Netflix Removes 'Ray': The Oscar-Winning Ray Charles Biopic Starring Jamie Foxx

Netflix has quietly removed Ray, the Oscar-winning biopic about legendary soul singer Ray Charles.

Ray came out on October 29, 2004, just four months after the "I Can't Stop Loving You" singer died from liver disease at 73. Jamie Foxx played Charles in the two-and-a-half-hour biopic and received numerous awards for his portrayal. In addition to the Academy Award for best actor, Foxx also won best actor at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Critics Choice Awards. Both Foxx and Regina King, who played Charles' mistress Margie Hendricks, won BET Awards for their performances as well.

Foxx won Charles' blessing after a long piano jam session, which was included as a DVD special feature. Foxx already had some background skill, having gone to college on a classical piano scholarship, but Charles tested and challenged him. "Jamie, instead of wilting... he just kept working it, working it, working it, and he got it," said director Taylor Hackford.

He also committed to playing the role blind, using prosthetics to keep his eyes glued shut as well as to mimic the look of Charles' eyes. "I had to keep them in even during lunch," Foxx explained, "so I couldn't see for 12, 14 hours a day."

"I got the rights to this film 15 years ago," Hackford explained, "and I'm lucky I didn't make it for 15 years, because I wouldn't have had Jamie Foxx in the lead role." He added, "You just feel, 'This is Ray Charles.'"

Foxx's impression of Charles also landed him a few features in popular songs. Kanye West's 2005 hit "Gold Digger" famously samples Charles' "I Got a Woman." But the song doesn't actually feature Charles - the vocals actually belong to Foxx. The same is true for Ludacris and Field Mob's 2005 song "Georgia," which features a sample of Foxx covering "Georgia on My Mind."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 3:25 PM.