| Birth name | Jennifer Lynn Lopez |
| Also known as | J.Lo, Jenny |
| Born | July 24, 1969 (age 37) |
| Origin | The Bronx, New York, United States |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Latin pop, R&B, dance |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, (HUGE ASS) singer, songwriter, dancer, fashion designer |
| Years active | 1987–present (acting) 1998–present (singing) 2001–present (fashion design) |
| Label(s) | Epic Records Work Records |
| Website | JenniferLopez.com |
Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), popularly nicknamed J.Lo, is an American Golden Globe Award-nominated actress, Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, dancer, and fashion designer. She is the richest Latin American in Hollywood according to Forbes magazine.
Early years
Lopez was born and raised in the Castle Hill neighborhood in the Bronx, New York City, New York to Puerto Rican parents Guadalupe (aka Gabby) Rodríguez and David Lopez. Lopez spent her entire academic career in Catholic schools. She also financed singing and dancing lessons for herself from the age of nineteen. After leaving a one semester-long career at Baruch College, Lopez divided her time between working in a legal office, dance classes, and dance performances in Manhattan clubs at night. After months of auditioning for dance roles, Lopez was selected as a dancer for various rap artists' music videos, and was given a guest spot on the American Music Awards. After being rejected for the gig twice,Ms.Lopez gained her first regular high-profile gig as a "Fly Girl" dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color in 1991. Soon after, Jennifer Lopez became a back-up dancer for famed singer Janet Jackson and made an appearance in her 1993 video "That's the Way Love Goes". Scheduled and contracted to go on Janet's world tour, she asked the superstar to be let out of her contract to pursue her acting career.
Acting
Lopez has appeared on the short-lived television programs South Central, Second Chances, and Hotel Malibu, and the television movie Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7. Lopez broke into the big screen in 1995, in the drama My Family and then appeared opposite Wesley Snipes in the action film Money Train. Lopez has also played roles in Francis Ford Coppola's 1996 comedy Jack starring Robin Williams, and the 1997 thriller Blood and Wine with Jack Nicholson. Lopez played the lead role in the 1997 film Selena for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for "Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy". She also became the first Latina actress to get paid $1 million or more for one film, the role. Some of her critically-acclaimed films include Selena, Out of Sight, The Cell, and An Unfinished Life. Lopez's not so critically-acclaimed (but successful) films include The Wedding Planner, Maid in Manhattan, and Monster-in-Law.
Lopez has finished shooting two new independent films, Bordertown and El Cantante. El Cantante was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival where it got positive to mixed reviews. Bordertown was shown at the Brussels Film Festival.
Lopez also guest-starred in the sixth season finale of Will & Grace in 2004. That episode made history for getting the highest audience numbers during the series' running.
In May 2006, MTV gave the greenlight on her executively produced reality show, Moves. The show will follow the lives of six aspiring dancers as they struggle to make it in the competitive world of professional dance. Lopez, who took an active role in selecting the show's participants, is also slated to make cameo appearances over the course of the season and the show's eight-episode run is scheduled to begin this winter.
Music
Lopez' 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 multi-week Billboard Hot 100 number-one lead single, "If You Had My Love", as well as the top ten hit "Waiting for Tonight". It also contained the Spanish-language, Latin-flavored duet "No Me Ames" with Marc Anthony. Though "No Me Ames" never had a commercial release, the tropical remix was included on the "If You Had My Love" CD single as a B-side. Despite this, the music video for "No Me Ames" received moderate airplay on the U.S. music channels VH1 and The Box. On the 6 also featured guest artists such as Big Pun and Fat Joe on the track "Feelin' So Good". It failed to make the top fifty of 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. "Waiting for Tonight" was nominated for the same category the previous year.
Lopez' second album, J. Lo, was released in January 23, 2001 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. 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. 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. Following the success of the album re-release, 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 also included rare dance and hip-hop remixes of past singles. On November 26, 2002, Lopez released her third studio album, This Is Me... Then, 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!". This album included a cover of Carly Simon's 1978 "You Belong to Me". In 2004, Lopez once again participated in a duet with Marc Anthony, called "Escapémonos", this time on his 2004 albums Amar Sin Mentiras and Valió La Pena.
