Cuba Gooding Jr. (born in New York City, January 2, 1968) starred in Boyz n the Hood (1991) written and directed by John Singleton, played supporting roles in movies like A Few Good Men (1992) by Rob Reiner, Outbreak (1995) by Wolfgang Petersen, Jerry Maguire (1996) written and directed by Cameron Crowe starring Tom Cruise, As Good as it Gets (1997) by James Brooks starring Jack Nicholson. He co-starred with Robin Williams in What Dreams May Come (1998), with Anthony Hopkins in Instinct (1999), with Robert De Niro in Men of Honor (2000). He acted in Pearl Harbor (2001) by Michael Bay, American Gangster (2007) by Ridley Scott, The Butler (2013) by Lee Daniels, Selma (2014) by Ava DuVernay. He directed and starred in Bayou Caviar (2018). On television Gooding acted in The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) starring Laurence Fishburne, played the lead role in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016).