Sommet CenterJamie Foxx was born Eric Morlon Bishop on December 13, 1967, in Terrell, Texas. His mother had been adopted, so when her marriage with Foxx’s father ended, Foxx’s adoptive grandparents, Mark and Esther Talley, adopted him too. He was only 7 months old. In spite of a rigid upbringing from the Talleys, Foxx describes his childhood as happy, and he was active in the Boy Scouts and his church choir. He started taking piano lessons at age 3. In school, he was known as a jokester.