After a year away from the music scene, Lopez released her fourth studio album, Rebirth, on March 1, 2005, at age of thirty-five. Debuting and peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 to decent sales success, the album quickly fell off the charts. The album spawned one hit in "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 a huge hit in the UK, becoming her second number-one single there. The second single, "Hold You Down", which featured Fat Joe, made it into the top seventy-five in the U.S., peaking at number sixty-four. It reached number seventeen in Australia with little promotion and peaked at number six in the UK. Later in 2005, Rebirth was certified Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA.
Lopez was later featured in the LL Cool J's song, "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 Top 75 Singles.
Lopez is to release her first full Spanish-language album, titled Como Ama Una Mujer, in February 2007. The lead single, the ballad "Qué Hiciste" (Spanish for "What Did You Do"), is scheduled to be released to radio stations sometime in 2006. It is said to be rock-tinged.
She is also working on her fifth English studio album, in which she is working with producer Swizz Beats. "It's coming out incredible", he said. "We're putting together some great things, and not what everyone's expecting. Think a little Jamiroquai, a little Sade. It's real feel-good music". Other producers are Timbaland, Cory Rooney, and Jermaine Dupri. There is no year or date set for this album.
Business
Lopez owns a clothing line, JLO by Jennifer Lopez, whose brand has been licensed for a term by Warnaco Group. Her line includes different types of clothing for young women, including jeans, T-shirts, coats, belts, purses, and lingerie. In 2005, she launched a new clothing line called Sweetface. She is planning to launch a jewelry line, as well as an accessory line that includes hats, gloves, and scarves. Lopez has also done photoshoots to represent the Louis Vuitton Winter 2003 campaign.
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 première of Monster-in-Law, more than one hundred protestors from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held a demonstration to highlight their concerns. Lopez told a radio DJ she was open to being educated on the topic.
On April 12, 2002, Lopez opened an elegant Cuban restaurant in the South Lake district of Pasadena, California named Madre's. A media sensation was creating when during a press shoot for the fancy restaurant, a mysterious man appeared out of the sidelines and gave Lopez a floral arrangement from Ben Affleck, even as then-husband Cris Judd stood next to her. Lopez was widely criticised for what appeared to be infidelity on her part.
Lopez has also dabbled in the perfume industry, with her debut "Glow by J.Lo" which broke numerous records in sales. In October 2003, Lopez introduced a perfume called "Still". Before launching another completely new fragrance, she revisited 2002 "Glow" by creating a limited edition spin-off entitled "Miami Glow by J.Lo", in homage to her adopted hometown of Miami. Around the same time, Lopez came up with a "Glow" body line, which featured different body lotions and bronzers. For the Christmas season of 2005, she launched another fragrance, "Live by Jennifer Lopez". Most recently, for 2006 Valentine's Day, "Miami Glow" was replaced by yet another "Glow" spinoff – "Love at First Glow by J.Lo". Her latest fragrance is called "Live Luxe" and was released August 2006, with "Glow After Dark" following its release in January 2007. "Glow After Dark" will be her first unisex fragrance. Her fragance line enjoys global sales of more than $500 million.
Lopez is also a spokesperson for Lux shampoo in Japan, appearing in the product's television commercials.
Personal life
She lost her virginity to Juan Xavier Noboa. It is thought that Lopez has been married three times. However, she may have had a brief marriage to long-term boyfriend Ricky Velte. Her first publicized 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 March 1998. They remained on such good terms that Lopez employed Noa as the manager of her Pasadena restaurant Madre's in April 2002. However, their friendship soured in October 2002 when Lopez fired Noa from the role.
She then had a two-and-a-half year, stormy relationship with 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 stolen gun was found in the front seat of their vehicle. Lopez was charged with felony gun possession, but the charges were dropped, as she was riding in the back seat at the time. He would eventually completely reconcile with model Kim Porter, mother of his two children and terminate his involvement with Lopez. Lopez had hoped to begin a family with Combs; but they split due to his alleged infidelity.
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 a Los Angeles suburb. Their marriage ended in June 2002, during which time she had reportedly started dating actor Ben Affleck.
