Superstar Jennifer Lopez is a perfect example of the classic ‘triple threat’. A singer, dancer, and actress, Lopez has refused to confine herself to a single corner of the entertainment world. Instead, she has conquered it all.
Born in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx on July 24, 1969, Lopez grew up in a hard-working Puerto Rican family that she cites as the source of her extraordinary work ethic. The gorgeous teenager was an accomplished athlete and student during her 12 years of Catholic school, and by 16 she was paying for her own private dance lessons. She briefly attended college but soon dropped out to pursue a dancing career, at first in Manhattan clubs and later in the popular sketch comedy show “In Living Color” as one of the famous Fly Girls.
Lopez moved to L.A. for her “In Living Color” gig, and began pursuing opportunities as an actress. Truly born a star, major success was just around the corner for Lopez, and after several years of bit parts in TV shows like “South Central” and “Hotel Malibu” Lopez landed a head-turning role in the 1995 indie drama “My Family”, for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. She then moved on to roles in Hollywood films like the action film “Money Train”, the Robin Williams comedy “Jack”, and the Jack Nicholson-starring “Blood & Wine”. It was 1997’s “Selena” that catapulted her to stardom, and she earned a Golden Globe nomination for her acclaimed performance as the doomed tejano singer. That same year she appeared in Oliver Stone’s “U-Turn” and in the hit B-flick “Anaconda”, and in 1998 gave a stunningly sexy performance opposite George Clooney in Steven Soderbergh’s “Out of Sight”.
Having quickly risen to prominence as one of the most successful Latin movie stars in history, in 1999 Lopez began her dominance of the pop charts, releasing her debut album “On the 6”. The multi-platinum album spawned a string of international hit singles, and tracks “Waiting for Tonight” and “Let’s Get Loud” earned her Grammy nominations for Best Dance Recording. Her 2001 follow-up, “J.Lo”, made a #1 debut on the Billboard 200 and produced two more #1 singles in addition to beginning her phase under the J.Lo moniker. Lopez has been a virtual brand name ever since, supplementing her film career with a successful J.Lo fashion line and two popular perfumes. Since releasing a surprisingly successful remix album, “J To Tha L-O!: The Remixes”, Lopez has released two more multi-platinum LPs, 2002’s “This is Me…Then” and 2005’s “Rebirth”.
Along with a continuous string of film hits including “The Cell”, “The Wedding Planner”, and “Maid in Manhattan”, Lopez came to dominate the tabloids with a series of high-profile relationships. She dated Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs from 1999 to 2001 and shortly after began dating Ben Affleck. The latter relationship was one of the most overexposed in recent memory, a problem attributable both to an overzealous entertainment media and to the couple’s excessive courting of attention with Affleck’s appearance in her “Jenny from the Block” video and with her love song “Dear Ben”. The notorious box office failure “Gigli” in 2003 was the beginning of the end for the couple, and they broke off their engagement in 2004. Lopez is currently married to pop star Marc Anthony.
The talented entertainment mogul has recently starred in two modest hits, “Shall We Dance” and “Monster-in-Law” alongside Jane Fonda, and has a jaw-dropping slate of films ahead of her including 2006’s “Bordertown” and “El Cantante”. Her first Spanish-language album will be released in the fall of 2006, in addition to an upcoming fifth English album. Whether you call her J.Lo, Bennifer, or just plain Jenny from the Block, Lopez is undeniably one of the most talented and beautiful women in Hollywood today.