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Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24,
1969), often nicknamed J.Lo, is an American actress, singer, record
producer, dancer, fashion designer and television producer. She is the
richest person of Latin American descent in Hollywood according to Forbes,
and the most influential Hispanic entertainer in the U.S. according to
People en Español's list of "100 Most Influential Hispanics".
Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In
Living Color. Lopez subsequently ventured into acting with Selena (1997),
Out of Sight (1998) and Angel Eyes (2001), for all of which she won ALMA
Awards for outstanding actress. She also appeared in The Cell (2000), The
Wedding Planner (2001), Maid in Manhattan (2002), Shall We Dance? (2004)
and Monster-in-Law (2005). She parlayed her media fame into a fashion line
and various perfumes with her celebrity endorsement.
In 1999, Lopez released her debut studio album, On the 6. She followed it
up with two number one albums on the Billboard 200, J.Lo (2001) and J to
tha L-O!: The Remixes (2002). Her third studio album, This Is Me... Then
(2002) peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 as well as her fourth
studio album, Rebirth (2005). 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 won the 2003 American Music Award for
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and the 2007 American Music Award for
Favorite Latin Artist. She has sold over 48 million albums worldwide.
Jennifer Lopez was born and grew up in Castle Hill, a neighborhood in the
Bronx, New York, to Puerto Rican parents Guadalupe Rodríguez, a
kindergarten teacher, and David Lopez, a computer specialist. 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 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 in 1990. Soon after,
Lopez became a backup dancer for Janet Jackson and made an appearance in
her 1993 video "That's the Way Love Goes".
Lopez's first television job as an actress was on the Fox series South
Central. Lopez also made a guest appearance Second Chances and Hotel
Malibu. She then appeared in the made-for-television film Nurses on the
Line: The Crash of Flight 7. Lopez's first serious screen role was in
Gregory Nava's 1995 drama My Family, playing the character of Young Maria
in the 1920s. After starring alongside Jimmy Smits and Edward James Olmos
in My Family, Lopez starred in the action film Money Train opposite Wesley
Snipes and Woody Harrelson. In 1996, she beat out Ashley Judd and Lauren
Holly for the supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1996 comedy Jack
starring Robin Williams. She then starred opposite Jack Nicholson in Bob
Rafelson's well-received noir thriller Blood and Wine.
Lopez's first big break came in 1997, when she was chosen to play the
title role in Selena, a biopic of the Tejano pop singer Selena. Despite
having previously worked with Nava on Mi Familia, Lopez was subjected to
an intense auditioning process before landing the lead role of Selena. She
earned widespread praise for her performance, including a Golden Globe
Award nomination for "Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy".
Later that year Lopez appeared in two major films. She starred in the
horror film Anaconda alongside Ice Cube and Jon Voight, playing the role
of Terri Flores, a director who is shooting a documentary while traveling
through the Amazon River. Despite being a modest box office hit, the film
was critically panned. Lopez then starred as the leading actress in the
neo-noir film U Turn, which is based on the book Stray Dogs, starring
alongside Sean Penn and Billy Bob Thornton.
In 1998, she had one of her most acclaimed roles, starring opposite George
Clooney in Out of Sight, Steven Soderbergh's adaptation the Elmore Leonard
novel. Cast as a deputy federal marshal who falls for a charming criminal,
Lopez won raves for her tough performance and in the process she became
the highest paid Latina actress in Hollywood history. That same year, she
provided the voice for Azteca on the computer-animated film Antz. Lopez
then starred opposite Vincent D'Onofrio, in the psychological thriller
film The Cell. She portrayed Catherine Deane, a child psychologist who
uses a virtual reality to enter into the minds of her patients to coax
them from their comas. The film was released on August 18, 2000 and became
a box office success opening at number one. The following year, Lopez took
a hiatus from acting in films to work on her music career.
In 2001, Lopez starred alongside Matthew McConaughey in the romantic
comedy The Wedding Planner. The film debuted at number one, making her the
first actress and singer in history to have a film and an album, J.Lo, at
number one in the same week. Her next role in the supernatural romance
Angel Eyes (2001), and in the psychological revenge thriller Enough
(2002). Both failed to find an audience, and were met with a negative
response from critics. She appeared alongside Ralph Fiennes in the
romantic comedy film Maid in Manhattan (2002). Her character, Marisa
Ventura, is a struggling single mother who lives in the Bronx and makes
her living cleaning rooms in a super-luxurious Manhattan hotel, who gets
mistaken for a socialite by a princely politician. Maid in Manhattan was a
box office hit opening at number one. The New York Times compared the
films storyline to her 2002 song, "Jenny from the Block", commenting, "In
her new single, Jenny From the Block, Jennifer Lopez declares that despite
her enormous wealth and global fame, she has not lost touch with her
roots."
