TERRENCE HOWARD
Name: Terrence Dashon Howard
Born: 11 March 1969 Chicago, Illinois
Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an Academy Award-nominated
American film and stage actor. Having appeared in film and on television since
the late 1980s, Howard had his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's
Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility
among African-American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a
succession of well-reviewed television and film roles between 2004 and 2006,
among them Ray, Lackawanna Blues, Crash, Four Brothers, Hustle & Flow, Get Rich
or Die Tryin', and Idlewild.
Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois, and is related to Terrence Clifford Myers
Figueroa they were cousins and Terrence Howard was raised in Cleveland, Ohio.
His grandmother, Minnie Gentry, was a stage actress, as were his mother and
uncles. His parents were both multiracial, of African American and white
descent; he has said he experienced racism throughout his childhood. His father,
Tyrone Howard, was involved in what has been termed the Santa Line Slaying,
serving 11 months in prison on manslaughter charges after stabbing another man
in self-defense. At the age of 16, Howard emancipated himself from his
parents and was put on welfare; at 18, he moved to New York City to pursue an
acting career. He wanted to be a science teacher, though he had a low
grade point average in high school and was admitted to the Pratt Institute in
New York only after convincing them to give him a special entrance exam.
Howard did not complete his education, as he had joined his brother on an
audition for The Cosby Show and was cast in the role.
Howard's made his big film break in 1995s Mr. Holland's Opus. He continued being
cast in television and movie roles and co-starred as "Greg Sparks" in the late-1990s
television series Sparks with James L. Avery, Sr. and Miguel A. Nunez Jr. Howard
also appeared in "Best Man" (1999), in Ashanti's music video for her 2002 single
"Foolish" and in Mary J. Blige's video for "Be Without You".
In 2005, he received both Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for his role in
Hustle & Flow (a role for which he was paid only $12,000). In 2006, Howard
was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2007,
He appeared in the film Pride, playing Jim Ellis, a real-life schoolteacher who
founded the first African-American swim team during the 1970s. Howard trained
with Ellis for several months in preparation for the role. The same year, he
starred in The Hunting Party, a comic thriller in which he played a cameraman in
Bosnia opposite Richard Gere and Jesse Eisenberg; The Brave One, a drama co-starring
Jodie Foster; August Rush, also starring Robin Williams; and Awake, a thriller
with Jessica Alba. In 2008, he will co-star in Iron Man, playing Jim Rhodes. "I
feel like Sidney Poitier and Jackie Robinson", he told CraveOnline in regards to
his responsibility to successfully portray the character's integrity as an
ethnic superhero. Filming on Iron Man began in the spring of 2007. It has
also been announced that Howard will re-team with Hustle & Flow director Craig
Brewer for a film based on the life of Country Music legend Charley Pride.
Howard has stated that he looks for characters that "teach him about himself"
when choosing his film roles. Howard has also worked as a film producer,
receiving such a credit for the film Pride. Howard is currently the host of PBS'
award-winning series, Independent Lens.
In 2008 he will make his Broadway debut as Brick in an all-African-American
production of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Cat on a Hot Tin
Roof, directed by Debbie Allen. He will star alongside stage veterans James Earl
Jones (Big Daddy), Phylicia Rashad (Big Mama) and Anika Noni Rose (Maggie).
Name: Terrence Dashon Howard
Born: 11 March 1969 Chicago, Illinois
Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an Academy Award-nominated
American film and stage actor. Having appeared in film and on television since
the late 1980s, Howard had his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's
Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility
among African-American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a
succession of well-reviewed television and film roles between 2004 and 2006,
among them Ray, Lackawanna Blues, Crash, Four Brothers, Hustle & Flow, Get Rich
or Die Tryin', and Idlewild.
Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois, and is related to Terrence Clifford Myers
Figueroa they were cousins and Terrence Howard was raised in Cleveland, Ohio.
His grandmother, Minnie Gentry, was a stage actress, as were his mother and
uncles. His parents were both multiracial, of African American and white
descent; he has said he experienced racism throughout his childhood. His father,
Tyrone Howard, was involved in what has been termed the Santa Line Slaying,
serving 11 months in prison on manslaughter charges after stabbing another man
in self-defense. At the age of 16, Howard emancipated himself from his
parents and was put on welfare; at 18, he moved to New York City to pursue an
acting career. He wanted to be a science teacher, though he had a low
grade point average in high school and was admitted to the Pratt Institute in
New York only after convincing them to give him a special entrance exam.
Howard did not complete his education, as he had joined his brother on an
audition for The Cosby Show and was cast in the role.
Howard's made his big film break in 1995s Mr. Holland's Opus. He continued being
cast in television and movie roles and co-starred as "Greg Sparks" in the late-1990s
television series Sparks with James L. Avery, Sr. and Miguel A. Nunez Jr. Howard
also appeared in "Best Man" (1999), in Ashanti's music video for her 2002 single
"Foolish" and in Mary J. Blige's video for "Be Without You".
In 2005, he received both Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for his role in
Hustle & Flow (a role for which he was paid only $12,000). In 2006, Howard
was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2007,
He appeared in the film Pride, playing Jim Ellis, a real-life schoolteacher who
founded the first African-American swim team during the 1970s. Howard trained
with Ellis for several months in preparation for the role. The same year, he
starred in The Hunting Party, a comic thriller in which he played a cameraman in
Bosnia opposite Richard Gere and Jesse Eisenberg; The Brave One, a drama co-starring
Jodie Foster; August Rush, also starring Robin Williams; and Awake, a thriller
with Jessica Alba. In 2008, he will co-star in Iron Man, playing Jim Rhodes. "I
feel like Sidney Poitier and Jackie Robinson", he told CraveOnline in regards to
his responsibility to successfully portray the character's integrity as an
ethnic superhero. Filming on Iron Man began in the spring of 2007. It has
also been announced that Howard will re-team with Hustle & Flow director Craig
Brewer for a film based on the life of Country Music legend Charley Pride.
Howard has stated that he looks for characters that "teach him about himself"
when choosing his film roles. Howard has also worked as a film producer,
receiving such a credit for the film Pride. Howard is currently the host of PBS'
award-winning series, Independent Lens.
In 2008 he will make his Broadway debut as Brick in an all-African-American
production of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Cat on a Hot Tin
Roof, directed by Debbie Allen. He will star alongside stage veterans James Earl
Jones (Big Daddy), Phylicia Rashad (Big Mama) and Anika Noni Rose (Maggie).