5 lesser-known facts about Day Shift actor Jamie Foxx

Day Shift star Jamie Foxx (Image via CNN)
Day Shift star Jamie Foxx (Image via CNN)

American actor Jamie Foxx is gearing up for the release of his upcoming movie, Day Shift. The film is an action-comedy with elements of fantasy, and is set to release on August 12, 2022.

A Netflix original, Day Shift follows the story of a father who works as a pool cleaner, but his real job is hunting and killing vampires. The movie also stars Snoop Dogg and Dave Franco in prominent roles.

Jamie Foxx, who is most famous for his role in Django Unchained, has starred in a bunch of comedy and action films over the years. These include Robert Downey Jr. starrer Due Date, Law Abiding Citizen (2009), Spiderman: No Way Home (2021), among others.

Ahead of the release of his upcoming movie, let's take a look at 5 lesser-known facts about Jamie Foxx.


1) Jamie Foxx is not his birth name

Foxx's birth name is Eric Marlon Bishop. He changed his name during the nascent stages of his career as a stand-up comic. In a conversation with television host David Letterman in 2014, Foxx said that women were usually called up before men to perform on stage. For this reason, he adopted a gender-neutral name.

Strangely enough, Foxx's father also changed his name from Darrell Bishop to Shahid Abdula when he converted to Islam. Jamie, however, had a strict Baptist upbringing owing to the fact that he was raised mostly by his maternal grandparents after his parents separated.


2) His stage name is a tribute to Redd Foxx

Jamie Foxx on stage (Image via 107.5 WBLS)
Jamie Foxx on stage (Image via 107.5 WBLS)

Eric Marlon Bishop chose the name Jamie Foxx because he was heavily influenced by comedian Redd Foxx. The American comic and actor was responsible for revolutionizing the night-club comedy scene during the Civil Rights Movement.

In the audio documentary Redd Foxx: We’ve Come to Join You, Jamie Foxx spoke about naming himself after Redd Foxx:

“It was a tip of the hat to him that I chose that name, and the name stuck, and I have to be thankful to him for blazing the trail as a comedian and allowing me to sort of ride on his coattails.”

3) Foxx has been nominated twice for two Academy Awards in the same year

Jamie Foxx in a still from Ray (Image via IMDB)
Jamie Foxx in a still from Ray (Image via IMDB)

In 2004, Jamie Foxx was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Ray. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor that year for his role in Collateral. His role in Ray won him the Oscar for Best Actor and also earned him a BAFTA and a Golden Globe.

Foxx is only the second male to be nominated for two Oscars in the same year. The first was Barry Fitzgerald, who was nominated for Going My Way in 1944. He was nominated for the same two categories as Foxx and ended up winning the award for Best Supporting Actor.


4) Jamie Foxx wanted to play for the Dallas Cowboys

Foxx went to Terrell High School, where he played both basketball and football. Football, however, had a special place in his heart as he dreamt of being part of the Dallas Cowboys someday.

Jamie was the first student in the history of his school to pass for more than a thousand yards. The Dallas Cowboys remain his favorite team to this date.


5) Foxx was in a band called Leather and Lace

Jamie Foxx singing (Image via Yahoo News Singapore)
Jamie Foxx singing (Image via Yahoo News Singapore)

The actor, singer, and comedian was involved in music from a young age. While still in high school, Foxx sang in a band called Leather and Lace. Over the course of his career, he has done a fair bit of singing. His discography includes the albums Unpredictable (2005) and Best Night Of My Life (2010).

He admitted in interviews later that Leather and Lace only performed on stage once and that he didn't think they were very good.


Jamie Foxx's latest film, Day Shift, is all set to release on Netflix on August 12, 2022.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande
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