Rick Fox

Imagesize	200px
Caption	Rick Fox attending "Susan G. Komen's 8th Annual Fashion For The Cure" event – Hollywood, CA on Sept. 24, 2009
Position	Small forward
Height ft	6 | height_in = 7
Weight lbs	230
Number	44, 17
Birthdate	July 24, 1969 Toronto, Ontario
Debutyear	1991
Finalyear	2004
Draftyear	1991
Draftround	1
Draftpick	24
Draftteam	Boston Celtics
College	North Carolina
Teams
Stat1label	Points
Stat1value	8,966
Stat2label	Rebounds
Stat2value	3,517
Stat3label	Assists
Stat3value	2,649
Letter	f
Bbr	foxri01
Highlights

Ulrich Alexander "Rick" Fox (born July 24, 1969) is a Canadian television actor and retired professional basketball player.

Early life

Fox was born in Toronto, the son of Dianne Gerace, who was an Olympic high jumper and women's pentathlete, and Ulrich Fox. His father is Bahamian and his mother is Italian Canadian. Fox's family moved to his father's native Bahamas when Fox was three. He attended Kingsway Academy in Nassau, where he was a member of the high school's basketball team, the "Saints." Fox also played high school basketball in Warsaw, Indiana. After two seasons (1984–1986) at Warsaw, Fox was projected to have a monster senior season. Just prior to his senior season, the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) ruled that he had no more high school eligibility left (due to completing eight semesters in the Bahamas) and was not allowed to participate in any IHSAA games. Despite not playing his senior season, Fox was voted onto the Indiana All-Star team in 1987.

He then went on to star collegiately at the University of North Carolina where his highlights included leading the Tar Heels to the 1991 NCAA Final Four.

Basketball career

Fox began his pro basketball career when he was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round (24th pick overall) of the 1991 NBA Draft. Fox played for thirteen seasons in the NBA (from 1991–1997 with Boston and from 1997–2004 with the Los Angeles Lakers).

Fox played internationally for Canada once, at the 1994 FIBA Basketball World Championship held in Toronto. His team was eliminated on the final possession of a game against Greece as Fox, on an isolation play for him to drive the hoop, failed to score.

Acting career

One of Fox's early acting performances came in the form of an instructional basketball video developed by the Canadian production company, Rocco's Jobbers, in 1994. In it, Fox taught how to perform the backdoor as well as other finesse moves. It came as a promise he made to the Toronto community while spending time there during the 1994 FIBA tournament. Part of the proceeds were donated to local charities that supported the research of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), with which Fox himself had been recently diagnosed.

Fox's acting credits include playing prison inmate Jackson Vahue on the HBO prison drama Oz. He has also appeared in a number of basketball themed films, namely Eddie, He Got Game, and Blue Chips. Fox was a producer of The 1 Second Film, the largest collaborative nonprofit film ever created.

Fox has guest starred in One Tree Hill, Missing, and Shark, with James Woods. He appeared in the movie Holes.

In 2007, Fox signed on with the show Dirt to play a recurring role in a multi-episode storyline. He also had a lead role in Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns as Harry, Angela Bassett's love interest. He played Wilhelmina Slater's bodyguard and lover in the second season of Ugly Betty, opposite his former wife Vanessa L. Williams.

In 2008 and 2009, he had a recurring role (as a fictionalized version of himself) on the CW comedy-drama television series The Game.

In 2009, Fox played himself in an episode of Party Down on Starz. As of Fall 2010, he was also a celebrity contestant on ABC's Dancing With The Stars, paired with pro Cheryl Burke. They came in 6th place.

Personal life

Fox has a son with college girlfriend Kari Hillsman . Fox was also married to actress/singer Vanessa L. Williams. After eloping in summer 1999 in the Carribbean, they had another ceremony in September 1999 in New York. They had a daughter in May 2000. After The National Enquirer published pictures of Fox kissing and hugging another woman in mid-2004, Fox's representative announced that the couple had been "headed toward divorce" for over a year . A few months later in August 2004, Fox filed for divorce from Williams .

As of mid-2009, his girlfriend is actress Eliza Dushku. She was often seen in the audience of Dancing With The Stars, cheering Fox on.

References

External links

Rick Fox's official web site

Rick Fox Producer Profile for The 1 Second Film

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Male basketball guards Category:Actors from Toronto Category:American television actors Category:Bahamian actors Category:Bahamian basketball players Category:Bahamian expatriates in the United States Category:Bahamian people of Black African descent Category:Bahamian people of Canadian descent Category:Bahamian people of Italian descent Category:Basketball people from Ontario Category:Black Canadian sportspeople Category:Boston Celtics draft picks Category:Boston Celtics players Category:Canadian basketball players Category:Canadian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Category:Canadian expatriates in the United States Category:Canadian immigrants to the United States Category:Canadian television actors Category:Canadian people of Bahamian descent Category:Canadian people of Italian descent Category:Los Angeles Lakers players Category:North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Category:People from Nassau, Bahamas Category:People from Warsaw, Indiana Category:Sportspeople from Toronto Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:Dancing with the Stars (US TV series) participants