Gooding's first job as an entertainer was as a breakdancer, performing with singerLionel Richie at the closing ceremonies of the1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[2] After high school, Gooding studiedJapanese martial arts for three years before turning his focus toward acting.
Early on, he landed guest starring roles on shows such asHill Street Blues (1987),Amen (1988) andMacGyver (1988, 1989 and 1990). He also had a small part in the popular comedyComing to America (1988).
Gooding's first major role was the lead inJohn Singleton's inner-city crime dramaBoyz n the Hood (1991), in which he played Tre Styles. The film was a box office surprise success and critical hit. It is now considered a modern classic.[7][8] Gooding followed this success with supporting roles in major films such asA Few Good Men andGladiator (both 1992),Judgment Night (1993),Lightning Jack (1994), andOutbreak (1995). He played Billy Roberts in theHBO filmThe Tuskegee Airmen (1995).
In 1996, Gooding reached a new level of prominence when he was cast as an arrogant yet charismatic football player inCameron Crowe's dramatic sports comedyJerry Maguire (1996), co-starring withTom Cruise. The film was a major critical and commercial success and was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture; Gooding won an Oscar forBest Supporting Actor. His exuberant "Show me the money!" line in the film became a nationwide catchphrase.[9] His Oscar acceptance speech has often been cited for its enthusiasm.[10]
In 1997, Gooding followed his breakout with a notable supporting role in the acclaimed Academy Award-winning comedyAs Good as It Gets (1997). In the following years, his career was inconsistently successful. Some of his best-received performances include turns in films such as the mystical dramaWhat Dreams May Come (1998) and the US Naval dramaMen of Honor (2000), in which he played the lead role and co-starred withRobert De Niro. Gooding also received attention for his roles in the epicPearl Harbor (2001) asDoris Miller, the ensemble farceRat Race (2001), musical dramedyThe Fighting Temptations (2003), and the football dramaRadio (2003), in which he played the title role. Additionally, though not well received critically, the family comedySnow Dogs (2002) was a commercial success. In 2002, he was given a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame. Gooding starred in an online video game called "The Quest For The Code" which focuses on juvenile asthma management.[11]
Other roles during this time include Theo Caulder in the psychological thrillerInstinct (1999). He voiced Buck theHorse in theDisney animated filmHome on the Range (2004). However, during this stage of his career, he appeared in a series of films that were not critically or commercially successful, such asChill Factor (1999),Boat Trip (2002),Norbit (2007) andDaddy Day Camp (2007), all of which received extremely negative reviews and, except forNorbit, performed poorly at the box office.
Since then, in contrast to earlier stages of his acting career, Gooding has appeared in more critically ignored,direct-to-DVD films than theatrical or television releases. A well-received performance asBen Carson in theTNT filmGifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009), and a small supporting role inRidley Scott'sAmerican Gangster (2007), both proved to be exceptions to this trend.
Gooding's next major film role was in the 2012World War II filmRed Tails, produced byGeorge Lucas. In 2012, Gooding starred in a TV pilot forFox calledGuilty, which was directed byMcG. Though it was well received in screenings, it was ultimately not picked up by the network. He appeared onChannel 4'sChris Moyles' Quiz Night on August 5, 2011, closing the show in a duet, "Bad Romance", withLulu.
In 2013, Gooding had roles in several theatrical release films, including a well-received supporting performance in Lee Daniels'sThe Butler and brief appearances inDon Jon andMachete Kills.
In 1994, Gooding married his high school sweetheart, Sara Kapfer. They had three children together: Spencer Gooding, Piper Gooding, andMason Gooding, who followed him into acting.
Twenty years later, in 2014, Kapfer filed for legal separation from Gooding.[18] Gooding filed for divorce in January 2017.[19][20]
On June 13, 2019, Gooding was booked on charges ofmisdemeanorforcible touching and sexual abuse in the third degree in New York City, relating to an incident in which he allegedly groped a woman at a bar inTimes Square.[22] On October 10, he was indicted on a separate, additional sexual abuse charge.[23] As of August 2020, 30 women have accused Gooding of unwanted sexual touching.[24][25][26]
Gooding was formally charged for three incidents, each resulting in misdemeanor charges of forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse.[27]
On August 19, 2020, a woman filed a lawsuit against Gooding, accusing him of raping her in 2013 in New York City.[28][29] The two parties came to a settlement agreement on June 6, 2023.[30] As a result of the settlement, Gooding will not face trial.[31] Gooding's lawyers insisted that he and the woman had had consensual sex, saying that the woman had bragged afterwards to others that she had sex with a celebrity.[31]
On April 12, 2022, Gooding pleaded guilty to forcibly touching a woman at a New York nightclub in 2018, telling the judge he "kissed the waitress on her lips" without her consent. He also admitted to the two other alleged incidents of non-consensual contact, which took place in October 2018 and June 2019.[32]
Gooding reached a plea deal with prosecutors that did not require time in jail. He was allowed to withdraw his misdemeanor plea and plead to the lesser violation of harassment on the condition that he continue counseling for six months.[33]
On February 26, 2024, Gooding was mentioned in a sexual assault lawsuit brought againstSean Combs by music producer Rodney Jones. The lawsuit alleged that Gooding had "groped and fondled [Jones] non-consensually."[34] On March 26, 2024, Jones amended the lawsuit to include Gooding as a co-defendant.[35][36]
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