Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), often nicknamed
J.Lo, is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, fashion designer and television producer. She led
People en Español’s list of “100 Most Influential Hispanics” in February 2007. Sheparlayed her media fame into a fashion line and various perfumes with her celebrity endorsement. Outside of her work in the entertainment industry, Lopez advocates human rights, vaccinations and is a supporter of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program
In Living Color. She subsequently ventured into acting and gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller
Money Train. Lopez’s first leading role was in the biographical film
Selena (1997), in which she earned anALMA Award for Outstanding Actress. She earned her second ALMA Award for her performance in the 1998 film
Out of Sight. She then starred in the romantic comedies such as
The Wedding Planner (2001) and
Maid in Manhattan (2002). Lopez had bigger commercial successes with
Shall We Dance? (2004) and
Monster-in-Law (2005).
In 1999, Lopez released her debut studio album
On the 6, which spawned the number one hit single, “If You Had My Love”. Her second studio album,
J.Lo (2001), was a commercial success, selling eight million copies worldwide.
J to tha L-O!: The Remixes (2002), became her second consecutive album to debut at number one on the
Billboard 200. Her third and fourth studio albums—
This Is Me… Then (2002) and
Rebirth (2005)—peaked at number two on the
Billboard 200. In 2007, Lopez released two albums, including her first full Spanish-language album,
Como Ama una Mujer, and her fifth English studio album,
Brave. She has recently began to revive her
music career upon the release of her top-five hit, “On the Floor”, which features American rapper Pitbull; preceding the debut of her seventh album,
Love?. She won the 2003American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and the 2007 American Music Award for Favorite Latin Artist. To date, Lopez has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Lopez was ranked the 27th Artist of the 2000–10 decade by
Billboard.
Expanding her repertoire into television, Lopez is currently a member of the judging panel of American reality television competition
American Idol.
Early life
Jennifer Lopez was born and grew up in Castle Hill, a neighborhood in the Bronx, New York. She is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents Guadalupe (née Rodríguez), a kindergarten teacher, and David Lopez, a computer specialist, both born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Lopez was raised Roman Catholic. She has two siblings, Lynda and Leslie. Lopez spent her entire academic career in Catholic schools, finishing at the all-girls Preston High School in the Bronx. She financed singing and dancing lessons for herself from the age of 19. After attending Baruch College for one semester, Lopez divided her time between working as a notary public in a legal office, dance classes, and dance performances in Manhattan night clubs. She had a little part in the 1987 film
My Little Girl. After months of auditioning for dance roles, Lopez was selected as a dancer for various rap music videos, a 1990 episode of
Yo! MTV Raps and as a backup dancer for the New Kids on the Block and their performance of their song “Games” for the American Music Awards in 1991. She gained her first regular high-profile job as a “Fly Girl” dancer on the television comedy program
In Living Color from 1991-1993. Soon after, Lopez became a backup dancer for Janet Jackson and made an appearance in her 1993 video “That’s the Way Love Goes”.
Personal life
It was reported that Lopez and Marc Anthony were taking professional business meetings at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood, California, in late 2006. It was also rumored that Lopez and Anthony became Scientologists during that period with the help of Angelo Pagan, the husband of
King of Queens actress and Scientologist Leah Remini. Just prior to those reports, Lopez said to NBC, “I’m not a Scientologist, I was raised Catholic. But it’s funny the way people come at it. To me it’s so strange. These are some of the best people I’ve ever met in my life.” She added, “My dad has been a Scientologist for 20 years. He’s the best man that I know in my life and so, it’s weird to me that people want to paint it in a negative way.”
On November 7, 2007, the last night of her “En Concierto” tour, Lopez confirmed she was expecting her first child with husband Marc. The announcement ended months of speculation over the pregnancy. Her father later confirmed on February 5, 2008, that she was expecting twins. Lopez gave birth on February 22, 2008 to fraternal twins, a girl and a boy, Emme Maribel Muñiz, and Maximilian “Max” David Muñiz. The twins were introduced in the March 11, 2008 issue of
People magazine, for which the magazine paid $6 million. Jennifer Lopez is also a practitioner of Krav Maga.
As of at least January 2008, Lopez lives with her family in Brookville, New York, on Long Island. Her mother, Guadalupe Lopez, moved into the gated home in June that year. [
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