The Fighting Temptations

Cuba Gooding Jr. (Actor)

Born: January 02, 1968
Birthplace: Bronx, New York, United States

Trivia: Distinguished and versatile actor Cuba Gooding Jr. spent many years in bit roles before finally becoming a star. The son of Cuba Gooding, lead singer for the '70s pop group the Main Ingredient, he was born in the Bronx on January 2, 1968, but moved to Los Angeles after his father's group had a hit single with "Everybody Plays the Fool" in 1972. Unfortunately, the elder Gooding abandoned his family two years later. The subsequently tumultuous nature of Gooding Jr.'s upbringing did not deter him from achievement: During his teens, he attended four different high schools but managed to become class president of three of them. Gooding Jr. made his professional debut in 1984 as a breakdancer for Lionel Richie's show at the Olympics. As an actor he was discovered by an agent while performing in a high school play, and began working steadily in television commercials, which led to a bit part on an episode of Hill Street Blues. The experience inspired him to take acting lessons and after attending workshops and classes, he began to get a few more parts in television and films. He made his first feature-film appearance in Coming to America (1988) in which he was credited as "Boy Getting Haircut." Gooding Jr.'s first real break came when he was cast as Tre Styles in Boyz 'N the Hood (1990). The film earned him considerable acclaim and seemed to offer the promise of a great career. Sure enough, Gooding began landing fairly substantial parts in feature films. Unfortunately, save for a few exceptions like A Few Good Men (1992), most of the films were not well regarded, and the actor continued to work in relative obscurity. The comic talents he demonstrated as Paul Hogan's sidekick in 1994's Lightning Jack were overshadowed by further mediocre films, and it was not until 1997 that he truly came into the spotlight. That year, he starred as a loyal football player in Cameron Crowe's Jerry Maguire and won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his efforts. Following this triumph, Gooding Jr. next appeared in the acclaimed As Good as It Gets alongside Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear. Two relatively obscure films, the suspense drama A Murder of Crows and the mockumentary Welcome to Hollywood, followed before Gooding Jr. took part in another high-profile picture, What Dreams May Come. Starring opposite Robin Williams, Gooding Jr. played the deceased Williams' tour guide to heaven. Unfortunately, the film was critically savaged and failed to do much business at the box office. In 1999, Gooding Jr. kept busy with both television and film. In addition to starring in a series of Pepsi commercials, the actor appeared opposite Anthony Hopkins in Instinct and had a lead role in Chill Factor, an action extravaganza which featured him as an ice cream man trying to keep a top-secret military chemical safe with the help of a short-order cook (Skeet Ulrich). Gooding Jr. would star opposite screen legend Robert De Niro in 2000's military drama Men of Honor, in which he portrayed the real life experience of Carl Brashear, the first African-American to serve as a diver in the United States Navy. Just one year later, he stepped into the role of an ill-fated serviceman in Pearl Harbor, though he took a break from heady, big-budget war dramas in favor of comedies Rat Race (2001) and Snow Dogs (2002). The year 2003 would prove another busy year for the actor, who starred in three wildly different movies including Boat Trip, a comedy of errors in which he played an unwitting straight man aboard an entirely gay cruise; Radio, which featured Gooding Jr. as the film's mentally challenged protagonist; and The Fighting Temptations, a musical comedy starring Beyoncé Knowles. In 2004, the young actor lent his vocal chords to voice the role of Jake the Horse in Disney's Home on the Range. He next appeared in Lee Daniels' directorial debut, Shadowboxer, playing a contract killer opposite Helen Mirren. In 2007, he appeared in the critically reviled Norbit, playing a supporting role to Eddie Murphy, and also starred in Daddy Day Camp, the sequel to Daddy Day Care, replacing Murphy in the lead role. Gooding again played a Tuskegee pilot in 2012's Red Tails (he had previously appeared in the 1995 HBO made-for-TV movie The Tuskegee Airmen). In 2013, he re-teamed with director Daniels on The Butler and had a small role in Robert Rodriguez's Machete Kills.

