Show Me The Cuba Gooding, Jr. Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bronx, New York

Cuba was born in the Bronx and later moved with his family to Los Angeles, California. Two years later his father abandoned the family and he was raised by his single mother while he attended four different high schools in Los Angeles and Hollywood.

Answer: The Main Ingredient

Cuba Gooding, Sr. was lead singer for the group with the 1972 hit single "Everybody Plays The Fool". He took over when the original lead singer, Donald McPherson, died of leukemia in 1971. Lionel Richie of course led the Commodores and in an interesting bit of trivia, Cuba appeared as a break dancer in Richie's 1984 Olympic show. That gig landed him an agent. Teddy Pendegrass was the lead singer of Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes.

Answer: Boyz in the Hood

In 1991, Cuba starred as Tre Styles, one of three young African Americans growing up in a violent, drug filled area in South Central Los Angeles known as "the hood". Janet Jackson was the star of "Poetic Justice" (1993), John Voight was the lead character in "Rosewood" (1997); while "Higher Learning" (1995) featured Ice Cube and Laurence Fishbourne.

Answer: Bugle Boys

As a teenager he did commercials for the popular jean brand during the 80s. Cuba's jean advertisements eventually led to him doing commercials for Sprite. Spike Lee directed commercials for Levis around the same time. Mark Wahlberg and Brooke Shields were among those doing Calvin Klein ads; while a doll named Buddy Lee was the focus of Lee commercials.

Answer: Michael Bolton

While running with the dogs on a dog sled, Cuba falls and rolls down a mountain onto a frozen lake and falls in. He passes out and has a dream where he is on a beach. Bolton appears on a large screen in front of Cuba and talks to him.

Answer: Snow Dogs

In "Snow Dogs" (2002), he was a Florida dentist that inherited a house in Alaska which included sled dogs, although he never was a dog sled racer. In "Jerry McGuire" (1996) of course, he won an Oscar playing a football player with Tom Cruise as his agent.

In "Rat Race" (2001), he was an NFL referee who messed up a coin toss call that cost many people a lot of money. In the film "Gladiator" (1992) he was a boxer.

Answer: Rat Race

In the 2001 film "Rat Race", Cuba was part of an all star cast who were racing to recover a bag containing two million dollars. While stuck in the desert he comes upon the bus and tricks the driver out of his uniform. He freaks when he realizes the bus is a charter bus for the "I Love Lucy" Fan Club.

Answer: Robert DeNiro

Gooding played former Kentucky sharecropper, Carl Brashear who joins the U.S. Navy to become the first African American Navy diver. DeNiro, who was an experienced diver, does everything in his power to ensure that Brashear fails. Cuba starred with Dustin Hoffman in "Outbreak" (1995).

He shared the screen twice with Jack Nicholson, first in "A Few Good Men" (1992) and secondly in "As Good As It Gets" (1997). He also starred with Anthony Hopkins in "Instinct" (1999).

Answer: Abraham Lincoln Haines

Abraham Lincoln Haines was the fictional boxer Cuba portrayed in "Gladiator" (1992). In "Men of Honor" (2000), Carl Brashear was the first African American to become a Navy diver. In "Pearl Harbor" (2001), Gooding played real life Petty Officer Dorie Miller, who shot down two Japanese planes during the attack and became the first African American to receive the Navy Cross for bravery and valor.

In "Radio" (2003), Cuba was brilliant as James Robert Kennedy, the true life mentally challenged boy who became the inspirational leader and assistant coach for a South Carolina high school.

Answer: Coming To America

"Coming to America" (1988), was Eddie Murphy's first film in which he played multiple characters. Cuba was billed as "the boy getting a haircut" during the barbershop scene; where Murphy and Arsenio Hall are arguing about who was the greatest boxer of all time. Cuba didn't have a line, but his signature smile was noticed. Damon Wayans appeared briefly in "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984). Jim Belushi was in a short scene in "Trading Places" (1983).