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Terrence Howard extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard in May 2007.
Born	Terrence Dashon Howard March 11, 1969 (1969-03-11) (age 41) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, singer, rapper
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Lori McCommas (1989–2003; 2005–present)

Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor, singer, and rapper.¹ 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 his roles in movies includes Ray, Lackawanna Blues, Crash, Four Brothers, Hustle & Flow, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Idlewild, The Brave One. Howard co-starred in Iron Man and reprised the role in the video game adaption, though due to reprise his role in Iron Man 2, was replaced by Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle (his Crash co-star) in October 2008.²

His debut pop album, Shine through It, heavily inspired by popular soul singers such as Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, was released in September 2008.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Music 5 Filmography 5.1 Films 5.2 Television movies 6 Discography 7 Awards 8 References 9 External links

Early life

Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Anita Williams and Tyrone Howard.³⁴ His great-grandmother, Minnie Gentry, was a stage actress, as were his mother and uncles.⁵⁶ His parents were both biracial, of African American and Caucasian descent; he experienced racism throughout his childhood. His father was involved in what has been termed the Santa Line Slaying, serving 11 months in prison on manslaughter charges after stabbing another man.³ 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.³ He wanted to be a science teacher,⁵ 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.³ 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.³ Though he did not obtain a degree,³⁷ Howard claims to be an engineer.⁸ Howard had a principal role in a short-lived CBS sitcom, Tall Hopes.

Terrence Howard is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Career

Howard first entered the entertainment world when he portrayed Jackie Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream, an ABC miniseries, now frequently shown as a feature-length movie. Three years later, he made his big film break in 1995's 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 The Best Man in 1999, in Ashanti's music video for her 2002 single "Foolish" and in Mary J. Blige's video for "Be Without You". Howard also made an appearance on the TV series Family Matters. 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.⁵

Howard has stated that he looks for characters that "teach him about himself" when choosing his film roles.⁵ Howard has also worked as a film producer, receiving such a credit for the film Pride. As of 2008, Howard hosts the PBS' series Independent Lens.

In 2008, he made his Broadway debut, playing Brick in an all-African-American production of Tennessee Williams's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Debbie Allen and also starring James Earl Jones (Big Daddy), Phylicia Rashad (Big Mama) and Anika Noni Rose (Maggie). During rehearsals he allegedly attacked and seriously injured musical composer Tex Allen, who claimed to have suffered multiple injuries as a result of being being punched multiple times in the head and face. In October 2008, Allen filed a $5 million lawsuit against Howard.⁹

In October 2008, Howard made a guest appearance in the short film For All Mankind directed by Daniel L. Clifton, filmed on location in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. In 2009, he starred in the movie Fighting.

Personal life

Howard, who lives outside Philadelphia in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania,³ was married to Lori McCommas for 14 years.¹⁰ The couple has three children: two daughters (Aubrey and Heaven) and a son (Hunter). Howard and his wife divorced in 2003 and remarried again in 2005, but have since separated. Press reports have since noted that Howard is "trying to reunite" with his wife Annisa, and that he has stated that he is "chasing after" her.⁵ His wife was born Jewish but is raising their children as Jehovah's Witnesses.¹¹ In an interview with NPR, he said he wanted to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses as well.¹²

In February 2009 it was reported on the The Smoking Gun that Howard was arrested in 2001 for a variety of charges related to a violent attack on his estranged wife, including simple assault, terrorist threats, harassment and stalking. According to police reports, he arrived at her house after an argument on the phone, forced entry into her home by breaking in doors, and chased her into the back yard where he punched her twice in the face with a closed fist. The violent attack ended when Howard's brother stopped it. In 2002 he pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace.¹³

These issues came to light after he reportedly downplayed singer Chris Brown's 2009 arrest for attacking his girlfriend Rihanna. When Howard was asked about the allegations of domestic violence against Brown, he told a reporter from Hollywood.tv "It's just life, man. Chris is a great guy. He'll be all right, and Rihanna knows he loves her, you know? They'll be all right."¹⁴

