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Terrence Howard
Howard in an F-16 Fighting Falcon simulator
Born	Terrence Dashon Howard March 11, 1969 (1969-03-11) (age 39) Chicago, Illinois
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Lori McCommas (1989-2003) Lori McCommas (2005-)
Awards won NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor - Motion Picture 2000 The Best Man 2006 Crash Screen Actors Guild Awards Best Cast - Motion Picture 2005 Crash Other Awards Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy 2006 Hustle & Flow

Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actor. 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 them Ray, Lackawanna Blues, Crash, Four Brothers, Hustle & Flow, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Idlewild, and most recently, Iron Man.

Biography

Early life

Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in Cleveland, Ohio.^[1] His grandmother, Minnie Gentry, was a stage actress, as were his mother and uncles.^[2] His parents were both multiracial, of African American and white descent; he has said he experienced racism throughout his childhood. His father, Tyrone Howard, was involved in what has been termed the Santa Line Slaying, serving 11 months in prison on manslaughter charges after stabbing another man in self-defense.^[1] 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.^[1] He wanted to be a science teacher,^[2] 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.^[1] 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.^[1]

Career

Howard's made his big film break in 1995s 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 "Best Man" (1999), in Ashanti's music video for her 2002 single "Foolish" and in Mary J. Blige's video for "Be Without You".

In 2005, he received both Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for his role in Hustle & Flow (a role for which he was paid only $12,000).^[1] In 2006, Howard was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[3] In 2007, He appeared in the film Pride, playing Jim Ellis, a real-life schoolteacher who founded the first African-American swim team during the 1970s.^[2] Howard trained with Ellis for several months in preparation for the role.^[2] The same year, he starred in The Hunting Party, a comic thriller in which he played a cameraman in Bosnia opposite Golden Globe Award winner Richard Gere and Jesse Eisenberg; The Brave One, a drama co-starring Academy Award winner Jodie Foster; August Rush, also starring Academy Award winner Robin Williams; and Awake, a thriller with Jessica Alba and Golden Globe Award nominee Hayden Christensen. In 2008, he co-starred in Iron Man, playing Jim Rhodes. "I feel like Sidney Poitier and Jackie Robinson", he told CraveOnline in regards to his responsibility to successfully portray the character's integrity as an ethnic superhero.^[4] Filming on Iron Man began in the spring of 2007.^[2] 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.^[2] Howard has stated that he looks for characters that "teach him about himself" when choosing his film roles.^[2] 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).

Personal life

Howard, who lives outside Philadelphia in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania,^[1] was married to Lori McCommas for 14 years.^[5] 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, and that he has stated that he is "chasing after" her.^[2] His wife is Jewish, and is raising their children in the Jehovah's Witness faith.^[6][7] In an interview with NPR, he explains his desire to convert to the Witnesses. He is a self-taught guitarist and pianist.^[2] Howard has described physics as his "main love" and has expressed interest in completing his education and obtaining a doctorate.^[2]

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 Annual 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. As of March 2007, Howard is working on his first album, having already recorded the first track, collaborating with singer Chris Brown.^[2] Howard has described the album, containing Spanish guitar and R&B and scheduled for a september 2008 release, as "urban country".^[2]

Filmography

Films

Television movies

Awards and nominations

Awards

• 2000: NAACP Image Award, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (The Best Man)
• 2002: Black Reel Award, Network/Cable-Best Supporting Actor (Boycott)
• 2005: Black Movie Award, Best Actor (Hustle & Flow)
• 2005: Los Angeles Film Critics Association, New Generation Award
• 2006: NAACP Image Awards, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Crash)

Nominations

• 2000: Black Reel Award, Best Supporting Actor (Film) (The Best Man)
• 2005: Black Movie Award, Best Supporting Actor (Crash)
• 2005: Critic's Choice Awards, Best Actor (Hustle & Flow)
• 2005: Critic's Choice Awards, Best Ensemble (Crash)
• 2005: Golden Globe Award, Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (Hustle & Flow)
• 2006: NAACP Image Award, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Hustle & Flow)
• 2006: Academy Award, Best Actor (Hustle & Flow)

• 2008: NAACP Image Award, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Pride)

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 MySpace
• Terrence Howard UK album website
• 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, 18 May 2008