Some of her other critically-acclaimed films include An Unfinished Life
and Shall We Dance?. Two independent films produced by Lopez were
well-received at film festivals: El Cantante at the Toronto International
Film Festival, and Bordertown at the Brussels film festival. Her modestly
successful film includes Monster-in-Law (2005). Gigli, however, would be a
critical and commercial disappointment. In August 2007, Lopez collaborated
on the feature film, El Cantante, with her husband singer-actor Marc
Anthony. The film is in English, with a creative use of subtitles for
songs with Spanish lyrics. In addition, she will appear in the romantic
comedy The Back-Up Plan.
Lopez is one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood and the
highest-paid Latin actress in Hollywood history, though she's never had a
film grossing over $100 million in the U.S. She was on the The Hollywood
Reporter's list of the top ten actress salaries in 2002, 2003, and 2004.
Lopez received $15 million for her role in Monster-in-Law. Her
top-grossing film domestically is Maid in Manhattan which grossed
$94,011,225, and her most successful international film, Shall We Dance?,
grossed $112,238,000, at the international box office. Domestically, Shall
We Dance? grossed $57,890,460 and a total of $170,128,460 worldwide. In
2007, Lopez made the Forbes magazine's list of "The 20 Richest Women In
Entertainment," ranking ninth. Her wealth is estimated to be $110 million
in 2007.
On January 27, 2010, it was announced that Jennifer will guest-star on a
March episode of How I Met Your Mother as Anita Appleby, a no-nonsense
author of self-help books that teach women how to mold men into
"relationship machines" through the power of denial. After Robin informs
Anita of Barney's womanizing ways, Anita sets out to "break" him.
Lopez's debut album On the 6, a reference to the 6 subway line she used to
take growing up in Castle Hill was released on June 1, 1999, and reached
the top ten of the Billboard 200. The album featured the Billboard Hot 100
number-one lead single, "If You Had My Love", as well as the top ten hit
"Waiting for Tonight". The album also featured a Spanish language,
Latin-flavored duet "No Me Ames" with Marc Anthony (who later would become
her husband.) Though "No Me Ames" never had a commercial release, it
reached number one on the U.S. Hot Latin Tracks. On the 6 featured guest
artists such as Big Pun and Fat Joe on the track "Feelin' So Good", which
had moderate success on the Billboard Hot 100. "Let's Get Loud", the final
single, earned Lopez a Grammy Award nomination in the "Best Dance
Recording" category in 2001 Grammy Awards. "Waiting for Tonight" was
nominated for the same category the previous year. "No Me Ames" received
two nominations at the 2000 Latin Grammy Awards — "Best Pop Duo/Group with
Vocal Performance" and "Best Music Video".
Lopez's second album, J.Lo, was released on January 23, 2001 and debuted
at number one on the Billboard 200. This album was more urban oriented
then On the 6. When Lopez film The Wedding Planner achieved number one
shortly after, Lopez become the first actress-singer to have a film and an
album at number one in the same week. The lead single, "Love Don't Cost a
Thing", was her first number-one single in the United Kingdom and took her
into the top five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. She followed it up with
"Play" which gave her another top twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and
reached number three in the UK. Her next two singles were "I'm Real" and
"Ain't It Funny" which were quickly rising up the charts. To capitalize on
this, Lopez asked The Inc. Records (then known as Murder Inc.) to remix
both songs, which featured rap artists Ja Rule (on both) and Caddillac Tah
(on the "Ain't It Funny" remix). Both remixes reached number one on the
Billboard Hot 100 for several weeks. She re-released J. Lo on her
thirty-second birthday with the remix of "I'm Real" as a bonus track.
Also, "Si Ya Se Acabó" was released in Spain, due to the success "Que
Ironia." In 2001, Lopez performed on tour on the Let's Get Loud "Live in
Puerto Rico" Concert.
Following the success of the re-release of J. Lo, Lopez decided to devote
an entire album to the remixing effort, releasing J to tha L-O!: The
Remixes, on February 5, 2002. This album debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200, becoming the first remix album in history to debut at the
top on the chart. Featured artists on J to tha L-O!: The Remixes included
P. Diddy, Fat Joe, and Nas, and the album included rare dance and hip hop
remixes of past singles. It is the fourth all-time biggest-selling remix
album in history, after Michael Jackson's Blood on the Dance Floor:
HIStory in the Mix, The Beatles' Love and Madonna's You Can Dance.
