| Began acting in Drama Teachers' Association of Southern California drama festival competition |
| First acting role, playing a thug on "Hill Street Blues" (NBC) |
| Raised in Los Angeles |
1984 | First professional job, a breakdancer on stage with Lionel Richie at the 1984 Olympic Games |
1988 | Feature film debut, "Coming to America" |
1988 | First role in a Canadian TV-movie, "No Means No" (CBC) |
1989 | First significant role in a feature film, "Sing" |
1989 | Had a recurring role on ABC's "MacGyver" |
1991 | Breakthrough role as the emotionally tortured Tre Styles in John Singleton's feature debut "Boyz N the Hood" |
1992 | First film with Tom Cruise, "A Few Good Men" |
1994 | Cast as Paul Hogan's sidekick in "Lightning Jack"; role purportedly was originally intended for a dog |
1995 | Acted in the historical drama "The Tuskegee Airmen" (HBO), based on the true story of a group of African American pilots overcoming racism during WWII |
1996 | Breakthrough role as outspoken football player Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's "Jerry Maguire"; second collaboration with Cruise |
1997 | Portrayed a gay art dealer in James L. Brooks' "As Good As It Gets" |
1998 | Appeared as a spirit guide escorting Robin Williams through the afterlife in "What Dreams May Come" |
1999 | Played an ambitious psychiatrist trying to penetrate the mind of Anthony Hopkins in "Instinct" |
1999 | Produced and starred as a plagiarizing lawyer in "A Murder of Crows" (aired on Cinemax) |
2000 | Starred in the biopic "Men of Honor" as Carl Brashear, the U.S. Navy's first African-American salvage-and-retrieval diver |
2001 | Made a cameo in "Pearl Harbor" as Doris 'Dorrie' Miller |
2002 | Played a Miami dentist who inherits a dog sled team in "Snow Dogs" |
2002 | Received star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame |
2003 | Landed lead part in the gospel feature "The Fighting Temptations" |
2003 | Played the title character in the heart-felt drama "Radio" |
2006 | Played a gangbanger-turned-cop in the crime drama "Dirty" |
2006 | Starred opposite Helen Mirren in Lee Daniels' indie film "Shadowboxer" |
2007 | Co-starred with Eddie Murphy in the comedy "Norbit" |
2007 | Starred in "Daddy Day Camp," a sequel to the Eddie Murphy vehicle "Daddy Day Care" |
2008 | Co-starred in the comedy film "Harold" |
2009 | Played the title role in the TNT movie "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story," based on the life story of the world-renowned neurosurgeon; earned a SAG nomination for Best Actor in a TV Movie |
2011 | Starred in the action thriller "The Hit List" |
2012 | Co-starred in the WWII drama "Red Tails," about a crew of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program; executive produced by George Lucas |
