Actress, singer, producer and entrepreneur Jennifer Lopez has sold over 55 million records worldwide and starred in multiple box office No. 1s, including "Monster-In-Law" and "The Wedding Planner." In 2001, "The Wedding Planner" was the nation's top-grossing film, while her album, "J.Lo," was No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. The two simultaneous No. 1 honors made Lopez the first woman in history to have a No. 1 movie and album in the same week.
Lopez recently starred in CBS Films' New York-set romantic comedy "The Backup Plan." Prior to taking time off to have children, she had last been seen in the feature films "El Cantante," a drama about the life of salsa legend Hector Lavoe; and "Bordertown" opposite Antonio Banderas—both of which she produced. In December 2010, Lopez will release her latest album, "Love?," on Island/Def Jam Records.
Along with partner Simon Fields, Lopez's production company, Nuyorican, is in development on several film and TV projects, including the romantic comedy "Taming Ben Taylor," in which she will star as a top-notch real estate agent who wins over a rugged vintner; "Nannyland" at ABC; "Sweet Little 15" for Fox Searchlight, which tells of a young Mexican girl's coming-of-age story as she plans her Quinceañera; and the teen television comedy and book series, "Amigas Sweet 15 Club," which will follow five teens in Miami who run a Quinceañera (Sweet 15) business. Nuyorican is also working on notable film projects, including "The Governess" with CBS Films and a remake of "Overboard" with Sony.
Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born on July 24, 1970 into a loving Puerto Rican family in the Bronx. Although a family-oriented neighborhood, it was also a rough place. Jennifer Lopez's father, a computer-operations manager, and her mother, a kindergarten teacher, both had a strong work ethic that was a big influence in their three daughter's lives. With family as their top priority, they did their best to shelter their children from the horrors found just a few blocks from their home.
Jennifer Lopez's mother passed on her love of musicals to her daughters, and the girls would create productions of their own in the family's living room. Jennifer Lopez took singing and dancing lessons from age five, and at the age of seven, young Jennifer went on her first tour—around New York City with her dance class! Jennifer Lopez knew then that she wanted to be a performer and set her heart on a dancing career.
During high school, Jennifer Lopez played softball, tennis and also did gymnastics. After graduating in 1987 Jennifer Lopez attended City University of New York's Baruch College, worked in a law office, and continued her dance classes at night. But her first love was still dance, and when she read about a scholarship to a dance school in Manhattan, Jennifer Lopez went down and seized the opportunity.
A year and a half later Jennifer Lopez landed a role dancing as one of "The Fly Girls" on "In Living Color." A series of small acting roles followed, and in 1995 Lopez made her feature debut in the highly acclaimed "Mi Familia," which garnered her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her role as the young mother Maria Sanchez. Also that year Jennifer Lopez appeared in "Money Train" with Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson, and 1996's "Jack," directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Robin Williams.
However Jennifer Lopez's big break came in 1997, when she was chosen to play the title role in "Selena," a biopic of the Tejano pop singer Selena Quintillana Perez, who was killed by a crazed fan in 1995. Jennifer Lopez earned widespread praise for her performance, including a Golden Globe nomination, and became the highest-paid Latina actress ever. Jennifer Lopez had officially arrived, and People magazine named her one of the year's "50 Most Beautiful People." In 2002, Lopez was awarded ShoWest Female Star of the Year, and in 2006, Lopez received the Women in Film: Crystal Award. Additionally, the National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino advocacy group in the nation, named her Entertainer of the Year at the American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Awards.
Jennifer Lopez's musical career also began to take off, as she released her debut Latin pop album, "On the 6" in June 1999. Fueled by the success of her hit single, "If You Had My Love," it went platinum within two weeks, making her one of the most influential examples of the growing Latin cultural influence in pop music. In early 2000, Jennifer Lopez was nominated for Best Dance Performance for her second hit single "Waiting for Tonight." On the big screen that year Jennifer Lopez starred in the science fiction-thriller "The Cell," and gave a powerful performance in Michael Apted's "Enough," a portrayal of spousal abuse.
In early 2001, Jennifer Lopez's popularity reached new heights when her album "J. Lo" debuted at #1 on the pop charts, while her film, the romantic comedy "The Wedding Planner," shot to the top spot at the box office in its first week of release. In 2002, Jennifer Lopez performed another one-two punch with the release of the record "This Is Me...Then" and starred in the hit comedy "Maid in Manhattan."
Her other film credits include Lasse Hallström's "An Unfinished Life" with Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman; "Shall We Dance?" with Richard Gere; Oliver Stone's "U-Turn," co-starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Bob Hoskins and Natasha Richardson; "Blood and Wine" opposite Jack Nicholson; Luis Mandoki's "Angel Eyes"; Steven Soderbergh's "Out of Sight" with George Clooney; and "Anaconda" with Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz and Ice Cube.
Via Nuyorican, Lopez made her foray into the role as television producer with her dance-reality show for MTV entitled "Dance Life" as well as the UPN drama "South Beach." Lopez also heads a best-selling line of fragrances and was awarded with the ACE Fashion Icon of the Year award in 2006 for her contribution to accessories and the fashion industry.
Lopez continues to demonstrate a commitment to making a difference through her various philanthropic endeavors. Her passion for making this world better is highlighted through her work with children via The Maribel Foundation, a not-for-profit she started with her sister, Lynda. The Maribel Foundation's mission is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of women and children and raising the level of medical care available to them. The foundation is currently working with Children's Hospital Los Angeles on a telemedicine program that will help underserved communities around the world to be treated by top doctors.