Lopez released her third studio album, This Is Me... Then, on November 26,
2002 which reached number two on the Billboard 200 and spawned four
singles: "Jenny from the Block" (featuring Jadakiss and Styles P), which
reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100; "All I Have" (featuring LL
Cool J), which spent multiple weeks at number one; "I'm Glad"; and "Baby I
Love U!". The album included a cover of Carly Simon's 1978 "You Belong to
Me". The video for "I'm Glad" recreated scenes from the 1983 film
Flashdance, leading to a lawsuit over copyright infringement, which was
later dismissed.
After a year away from the music scene, Lopez released her fourth studio
album, Rebirth, on March 1, 2005. Although debuting and peaking at number
two on the Billboard 200, the album quickly fell off the charts. It
spawned the hit "Get Right", which reached the top fifteen in the U.S. and
became her second Platinum hit (after "If You Had My Love"). "Get Right"
was also successful in the UK, becoming her second number-one single
there. The second single, "Hold You Down", which featured Fat Joe, reached
number sixty-four on the U.S. Hot 100; it peaked at number six in the UK
and ascended to the top twenty in Australia. Another song, "Cherry Pie",
was slated for a release in late 2005, but the plans to make a video were
canceled. It was released to radio stations in Spain. Rebirth was
certified Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA. Lopez was then featured on LL
Cool J's single "Control Myself", which was released on February 1, 2006.
It reached number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the
UK Singles Chart. It was Lopez's first U.S. top ten hit in three years.
Rebirth has had most success in the UK, where overall most of her singles
have reached the top five.
Lopez officially released her first full Spanish-language album, Como Ama
una Mujer, in March 2007. Her husband, singer Marc Anthony, produced the
album with Estefano, except for "Qué Hiciste", which Anthony co-produced
with Julio Reyes. The album peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200,
number one on the U.S. Top Latin Albums for four straight weeks and on the
U.S. Latin Pop Albums for seven straight weeks. The album did well in
Europe peaking at number three on the albums chart, mainly due to the big
success in countries like Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium,
Greece, Germany, Austria, and Portugal. On July 24, 2007 Billboard
magazine reported that Lopez and husband Marc Anthony would "co-headline"
a worldwide tour called "Juntos en Concierto" starting in New Jersey on
September 29. Tickets went on sale August 10. The tour was a mix of her
current music, older tunes and Spanish music. In a later press release,
Lopez announced a detailed itinerary. The tour launched September 28, 2007
at the Mark G. Etess Arena and ended on November 7, 2007 at the American
Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The lead single, "Qué Hiciste" (Spanish
for "What Did You Do"), was officially released to radio stations in
January 2007. Since then, it has peaked at 86 on the U.S. Billboard Hot
100 and number one on the Hot Latin Songs and the Hot Dance Club Play. It
also went top ten on the European chart. The video for the song was the
first Spanish-language video to peak at number one on MTV's Total Request
Live daily countdown. The second single released is called "Me Haces
Falta" and the third is "Por Arriesgarnos". Lopez won an American Music
Award as the Favorite Latin Artist in 2007. With Como Ama Una Mujer,
Jennifer Lopez is one of the few performers to debut in the top 10 of the
Billboard 200 with a Spanish album.
Lopez released her fifth English studio album (sixth studio album overall)
Brave on October 9, 2007, six months after Como Ama una Mujer was
released. She collaborated with producers Midi Mafia, J. R. Rotem, Lynn
and Wade and Ryan Tedder, with Rotem working on some tracks with writing
partner Evan "Kidd" Bogart. Earlier, on August 26, 2007, ABC premiered a
promo for the fourth season of Desperate Housewives, featuring a snippet
of the song "Mile In These Shoes". "Do It Well" was released as the lead
single and reached the top 20 in many countries. "Hold It, Don't Drop It"
was released as the second single in certain European territories only.
The third single was set to be the title track "Brave", and it was even
posted on director Michael Haussman's official website that filming of the
music video for the song had completed, however, the release of "Brave" as
a single was eventually scrapped, most likely due to low album sales.
Lopez will release her seventh studio album Love? in April 2010. It is set
to feature production from Danja, Jim Jonsin, Darkchild, Chris n Teeb
(from Dropzone), and The Neptunes among others. A song titled "Fresh Out
The Oven" featuring Miami rapper Pitbull surfaced online in October 2009
but her record label said that it is simply a buzz single. The official
lead single, "Louboutins", had its radio debut on November 23, 2009,
following the song's premiere and performance at the 2009 American Music
Awards.