Mike Epps (Actor)

Born: November 18, 1970
Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Trivia: Mike Epps' name has become synonymous with a particular style of humor, through his appearance with several other African-American artists in the same genre. Epps earned a large portion of his fame through his credits in several Ice Cube films, including Next Friday (also starring Chris Tucker), How High (with Redman and Method Man), Friday After Next, and All About the Benjamins. Aside from featuring Ice Cube, the common thread of these films was the hilarious prominence of marijuana-smoking comic characters like the ones portrayed by Epps.Born in Indianapolis, IN, into a large family, Epps' natural comedic ability was encouraged at an early age, and he began performing standup as a teenager. He moved to Atlanta where he worked at the Comedy Act Theater, before moving to New York City to star in Def Comedy Jam in 1995. His first major film role came just two years later when he starred in Vin Diesel's Strays, a dramatic portrayal of relationships and drugs. In 1999, he made an appearance on the HBO mafia series The Sopranos.In addition to his aforementioned film work with Ice Cube, Epps had several other feature-film appearances. In 2000, he was featured in Bait, starring Jamie Foxx and David Morse, and in the jail-comedy 3 Strikes. He performed the voice of Sonny in Dr. Dolittle 2, starring Eddie Murphy, in 2001. As he gained more recognition, his comedic talent began to blossom, as demonstrated in his two 2002 features: Kevin Bray's All About the Benjamins, an action-packed comedy, and the sequel-to-the-sequel, Friday After Next, in which he starred as Day-Day. He took over the part of Ed Norton in the big-screen remake of The Honeymooners, and had a major supporting role in the Petey Green biopic Talk to Me. He had a part in the smash 2009 comedy The Hangover, had a big part in Next Day Air, and a turn in Lottery Ticket. In addition to his acting, he kept churning out comedy specials.In 2012 he was one of the stars of Whitney Houston's last movie Sparkle, and played a teacher in the comedy Mac + Devin Go to High School. He reprised his role in The Hangover Part III and played the love interest in the HBO film Bessie. Epps also had a presence in TV, appearing in series like Survivor's Remose and Being Mary Jane, and playing the title role in the remake of Uncle Buck.

LaTanya Richardson (Actor)

Born: October 21, 1949
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Trivia: While in college, performed in stage productions alongside Samuel L. Jackson, who later became her husband. Played the role of the Lady in Red in Alliance Theatre Company's national tour of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf from 1977 to 1978. In 1987, played Ida B. Wells in New Federal Theater's production of Boogie Woogie and Booker T. Served on the Spelman College Board of Trustees from 1999 to 2006. In 2005, received the Frederick D. Patterson Award from the United Negro College Fund along with her husband, Samuel L. Jackson. Received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Spelman College in 2012.

Faith Evans (Actor)

Ann Nesby (Actor)

Wendell Pierce (Actor)

Born: December 08, 1963
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Trivia: Actor Wendell Pierce spent the first 20 years or so of his career predominantly essaying character roles as authority figures, with many bit parts as cops, attorneys, government agents, and ministers to his credit. Pierce devoted the majority of his first decade to big-screen work (including such projects as The Money Pit, Family Business, and Get on the Bus); by 1995, he began to accept occasional bit parts on television, and indeed, this venue ultimately brought Pierce higher billing, when he was tapped to play two roles: Conrad "Candyman" Jones on Third Watch and Detective William "Bunk" Moreland on HBO's police drama The Wire. Pierce remained most active on-stage, however, where his powerhouse presence illuminated an impressive array of classical dramas, among them Cymbeline (1989), Antigone (1993), and Tartuffe (1999). Over the coming years, Pierce would find additional success on a series about his hometown, Treme.

