H.R. No. 1013


R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Native Texan Eric Bishop, who is better known as Jamie Foxx, is enjoying a phenomenally successful career in the motion picture industry, and his recent starring role as the legendary entertainer Ray Charles in the film Ray earned him the ultimate recognition of his peers, an Academy Award for best performance by an actor in a leading role in 2004; and WHEREAS, Born in Terrell in 1967, Mr. Foxx was raised by his beloved grandmother, the late Esther Marie Talley, and he has attributed much of his success to her; a star quarterback at Terrell High School, he attended U.S. International University in San Diego on a music scholarship; while a student there, his friends urged him to take the stage at a local comedy club one night and the enthusiastic reception that he enjoyed for an impromptu performance launched his career in the entertainment industry; and WHEREAS, He moved to Los Angeles to pursue stand-up comedy and was soon thereafter hired for the popular Keenan Ivory Wayans' comedy-variety show, In Living Color; in 1996, he was given his own series on the WB network, The Jamie Foxx Show, and that same year appeared in a minor role in the movie The Truth About Cats and Dogs; critics and audiences alike responded to his powerful performance as a football star in the 1999 film Any Given Sunday, which also featured Al Pacino, as well as to his multilayered portrayal of Drew "Bundini" Brown in the biopic Ali two years later; and WHEREAS, Mr. Foxx surely came into his own in 2004 with a star-making performance as a hapless taxi driver alongside Tom Cruise in Collateral, a role that garnered him both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for best performance by an actor in a supporting role; one of only 10 actors and the only African American in the history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to be nominated in both supporting and lead acting categories in the same year, he won both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for fully inhabiting the persona of Ray Charles in Taylor Hackford's biopic; he also earned the distinction of being the first person to have been nominated for three Golden Globes for acting in the same year--for his performances in Ray, Collateral, and the FX network movie, Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story, in which he played the founder of the Crips L. A. street gang; and WHEREAS, In addition to the honor and prestige that the Academy Award bestows on its recipient, it frequently brings a choice of plum roles, and movie audiences may look forward to seeing this gifted actor in the upcoming films Stealth, a futuristic action drama, and Jarhead, based on former Marine Anthony Swofford's bestselling book about his pre-Desert Storm experiences in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; and WHEREAS, The extraordinary success of Jamie Foxx in the competitive film industry attests to his remarkable talent and determination, and it is a pleasure to commend him on the much-deserved recognition that he has recently received; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Jamie Foxx on his flourishing acting career and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued achievement and fulfillment with his creative work; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Foxx as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Brown of Kaufman ______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1013 was adopted by the House on April 29, 2005, by a non-record vote. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House