Editing Cuba Gooding Jr. (section)

== Early life and education ==
Gooding was born on January 2, 1968, in [[the Bronx]], [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.biography.com/people/cuba-gooding-jr-9542549|title=Cuba Gooding Jr.: Actor (1968–)|website=[[Biography.com]]|publisher=[[A&E Networks]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021043551/https://www.biography.com/people/cuba-gooding-jr-9542549|archive-date=October 21, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> His mother, Shirley Sullivan, was a singer, and his father, [[Cuba Gooding Sr.]], was the lead vocalist of [[soul music|soul]] group [[The Main Ingredient (band)|The Main Ingredient]].<ref name="Gaul, Lou 2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/80-08072007-1389232.html |title=Cuba Gooding Jr. talks 'Daddy Day Camp' |date=August 7, 2008 |access-date=July 6, 2009 |work=Phillyburbs |last=Gaul |first=Lou |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220223003/http://www1.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/80-08072007-1389232.html |archive-date=February 20, 2009}}</ref><ref name=ciuou>[https://archive.today/20120918033317/http://www.soulandfunkmusic.com/content/view/451/1/ "The Cuba Gooding Sr. Story is coming to film"], soulandfunkmusic.com.</ref> Gooding has three siblings: April, [[Omar Gooding|Omar]], and Thomas.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-04-22|title=Inside Cuba Gooding Sr.'s Incredible Family History, Career and Love Life|url=https://www.philasun.com/entertainment/inside-cuba-gooding-sr-s-incredible-family-history-career-love-life/|access-date=2021-01-22|website=The Philadelphia Sunday Sun|language=en-US}}</ref> His paternal grandfather, Dudley MacDonald Gooding, was a native of [[Barbados]].<ref name=ciuou/> 

His family moved from New York to [[Los Angeles]] in 1972, after his father's music group had their hit single "[[Everybody Plays the Fool]]"; two years later, the elder Gooding left the family. Gooding was raised by his mother and attended four different high schools: [[North Hollywood High School]], [[Tustin High School]], [[Apple Valley High School (California)|Apple Valley High School]], and [[John F. Kennedy High School (Los Angeles)|John F. Kennedy High School]] in [[Granada Hills, Los Angeles|Granada Hills]] in [[Los Angeles]]. Showing leadership, he served as class president in three of them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018797/bio |title=Cuba Gooding Jr Bio: movies.yahoo.com |publisher=Yahoo.com |access-date=June 6, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114083025/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018797/bio |archive-date=January 14, 2012}}</ref> He had become a [[Born again|born-again Christian]] at the age of 13.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kamwilliams.com/2007/08/cuba-gooding-jr-daddy-day-camp.html|title=Cuba Gooding: The Daddy Day Camp Interview with Kam Williams|date=August 15, 2007|access-date=July 6, 2009|work=Kamwilliams|author=Williams, Kam}}</ref>