Steve Harvey (Actor)

Born: January 17, 1957
Birthplace: Welch, West Virginia, United States

Trivia: A longtime standup comic in addition to his work in television and radio, outspoken funnyman Steve Harvey has time and again proven his dedication to changing the public perception of African-American humor by means of his unique gift for humor. Though his universal truth-style and observant eye have gained Harvey a loyal following with his top-rated show on the WB, Harvey still vocally articulates his frustrations with the racial sliding scale of prime-time success. Harvey grew up in Cleveland and began his career as a standup comedian in the early '90s. With his popularity leading to a long-running stint on television's popular Showtime at the Apollo a few short years later, Harvey's small-screen career was soon on the rise and he next landed a leading role (as well as a People's Choice Award nomination for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series) in television's Me and the Boys in 1994. With his own series, The Steve Harvey Show, close on the horizon, the comic's influence was gaining even more momentum in addition to a wider audience. And though he would earn four NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for his show, Harvey was quick to point out that that doesn't necessarily entitle him to the perks of a role in a more Caucasian-oriented sitcom. One of four black comics featured in director Spike Lee's The Original Kings of Comedy (2000), Harvey was soon joined in prime time by fellow King Bernie Mac when Mac debuted his own namesake television series in early 2001. In addition to serving as host of KKBT-FM's The Beat, Harvey frequently takes part in speaking engagements in which he stresses the importance of goals and the dangers of drugs to impressionable youths.

James E. Gaines (Actor)

Lourdes Benedicto (Actor)

Born: November 12, 1974
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Trivia: Is a first-generation American of Filipino and Spanish descent. Was raised in Flushing, Queens. As a child, played tennis and piano. Was picked to play NYPD Blue receptionist Gina Colon at an L.A. showcase for Carnegie Mellon University drama students in 1996.

Melba Moore (Actor)

Born: October 29, 1945

Trivia: Irrepressible African American entertainer Melba Moore was a schoolteacher before debuting on Broadway in the original production of Hair. At age 25, Melba won a Tony and a Theatre World Award for her supporting work in the Broadway musical Purlie. On the strength of this and subsequent show-stopping stage triumphs, Melba was honored with her own 1972 TV variety series, The Melba Moore/Clifton Davis Hour. Five years later, she made her first film appearance in the movie version of Hair (1977), playing the single-scene part of the "3-5-0-0 Soloist." She has since proved a popular recording artist with her album Peach Melba. Other Melba Moore projects have included the Kismet-inspired musical Timbuktu, the 1986 TV sitcom Melba (which was unceremoniously cancelled after the first episode, only to briefly bob up again in late summer) and a spirited voice over stint as "Whippet Angel" in the 1989 Don Bluth animated cartoon feature All Dogs Go to Heaven.

Rue McClanahan (Actor)

Born: February 21, 1934
Died: June 03, 2010
Birthplace: Healdton, Oklahoma, United States

Trivia: Graduating cum laude from the University of Tulsa, Rue McClanahan studied acting with Uta Hagen and at the Perry-Mansfield school. After her professional debut with a Pennsylvania stock company in 1957, McClanahan headed to New York, where between acting gigs she worked as a waitress, took shorthand and sold blouses. Grabbing any opportunity available, she made her TV bow on a 1960 episode of the TV series Malibu Run, then appeared in a handful of exploitation films with come-hither titles like Five Minutes to Love (she played "Poochie, the girl from the shack," a credit she has since dropped from her resumé). She managed to find more prestigious work on the New York stage, starring in such well-received productions as MacBird, Jimmy Shine, Sticks and Bones and California Suite. She also played regular roles on the TV soap operas Another World and Where the Heart Is. A 1972 guest shot on Norman Lear's controversial series All in the Family led to her being cast as Vivian Harmon on Lear's popular sitcom Maude, a role she played until the series' cancellation in 1978. McClanahan's next project was her own starring series, 1978's Apple Pie, which unfortunately bit the dust after three shows. She went on to play the vitriolic Aunt Fran on the network version of Mama's Family (1983-85), then was co-starred with her Maude colleague Bea Arthur in The Golden Girls (1985-92). Her well-rounded portrayal of overly amorous museum worker Blanche Devereaux won her an 1986 Emmy award; she reprised the character in the Golden Girls spin-off Golden Palace (1992-93). The star of several made-for-TV movies, McClanahan co-produced and appeared in a brace of "dramedies," Mother of the Bride (1991) and Baby of the Bride (1992).

