“I’ve made some discoveries in my own personal life with the science that, y’know, Pythagoras was searching for,” he told a very confused interviewer. “I was able to open up the flower of life properly and find the real wave conjugations we’ve been looking for for 10,000 years.”
It could have ended there, but then, Howard got down to the science:
“All energy in the universe is expressed in motion, all motion is expressed in waves, all waves are curves, so where does the straight lines come from to make the Platonic solids? There are no straight lines. So when I took the flower of life and opened it properly, I found whole new wave conjugations that expose the in-between spaces. It’s the thing that holds us all together.”
Terrence Dashon Howard(born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 filmsDead PresidentsandMr. Holland’s Opus, Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles between 2004 and 2006. He was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actorfor his role inHustle & Flow.
Howard has had prominent roles in many other movies, includingWinnie Mandela,Ray,Lackawanna Blues,Crash,Four Brothers,Big Momma’s House,Get Rich or Die Tryin’,Idlewild,Biker Boyz,August Rush,The Brave One,andPrisoners. Howard playedJames “Rhodey” Rhodesin the firstIron Manfilm. He starred as the lead characterLucious Lyonin the television seriesEmpire. His debut album,Shine Through It, was released in September 2008. In December 2022, he announced that he planned to retire from acting.[2]
Early life
Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 11, 1969, to Tyrone and Anita (née Williams) Howard,[3]who were both of African and English ancestry.[4]His great-grandmother was actressMinnie Gentry. Howard was raised inCleveland,Ohio, where he had a rocky childhood. He has claimed that he endured beatings from his physically abusive father,[citation needed]and that he saw his father stabbing another man in theSanta Line Slayingwhen Terrence was two years old.[citation needed]His father was convicted ofmanslaughterand served 11 months in jail.[citation needed]Howard’s parents divorced upon his father’s release. He was raised by his great-grandmother. She died at the age of 77 in 1993.[5]
Career
Howard first entered the entertainment industry in 1992 when he portrayedJackie JacksoninThe Jacksons: An American Dream, anABCminiseries. Three years later, he made his big film break in 1995’sMr. Holland’s OpusandDead Presidents. He continued being cast in television and movie roles, and co-starred as Greg Sparks in the late-1990s short-lived television seriesSparks, withJames L. Avery Sr.andMiguel A. Nunez Jr. Howard also appeared inThe Best Man(1999), inAshanti‘s music video for her 2002 single “Foolish“, and inMary J. Blige‘s video for “Be Without You“. Howard made an appearance on the TV seriesFamily Matters.
Howard has said that he looks for characters that “teach him about himself” when choosing his film roles.[6]For the 2005 filmHustle & Flow, Howard portrayed apimpand aspiring rapper. He performed all the character’s tracks, including “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp“, which won theAcademy Award for Best Original Songat the78th Academy Awards. Howard has also worked as a film producer, as when he was credited for the 2007 filmPride. In 2008, Howard hosted thePBSseriesIndependent Lens.
Howard was contracted to playColonel James Rhodesin the 2008 filmIron Man. Howard was signed on before any of the other major actors and was the highest paid actor in the film. He was replaced by actorDon Cheadlein the film’s sequels.Entertainment Weeklyreported that Howard was offered a 50 to 80 percent pay cut forIron Man 2, though it said that it was unclear whether Howard turned down the role or whether Marvel withdrew their offer.[7][8]
Howard released his debutadult alternativealbum,Shine Through It, in 2008 onColumbia/SME Records. He described the album as urban country, and either wrote or co-wrote all the songs on it.
