Actress and pop singer. Born July 24, 1971,
in the Bronx, New York. Lopez began her career as a dancer, appearing in
stage musicals and various music videos. In 1990, she won a national competition
and earned a spot dancing on the popular Fox comedy television series,
“In Living Color,” as one of the “Fly Girls.” A series of small acting
jobs followed, including parts in two more series and a TV movie, Nurses
on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7, in 1993. Lopez’s first
feature film was the critically acclaimed Mi Familia, or My Family,
in 1995. She also appeared in Money Train (1995), opposite Wesley Snipes
and Woody Harrelson, and in Jack (1996), directed by Francis Ford Coppola
and starring Robin Williams.
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 Quintillana Perez, who was killed by a crazed fan in
1995. She earned widespread praise for her performance, including
a Golden Globe nomination, and
became the highest-paid Latina actress in history with her paycheck
of $1 million. That same year, Lopez starred in the forgettable Anaconda
and in Blood and Wine, opposite Jack Nicholson. Her role as federal marshal
Karen Sisco in Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight, a film based on the Elmore
Leonard novel and co-starring George Clooney, further enhanced her image
as a bankable movie star.
Lopez’s musical career also began to take off,
as she released her debut Latin pop album, On the 6 in June 1999. The album,
fueled by the success of her hit single, “If You Had My Love,” went platinum
within two weeks, making Lopez—along with Ricky Martin—one of the most
influential
examples of the growing Latin cultural influence in pop music.
In 2000, Lopez’s projects include a science
fiction film, The Cell, a romantic comedy, The Wedding Planner, and a possible
tour in support of On the 6. Early in the year, she was nominated for Best
Dance Performance for her second hit single "Waiting for Tonight," but
lost the award to veteran diva Cher.
Lopez was briefly
married, in 1997, to Ojani Noa, a model and actor. She is currently dating
rap mogul Sean “Puffy” Combs. |
-