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He was only seven months old when his parent's marriage fell apart and his grandparents, Mark and Esther Talley, stepped in to adopt him. Though his grandparents weren't affluent, they made sure the youngster was provided with many opportunities, such as joining a local scouts group, piano lessons, and sporting activities. Jamie's first love was music and he won a scholarship to study classical piano at university in San Diego.

He soon dropped out of college, however, to try and break into show business. Although he had planned on a career as a recording artist, all that changed in when a girlfriend dared him to take to the stage on an open mike night at an LA comedy club. The young Texan, who had long been a fan of Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, proved naturally confident on stage, wowing audiences with his hilarious impressions of Eighties icons Ronald Reagan, Bill Cosby and, ironically, Ray Charles.

He cut his teeth on the tough LA club circuit by night while holding down various day jobs including selling shoes.

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After being spotted by a cast member from the American comedy series In Living Color , which helped launched the careers of Jim Carrey and Jennifer Lopez among others, Jamie was offered a slot on the show. The hilarious characters and outrageous routines he delivered led to a five-year run in his own hit series The Jamie Foxx Show as well as comic roles on the big screen.

He also headed up a series of stand-up specials, featuring guests including the likes of JLo. While Jamie's comic exploits kept him busy, he was keen to tackle more serious roles on the big screen. Capitalising on his athletic prowess he was given a chance to prove himself as a dramatic actor when he landed a role as hot-shot quarterback Willie Beaman in Any Given Sunday.

His performance garnered much critical acclaim and led to offers for other dramatic roles including a supporting stint opposite Will Smith as Mohammed Ali's feisty trainer Drew Bundini Brown in Ali. It was to be which established Jamie as one of Hollywood's leading dramatic players, however. That year he delivered a hat-trick of highly thought of movies including Ray, Redemption, and Collateral.