The Nominees: Terrence Howard
In "Hustle & Flow," Terrence Howard plays DJay, a Memphis pimp with a mid-life crisis and a career change on his mind. With the help of his friends, he's trying to launch a rap career. If they can attract the attention of successful rapper Skinny Black, they just might be the "next big thing."
In Hollywood, Howard, who is 36, had a reputation for taking tiny parts and making them memorable. In "Mr. Holland's Opus," he was the high-school drummer who couldn't find the beat. In "Crash," he played the TV director who had a run-in with the cops. And in the Academy Award-winning movie "Ray," he played the nightclub owner who gave Ray Charles his first paying gig.
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Last year (2005) was a banner year for Howard. He appeared in seven movies: "Crash," "Hustle & Flow," "Four Brothers," "Get Rich or Die Trying," "Lackawanna Blues," "Their Eyes Were Watching God," and the outcast musical, "My Life in Idlewild."
His grandmother was a New York stage actress named Minnie Gentry. Before he made a name for himself in movies, he appeared on television, getting his start with bit parts on "The Cosby Show" and eventually winning a lead role in the UPN series "Sparks."
Howard, 36, is married once again to the same woman who divorced him in 2003. He had some growing up to do, he admits, and they now have three children.