Shirley Caesar (Actor)

Born: October 13, 1938

Yolanda Adams (Actor)

Born: January 01, 1964

Donnie Mcclurkin (Actor)

Angie Stone (Actor)

Born: January 30, 1961
Died: March 01, 2025
Birthplace: Columbia, South Carolina, United States

Trivia: Is an only child. Started her career as part of the female rap trio Sequence alongside Gwendolyn Chisolm and Cheryl Cook. Developed sarcoidosis, a disease affecting the upper respiratory system, but continued her singing career. Cowrote and coproduced former boyfriend D'Angelo's 1995 album Brown Sugar. Named her debut album Black Diamond after her daughter. It won the Billboard Magazine Album of the Year Award in 2000. Sang the theme song for the UPN sitcom Girlfriends. Was a contestant on the fourth season of Celebrity Fit Club in 2006. Toured with Sisters in the Spirit, a gospel-like group, in 2007. Is a diabetic; became involved with the F.A.C.E. Diabetes Foundation and began working with them on a diabetes awareness campaign in 2008. Titled her 2010 album Unexpected following her father's sudden death while she was recording the album.

Rosalie Washington (Actor)

Ricky Dillard (Actor)

Lou Myers (Actor)

Born: September 26, 1935
Died: February 19, 2013

Richie Dye (Actor)

Dakin Matthews (Actor)

Born: November 07, 1940

Daphne Duplaix (Actor)

Born: August 18, 1976

Mitchah Williams (Actor)

Vince Canlas (Actor)

Nicky Buggs (Actor)

Dave Sheridan (Actor)

Born: March 10, 1969
Birthplace: Newark, Delaware, United States

Trivia: Grew up in New Jersey and Delaware.Practiced skateboarding during high school.Was an intern at Saturday Night Live.Trained with Chicago's The Second City comedy troupe.A member of metal/comedy band Van Stone.

Eddie Levert Sr. (Actor)

Udoka Valentine Ndubisi (Actor)

Darrell Vanterpool (Actor)

Born: April 13, 1994

Bilal (Actor)

Kioka Hampton Carter (Actor)

Justin Mark Caudill (Actor)

Nigel Washington (Actor)

Chloe Bailey (Actor)

Born: July 01, 1998

Steven Patrick Huie (Actor)

Roger Greene Jr. (Actor)

Chuck Larkin (Actor)

Karl D'Wayne Gardner (Actor)

Demetress Long (Actor)

Wilbur Fitzgerald (Actor)

Gene Conyers (Actor)

Mechelle McCain (Actor)

Lou Walker (Actor)

Born: February 20, 1928
Died: August 02, 2004

Joanie Fox (Actor)

Jill Jane Clements (Actor)

Enoch King (Actor)

Walter Williams Sr. (Actor)

Eric Nolan Grant (Actor)

Chris Cole (Actor)

Montell Jordan (Actor)

T-Bone (Actor)

Mickey Jones (Actor)

Born: June 10, 1941

Zane Copeland Jr. (Actor)

Mae Middleton (Actor)

L. Warren Young (Actor)

Faizon Love (Actor)