On April 10, 2007 Lopez made an appearance as a mentor on American Idol.
Lopez also became the executive producer of the eight-episode reality
show, DanceLife, which ran on MTV and began on January 15, 2007. Lopez
helped select the show's participants and made cameo appearances. She then
served as executive producer of a miniseries broadcast on Univisión.
Titled after her CD Como Ama Una Mujer, it ran in five episodes from
October 30 to November 27, 2007, and starred Christian Borrero and Adriana
Cruz.
Lopez signed a contract as star and executive producer of an unscripted
reality series for TLC, a division of Discovery Communications Inc. The
series was to show the launching of her new fragrance, and not focus on
her family. The series never materialized.
Lopez launched a clothing line in 2003. Named JLO by Jennifer Lopez, the
line included different types of clothing for young women, including
jeans, T-shirts, coats, belts, purses, and lingerie, a jewelry line, and
an accessory line that includes hats, gloves, and scarves. Lopez
participated in the Louis Vuitton Winter 2003 campaign. In 2005, she
launched a new clothing line called Sweetface. In late 2007, Lopez retired
JLO by Jennifer Lopez and launched a new juniors' line called JustSweet.
Her fashion lines have featured at many New York Fashion Week events.
Lopez's frequent use of animal fur in her clothing lines and personal
wardrobe has brought the scorn of people concerned with animal rights. At
the Los Angeles premiere of Monster-in-Law, more than one hundred
protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held a
demonstration to highlight their concerns.
On April 12, 2002, Lopez opened a Cuban restaurant in the South Lake
district of Pasadena, California named Madre's.
Lopez ventured in the perfume industry with her debut "Glow by J.Lo". In
October 2003, Lopez introduced a perfume called "Still", having revisit
"Glow" the previous year by creating a limited edition spin-off, "Miami
Glow by J.Lo", in homage to her adopted hometown of Miami. Lopez also
marketed a "Glow" line of body lotions and bronzing products. For the
Christmas season of 2005, she launched another fragrance, "Live by
Jennifer Lopez". For 2006 Valentine's Day, "Miami Glow" was replaced by
yet another "Glow" spin-off, "Love at First Glow by J.Lo". Her following
fragrance, "Live Luxe", was released in August 2006, with "Glow After
Dark" following in January 2007. The next fragrances by Jennifer Lopez
were "Deseo", "Deseo Forever" for Asian market and first fragrance for men
called "Deseo for men". In February 2009 Lopez released "Sunkissed Glow".
The last perfume is "My Glow", available from October 2009. Lopez is a
spokesperson for Lux shampoo in Japan, appearing in the product's
television commercials.
Lopez owns the film and television production company Nuyorican
Productions. It was co-founded with her manager Benny Medina, who was
supposed to receive half the producing revenue from the company. Lopez
split with Medina shortly after the company was founded, but they later
restored their business relationship.
Lopez has been recognized by People en Español magazine as both the cover
subject for the "50 Most Beautiful" issue in 2006 and the "100 Most
Influential Hispanics" issue in February 2007.
It was reported that Lopez and 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 Anthony. The
announcement ended months of speculation over the pregnancy. Her father
later confirmed on February 5, 2008, 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.
Media attention has focused on her personal life. She has had high-profile
relationships with Ojani Noa, Sean Combs, Cris Judd, Ben Affleck, and Marc
Anthony. Starting 1984, when Lopez was 15 and in high school, she started
dating David Cruz. They split in 1994, and she still enjoys a close
relationship with him ten years after they split, Lopez said in 2004:
"He's a friend and he probably knows me better than anyone else".
Lopez's first marriage was to Cuban-born Ojani Noa on February 22, 1997.
Lopez met Noa while he worked as a waiter at a Miami restaurant. They
divorced in January 1998. Lopez later employed Noa as the manager of her
Pasadena restaurant Madre's in April 2002, but he was fired in October
2002. After Noa sued Lopez over the termination, they drew up a
confidentiality agreement. In April 2006, Lopez sued to prevent her
ex-husband, Noa, from publishing a book containing personal details about
their short marriage, contending it violated their confidentiality
agreement. In August 2007, a court-appointed arbitrator issued a permanent
injunction forbidding Ojani Noa from "criticizing, denigrating, casting in
a negative light or otherwise disparaging" Jennifer Lopez. She was awarded
$545,000 in compensatory damages, which included nearly $300,000 in legal
fees and almost $48,000 in arbitration costs. Noa was also ordered to hand
over all copies of materials related to the book to Lopez or her attorney.