Music

Although Howard was not a music artist, he performed in several tracks for Hustle and Flow. The song "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp" was written by Three 6 Mafia and produced by DJ Paul. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 78th Academy Awards, and it is also available in a version by Three 6 Mafia. The songs "Hustle And Flow (It Ain't Over)" and "Whoop That Trick", were composed by Al Kapone. All three tracks were performed by Terrence Howard, and they can be heard in the Hustle & Flow Soundtrack. Howard had been working on his first album since March 2007. The album, titled Shine Through It, was released on September 1, 2008.

Filmography

Films

Year	Movie	Role	Other notes
1992	The Jacksons: An American Dream	Adult Jackie Jackson
1993	Who's the Man?	Customer
1995	LottoLand	Warren
	Dead Presidents	Cowboy
	Mr. Holland's Opus	Louis Russ
1996	Sunset Park	Spaceman
	Johns	Jimmy the Warlock
1997	Double Tap	Ulysses
1998	Butter	Dexter Banks
	Spark	Byron
	The Players Club	K.C.
1999	Valerie Flake	Hitchhiker
	Best Laid Plans	Jimmy
	The Best Man	Quentin	NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male
2000	Big Momma's House	Lester Vesco
	Love Beat the Hell Outta Me	Chris
2001	Investigating Sex	Lorenz
	Angel Eyes	Robby
	Glitter	Timothy Walker
2002	Hart's War	Lt. Lincoln A. Scott
2003	Love Chronicles	T-Roy
	Biker Boyz	Chu Chu
2004	Crash	Cameron Thayer	Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble Cast Florida Film Critics Circle Pauline Kael Breakout Award NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance by an Actor Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
	Ray	Gossie McKee	Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2005	The Salon	Patrick
	Lackawanna Blues	Bill Crosby	NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor
	Hustle & Flow	Djay	Austin Film Critics Association Award for Breakthrough Artist BET Award for Best Actor Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Black Reel Award for Best Actor Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated — Gotham Award - Breakthrough Award Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
	Four Brothers	Lt. Green	Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble Cast
	Animal	Darius Allen
	Get Rich or Die Tryin'	Bama
2006	Idlewild	Trumpy
2007	Pride	Jim Ellis	Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
	The Hunting Party	Duck (journalist)
	The Brave One	Detective Mercer
	August Rush	Richard Jeffries (child counselor)
	Awake	Dr. Jack Harper
	The Perfect Holiday	Mr. Bah Humbug
2008	Iron Man	Lt. Col James Rhodes (Air Force officer)	Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor
	Phillies World Series Champions DVD	Narrator
2009	Fighting	Harvey Boarden
	The Princess and the Frog	James	voice only
	Red Tails	Col. A.J. Bullard
2010	Little Murder	Drag Hammerman

Television movies

Year	Movie	Role	Other notes
1992	The Jacksons: An American Dream	Jackie Jackson
1994	Family Matters	John	cameo appearance
1995	The O.J. Simpson Story	Young A.C
2000	King of the World	Cassius Clay
2001	Boycott	Ralph Abernathy	Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
2005	Their Eyes Were Watching God	Amos Hicks

Discography

• Shine Through It (2008)

Awards

Steve Lehman 6 Gold Star Award™ for Artists' Rights

References

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Terrence Howard

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Terrence Howard

• Terrence Howard at the Internet Movie Database
• Terrence Howard at the Internet Broadway Database
• Terrence Howard UK music website
• Terrence Howard interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' September 2008
• Howard interview, August 2005, Bullz-Eye.com
• Howard interview, July 2005, New York Metro
• Howard interview, May 2005, About.com
• Terrence Howard interview on the Tavis Smiley show
• Terrence Howard is Bad Now!
• 2007 NPR interview, "Terrence Howard: 'I Would Be a Witness'"
• All African-American production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof website
• Stuart Husband, Damn right I'm difficult (Interview), The Observer, May 18, 2008break up