Born: June 14, 1968
Birthplace: Santiago de Cuba, Cuba

Trivia: A plus-sized actor of Afro-Cuban descent whose killer smile and infectious laugh can liven up any comedy, Faizon Love got his start in such well-received African-American comedies as Fear of a Black Hat and Friday before getting wide recognition in such high-profile comedies as Money Talks, The Replacements, and Elf. It was during high school in New Jersey that the aspiring comic first became interested in performing for a crowd; his English teacher recognized Love's skill for comedy and allowing the student to perform for his classmates on days when lessons went especially well. Following graduation, Love moved to New York and made a bid for the big time in the East Coast entertainment capitol; it didn't take long for the performer to land an off-Broadway role in the Harlem National Black Theater production of Bitter Heart Midtown (a modernized retelling of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations). The subsequent death of beloved comic Robin Harris during the production of the animated comedy BeBe's Kids provided the emerging performer with his first big break in film, and though it was strictly a vocal affair, Love performed admirably under pressure. He could next be seen alongside Robert Townsend, Rusty Cundieff, Ice Cube, and Shawn Wayans in a series of low-budget but well-received comedy features. Love later parlayed his connection with Townsend into an extended television role on the small-screen sitcom The Parent 'Hood, and he continued to climb the credits until his role as a gridiron giant in The Replacements punted him into the mainstream. It was following his appearance in the Keanu Reeves sports comedy that Love's career truly took off, with a 2001 performance opposite Sean "Puffy" Combs in Jon Favreau's Made marking the beginning of a working relationship between the director and the actor that would continue when Love appeared opposite Will Ferrell in Elf (2003). Love's role as a surfing football player in Blue Crush in 2002 allowed the actor to overcomed his duel fears of sharks and water to brave the waves. And after attempting to remain in control of a prison as the warden in The Fighting Temptations, it was time to hit the road in Torque, a two-wheeled thrill ride starring Love's former Friday co-star Ice Cube. Video-game players with an ear for detail would recognize Love's substantial role in the hit 2004 release Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, with additional roles opposite Lindsay Lohan in Just My Luck and in the long-awaited OutKast musical Idlewild effectively serving to mark the arrival of a comedic actor whose versatility continued to impress.

John Wesley Chatham (Actor)

Rashawn Worthen (Actor)

James Van Harper (Actor)

Stephanie Bonner (Actor)

Tracy Bryant (Actor)

DeLaurian Burton (Actor)

Sherise Staten (Actor)

Debra Calloway Duke (Actor)

Clarence Fountain (Actor)

Jimmy Carter (Actor)

George Scott (Actor)

Eric McKinnie (Actor)

Joey Williams (Actor)

Caleb Butler (Actor)

Tracy Pierce (Actor)

Beyoncé Knowles (Actor)

Born: September 04, 1981
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, United States

Trivia: Primarily known as the most popular R&B singer of the late '90s and 2000s, Beyoncé Knowles has come to be known simply as Beyoncé. Only a few years after establishing herself in the popular consciousness as the new queen of R&B, Knowles was ready to expand beyond her immeasurable voice and larger-than-life stage presence. She set her sights on a movie career, first getting her acting feet wet at the age of 20 with the logical transitional project Carmen: A Hip Hopera, a modern-day version of the Bizet opera Carmen, produced by MTV in 2001.Knowles soon made the transition to the big screen, spending the early 2000s alternating between comedy and projects rooted in her primary interest in music. She made her feature-film acting debut in 2002 with the blaxploitation-parody role of Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember, bringing exuberance to her over-the-top sight gags and Pam Grier-type dialogue. Having made her transition to film without disaster, Knowles next accepted a role in the 2003 low-profile musical comedy The Fighting Temptations, starring opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. Returning to comedy in 2006, the starlet unfortunately ended up with a dud, as the attempted revival of the Pink Panther franchise was a critical disappointment. Co-star Steve Martin was not well received in the role of Inspector Clouseau, made famous by Peter Sellers, but Knowles walked away from the project relatively unscathed.Continuing her pattern, Knowles opted next for another musical film -- and this one would be by far the biggest of her career. She was cast in Dreamgirls, the highly anticipated big-budget screen adaptation of the popular Broadway musical -- providing a chance for her to stretch both her singing and acting abilities to the limit. She would be playing Deena Jones, the character based on Diana Ross in this film à clef about Motown girl group the Supremes. It was hard not to notice how Knowles (the greatest diva of her time) was playing Ross (greatest diva of her own time), who had, in turn, played Billie Holiday (the greatest diva of her own time) in Lady Sings the Blues. Ensuing buzz seemed to overshadow Knowles with excitement over the breakthrough performance of co-star Jennifer Hudson, but when the 2006 Golden Globe nominations were announced, both actresses were nominated -- Knowles for Best Actress and Hudson for Best Supporting Actress. Knowles moved forward, continuing to act in selective projects, like the period biopic Cadillac Records and the romantic thriller Obsessed. In 2013, she co-directed and co-produced Life is But a Dream, an autobiographical film that followed her backstage at several of her concerts.

Erica Campbell (Actor)

Trecina Campbell (Actor)

4:05 pm - 6:10 pm, Today on MGM+ Marquee HDTV (East) ()