Rick Fox Canadian actor and former basketball player Date of Birth: 24.07.1969 Country: Canada

1. Professional basketball career
2. Early life and athletic career
3. Transition to acting
4. Continued acting career and philanthropy
5. Personal life

Professional basketball career

Rick Fox had a successful professional basketball career, playing for the 'Boston Celtics' from 1991 to 1997 and the 'Los Angeles Lakers' from 1997 to 2004. He spent a total of 13 seasons in basketball. Despite his success in the NBA, he only had the opportunity to play for his native Canada once, in 1994, at the World Basketball Championship held in Toronto. Unfortunately, Canada lost to Greece in the tournament, despite playing on their home turf.

Early life and athletic career

Ulrich Alexander Fox was born on July 24, 1969, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His mother, Diana Gerace, was an Olympic high jumper and his father was of Bahamian descent. Growing up, Rick developed a passion for sports, particularly basketball. He attended Kingsway Academy in Nassau, Bahamas, where he played for the school's basketball team, the 'Saints'. He also played for the Warsaw team in Indiana during his time in high school. After graduating, Rick enrolled at the University of North Carolina, where he had one of his most successful seasons as part of the college basketball team.

Transition to acting

During a visit to his hometown of Toronto, Rick made his acting debut on Canadian television, providing recommendations on how to promote basketball as part of a project aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle. This led to his first role in the TV series 'Oz', where he played a prisoner. He also appeared in several basketball-themed movies, including 'Eddie', 'His Game', and 'Blue Chips'. As his acting career progressed, Rick took on more significant roles in projects such as 'One Tree Hill', 'Shark', and 'Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns'. He also became a producer for the charity project 'First Second Film', which involved numerous celebrities and remains one of the largest charitable initiatives to this day.

Continued acting career and philanthropy

While initially known for his striking appearance, Rick Fox transitioned to more character-driven roles in the 2007 film 'Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns' and TV series like 'Dirt' and 'Ugly Betty'. Although he often plays cameo roles rather than central characters, Rick's acting abilities have improved significantly in recent years. One of his notable achievements was winning $25,000 on the TV show 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader', with all the money going towards his charity work. Since 1994, Rick has been actively involved in supporting the foundation for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Interestingly, Rick himself was diagnosed with ADHD later in life.

Personal life

Rick Fox was previously married to singer Vanessa Williams. They had a low-key wedding ceremony in the Bahamas. The couple welcomed their daughter, Sasha, in 2000 but divorced in 2005. Despite their separation, Rick and Vanessa maintain a friendly relationship to this day.