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Omar Gooding
Gooding in 2016
Born	Omar Miles Gooding (1976-10-19) October 19, 1976 (age 47) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Big O
Occupation(s)	Actor, comedian
Years active	1988–present
Children	2
Relatives	Cuba Gooding Jr. (brother) Cuba Gooding Sr. (father) Mason Gooding (nephew)

Omar Miles Gooding (born October 19, 1976), also known by his stage name Big O,^[1] is an American actor and comedian.

Early life and education

Omar Gooding was born in Los Angeles, on October 19, 1976, to Shirley (née Sullivan) and Cuba Gooding Sr., the former lead singer for The Main Ingredient. His older brother is Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr.

Omar graduated from North Hollywood High School in 1994.

Career

Gooding is best known for appearing in television shows, such as Touched by an Angel, Wild & Crazy Kids, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Smart Guy, and Playmakers, and also the films Ghost Dad and Baby Boy for which he received critical praise for his role as "Sweetpea".^[1][2] He was one of the original hosts of the Nickelodeon television show Wild & Crazy Kids from 1990 to 1992.

Gooding played D.H., a running back, on Playmakers in 2003. He played the character Odell in the third season of Deadwood. In 2005, he took the role of Calvin Palmer Jr. in the television series Barbershop, in the role originated by Ice Cube in the 2002 film of the same name. Coincidentally, he also appeared in a recurring role as a barber on the UPN sitcom One on One.

From April 2010 to July 2010, Gooding starred as trauma charge nurse, Tuck Brody, in the Bruckheimer television series Miami Medical.^[3][4] From 2012 to 2020, he starred in the Bounce TV series Family Time.

Gooding played a main role as Carter in the film Percentage.^[5] He released a hip hop album titled The Excuse in 2019.^[6]

In 2023, Gooding played Cal Johnson in the Disney Channel series, Saturdays.^[7]

Filmography

Film

Television