship apparently blossomed, and they remained an item ever since.
Children
Cuba Gooding Jr. sons Spencer, 28, and Mason, 26, as well as daughter Piper, 17, with ex-wife Sara Kapfer, and it turns out they’re impressive just like their dad.
Education
Gooding himself was raised by his mother and attended four different high schools: North Hollywood High School, Tustin High School, Apple Valley High School, and John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, Los Angeles. In three of them, he was the class leader. He became a born again Christian at the age of one, 13.
Career
Early Career And Great Success
Gooding’s first job as an entertainer was as a break-dancer, performing with singer Lionel Richie at the closing ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. After high school, Gooding studied Japanese martial arts for three years before focusing on acting. Early on, he landed guest roles in shows such as Hill Street Blues (1987), Amen (1988) and MacGyver (1988, 1989 and 1990) and appeared in the popular comedy Coming to America (1988). Gooding’s first major role was in John Singleton’s inner-city crime drama Boyz n the Hood (1991), co-starring Tre Styles. The film was a box office and critical success and is considered a modern classic. He followed this success with supporting roles in major films such as A Few Good Men and Gladiator (1992), Judgment Night (1993), Lightning Jack (1994) and Outbreak (1995).
Latest Career
In 2013, Gooding starred in several theatrical films, including a well-received supporting role in Lee Daniels’ the Butler and brief appearances in Don Jon and Machete Kills. He also made his Broadway debut opposite Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams in the Tony Award-winning production of The Trip to Bountiful.
In 2014, he appeared as civil rights attorney Fred Gray in the widely acclaimed historical drama Selma. Since then, he has made many more television appearances, including as Samuel Frances in the miniseries The Book of Negroes, a comedically embellished version of himself in Big Time in Hollywood, FL, and as O. J. Simpson in the anthology series American Crime Story: People. Vs.. OJ Simpson. Although her performance received mixed reviews, he received a Prime time Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. Some reviewers criticized Gooding’s Emmy nomination for her work on the series. In 2018, Gooding performed the 21st anniversary revival of the musical Chicago in the West End as Billy Flynn at the Phoenix Theatre. His directorial debut Bayou Caviar was released on October 5, 2018.
Other works
In 2006, Gooding received the Public Leadership in Neurology Award from the American Academy of Neurology for his work in raising awareness of multiple sclerosis.
In 2012, Gooding starred in the Fox television pilot Guilty, directed by McG. Although it was well received at screenings, it was ultimately not picked up by the network. He appeared on Channel 4’s Chris Moyles’ Quiz Night on 5 August 2011, closing the show with a duet of “Bad Romance” with Lulu. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Gooding starred in The Quest for The Code; an online video game focused on young people dealing with asthma.
On 3 March 2018, Gooding guest starred in the 100th episode of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway on ITV.
Achievement/ Awards
- In 1997 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
- In 2004 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Film
- In 1997 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
- In 1997 Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor
- In 2010, 2013 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Drama Special
- In 1997 Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Comedy or Musical
- In 2005 Camie Award for Theatre Publications
Net worth 2023
Cuba Gooding Jr Net Worth Growth Year by Year
Net Worth in 2023 – $16 Million
Net Worth in 2022 – $14 Million
Net Worth in 2021 – $13 Million
Net Worth in 2020 – $12 Million
Net Worth in 2019 – $11 Million
Legal Issues And Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct
On June 13, 2019, Gooding was charged with forcible touching and sexual assault in the third degree in New York City in connection with an incident in which he allegedly groped a woman at a bar in Times Square. On October 10, he was separately charged with an additional sexual assault. As of August 2020, 30 women have accused Gooding of unwanted sexual contact.
Gooding was formally charged in three incidents, each resulting in felony counts of touching and third-degree sexual assault.
On April 12, 2022, Gooding pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman in a New York nightclub in 2018, telling a judge that he “kissed a waitress on the lips” without her consent at a LAVO nightclub in New York. He also admitted to two other alleged non-consensual contacts that took place in October 2018 and June 2019.
Gooding’s plea agreement with prosecutors called for no jail time and allowed him to withdraw his misdemeanor charge and plead to a lesser charge of harassment if he continued counselling for six months.
On August 19, 2020, the woman filed a lawsuit against Gooding, accusing him of raping her in New York in 2013. The parties reached an agreement on June 6, 2023. As a result of the settlement, Gooding will not be prosecuted. Despite the settlement, Gooding’s lawyers argued that he and the woman had consensual sex, and that she later bragged to others that she had sex with the celebrity.