In November 2009, Lopez sued Noa for breach of contract and invasion of
privacy, citing a previous confidentiality agreement between the two, to
prevent Noa from releasing his planned film, "How I Married Jennifer
Lopez: The JLo and Ojani Noa Story", and alleged "previously unseen home
video footage". Noa and his agent intend to file a $100 million
countersuit against Lopez. On December 1, 2009, judge James Chalfant
granted a temporary injunction against Noa and his agent, Ed Meyer,
barring them from distributing the footage in any forum. Because the
injunction is only temporary, Lopez's lawyer, Jay Lavely, said that he
will return to court to make it permanent. Lavely stressed that "there
wasn't anything even close" to a sex tape in Noa's possession: "It's
private and personal, but it wasn't a sex tape. They are innocent and they
have been misrepresented... to increase value and media attention". After
the hearing, Noa told E! that he plans to fight the injunction: "It's not
about the money, it's about my life".
Lopez next had a two-and-a-half-year relationship with hip-hop mogul Sean
Combs. On December 27, 1999, Lopez and Combs were at Club New York, a
midtown Manhattan nightclub, when gunfire erupted between Combs' entourage
and another group. Lopez and Combs were being driven away from the scene
when they were chased and stopped by the police. A gun was found in the
front seat of their vehicle. Combs was charged with felony gun possession.
Stress over Combs' trial and pursuit by the press multiplied their
problems, and Lopez terminated her involvement with Combs one year later.
During a related civil suit in 2008, the plaintiff's lawyer said Lopez had
“nothing to contribute to the case”.
Her second marriage was to her former backup dancer, Cris Judd. She met
Judd while filming the music video for her single "Love Don't Cost a
Thing." The two were married on September 29, 2001, at a home in the L.A.
suburbs. Their marriage effectively ended in June 2002, when Lopez began
publicly dating Ben Affleck. They were officially divorced in January
2003.
Following her divorce, Lopez began dating actor Ben Affleck. Her
relationship with actor Affleck was highly publicized, with the media
dubbing the couple "Bennifer." Lopez announced her engagement to Affleck
in November 2002, after Affleck gave her a six-carat pink diamond ring
worth a reported $1.2 million. Lopez promised interviewers that Affleck
was indeed "the one", and that they would soon have a family. The
marriage, planned for September 14, 2003 in Santa Barbara, California, was
called off just hours before the event. They announced the end of their
engagement in January 2004. Their relationship was parodied on the South
Park episode "Fat Butt and Pancake Head", which aired on April 16, 2003.
In 2003, Lopez and Affleck acted together in the film "Gigli" and in the
2004 film "Jersey Girl".
Less than two months after her break-up with Affleck, Lopez was seen with
singer Marc Anthony, a longtime friend with whom she had worked in music
videos. They had briefly dated in the late 1990s, before his first
marriage and her second. Lopez and Anthony were recording a duet together
in early 2004, for Lopez's then-upcoming film Shall We Dance?. In October
2003, Anthony became separated, for the second time, from his first wife,
former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, with whom he has two children.
Torres filed for divorce three months later. Lopez and Anthony married in
a quiet home wedding on June 5, 2004, four days after his divorce from
Torres was final. Their ceremony was private and unpublicized.
Lopez's guests had been invited to an "afternoon party" at Lopez's house
and had not been made aware that they were actually going to her wedding.
The couple had planned not to publicize their marriage early on, allowing
more privacy and time together in an otherwise intrusive environment. Days
after the wedding, Anthony refused to comment on their marriage during
interviews which were scheduled earlier to promote a new album "Amar Sin
Mentiras" (To Love Without Lies). In February 2005, Lopez confirmed the
marriage, and added that "everyone knows. It's not a secret". A few months
later, Anthony's daughter, Ariana, appeared at the end of Lopez's music
video "Get Right" as her little sister. Regarding his marriage and family
life, Anthony maintains a private and sometimes defensive stance with the
media, which has influenced Lopez to set some boundaries with
interviewers. On December 29, 2008, Daily News reported that Lopez and
Anthony planned to announce their divorce on Valentine's Day. This
allegation was put to rest by her publicist stating that "There is no
merit to the article".
Jennifer Lopez has admitted to be against in vitro fertilisation because
of her traditional upbringing saying:
When it comes to family and relationships, I’m quite traditional. Just
because of the way I was raised and I also believe in God and I have a lot
of faith in that, so I just felt like you don’t mess with things like
that. And I guess deep down I really felt like either this is not going to
happen for me or it is. You know what I mean? And if it is, it will. And
if it’s not, it’s not going to. |
