Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, the famous London celebrity wax museum in Las Vegas, announced Wednesday (February 6) that they will officially open Black History Month with the unveiling of a life-like wax figure of entertainer Jamie Foxx.

The Foxx unveiling kicks off the "Madame Tussauds Black History" month-long celebration, with the Foxx wax figure joining famous notable African-American figures already on display as part of the exhibit -- including are Muhammad Ali, Louis Armstrong, James Brown, Whoopi Goldberg, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jordan, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Oprah Winfrey.

Each figure on display will be accompanied with a biography that acknowledges the significant contributions that each individual has made to shape American history.

"Jamie Foxx was a natural choice for us," said Adrian Jones, General Manager of Madame Tussauds Las Vegas. "He not only embodies the upper echelon of celebrity that we look to celebrate, but what he represents to the Black community, and Americans as a whole, is the ability to take born-talent, drive and commitment and transform them into something magical. He has rated high with our customers for some time, and we are happy to deliver what our customers have asked for."

The actor-singer sat with Tussauds Studio artists from London in a 2-hour private sitting to take precise measurements, match eye/skin/hair coloring and experienced his personality, which are paramount in the making of his $300,000 wax likeness.

According to sculptor, David Sharpe, "Mr. Foxx was extremely gracious with his time and actually entertained us with his upbeat, positive and charming personality."

Foxx is the second male, and the first African American, in history to receive two Oscar nominations in the same year for two different movies, "Collateral" and "Ray."

He was born in Dallas, Texas on December 13, 1967 as Eric Marlon Bishop. He changed his name while doing stand-up comedy upon discovering that female comedians were often called first to perform on stage. He felt "Jamie" was an ambiguous enough name to disallow any biases. His last name was chosen as a tribute to Redd Foxx.

Madame Tussauds Las Vegas is located in The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino on Las Vegas Strip. It is open seven days a week.