Life after ‘Boyz N the Hood’

After his debut in “Boyz,” the rapper went on to thrive in his film career -- in addition to becoming a major music producer -- starring in several film series, including the “Friday” movies, the “Barbershop” movies and the family-oriented “Are We There Yet?” movies. Ice Cube just wrapped “Rampart,” with Woody Harrelson and Steve Buscemi.   (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

With a steady stream of film and television projects to his credit -- perhaps most notably his roles as Ike Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (which reunited him with “Boyz” costar Angela Bassett) and as Morpheus in the “Matrix” films -- Fishburne recently concluded a stint on CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” received an Emmy nomination earlier this month for his portrayal of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in HBO‘s “Thurgood” and stars in Steven Soderbergh‘s “Contagion,” hitting theaters on Sept. 9.   (Joshua Roberts / For the Times)

The actor famously went on to receive an Oscar for his performance in “Jerry Maguire,” delivering a memorably exuberant acceptance speech. He starred with Robert De Niro in “Men of Honor” in 2000 and 2003’s “Radio,” and just completed the Lucasfilm production “Red Tails,” about the Tuskegee Airmen, set for 2012 release.   (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)