Lopez and Affleck's relationship was highly publicized, with the media dubbing them "Bennifer". Lopez announced her engagement to Affleck in November 2002, after Affleck gave her a 6-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. During the week before the sceduled nuptials Affleck had been seen by press carousing at a strip club with friends. The media blitz intensified when it was Lopez' own sister who called in live-radio to tell Jennifer where her fiancé had been the previous night. Lopez would only respond by saying it was a terrible way to begin the day, finding out about Affleck's behavior in that manner. Publicists announced a permanent split on January 20, 2004. Affleck has refused to speak of his relationship with Lopez, only giving intense media attention as the cause of the breakup. It has been suggested by Affleck's friends, however, that Affleck was very uncomfortable with Lopez, and that his mother had strongly disapproved of her. Lopez was reportedly heartbroken, while Affleck appeared to recover quickly. Their relationship was parodied on the South Park episode, "Fat Butt and Pancake Head" that aired in April 16, 2003. In this incredible episode Hennifer Lopez recorded her best song ever, "Taco Flavored Kisses". She also essentially had a threesome with Ben Affleck and a fat little eight year old boy. There was a media furor as to whether Lopez would give Affleck back his ring after the breakup. Lopez did belatedly return it, though not eagerly. Ben Affleck has since married and has a daughter, Violet, with actress Jennifer Garner. A former casino buff and playboy, Affleck has become a very devoted husband and father.
Shortly after her breakup with Affleck, Lopez was seen out with singer Marc Anthony, who at that time was still married to his wife, former Miss Universe, Dayanara Torres, with whom he had a toddler and infant. Lopez and Anthony married in a secret wedding on June 5, 2004, less than a week after his divorce from Torres was finalized on June 1. It was reported that Dayanara discovered her ex-husband's new marriage while reading online news reports. Dayanara described a period of severe depression after her divorce from which she has since recovered.
Lopez' guests had been invited to an "afternoon party" at Lopez' house unknown to them that they were actually going to her wedding. Days after the wedding, Anthony refused to comment on it during interviews. Lopez confirmed the marriage in February 2005, but admitted that "everyone knows. It's not a secret". Marc's daughter, Ariana, appeared in Jennifer's music video "Get Right" as her little sister. Marc would not admit to his marriage with Lopez for a very extended period. He maintains a very defensive and private stance regarding his marriage to Lopez. Almost immediately after the surprise wedding, Lopez was dubbed an extremely unflattering nickname by the American as well as Latin American press. Cindy Adams had written in her gossip column that Jennifer Lopez was a "sick pig". The Spanish term for pig, "La Puerca", was used to refer to Lopez. Marc soon issued a statement saying that Jennifer was in no way to blame for the dissolution of his marriage to Dayanara Torres.
Marc himself had been the target of intense media gossip and sensational reports. A Miami woman had sued him with a paternity lawsuit, while he was still married to Torres. However, three separate DNA tests were conducted, all of which showed Marc was not the father.
Throughout her career, she has also been known for her most famous physical attribute, her shapely rear-end which has been reported to be insured for millions.
Accomplishments
- Lopez is the first actress and singer to have a film (The Wedding Planner) and an album (J. Lo) at number one in the same week.
- Lopez' perfume, "Glow", made history in 2001, by being the number-one perfume in more than nine countries in less than four months.
- Lopez is the first woman who has been placed number one two years in a row for FHM magazine's list of the 100 Sexiest Females in the World and the 100 Sexiest Females in the U.S.
- Lopez was on the The Hollywood Reporter's list of the top ten actress salaries in 2002, 2003, and 2004.
- Lopez made the 2004 Fortune list of the wealthiest entertainers under the age of forty. Her wealth is estimated at $255 million.
- Lopez has five number-one hits in the U.S. and a combined 40 weeks at number one.
- Lopez' album J to tha L-O!: The Remixes is the first remix album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. It is also the third all-time biggest-selling remix album in the world, after Madonna's 1987 You Can Dance and Michael Jackson's 1997 Blood on the Dance Floor/HIStory in the Mix.
Discography
- Further information: Jennifer Lopez discography
Albums
Release dates and sales certifications are from United States data.
| June 1, 1999 3x Platinum | January 23, 2001 | February 5, 2002 | November 19, 2002 |
| March 1, 2005 | February 2007 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. dance | U.S. Latin | UK | AUS | CAN | MEX | GER | ||
| 1999 | "If You Had My Love" | 1 | 5 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| "No Me Ames" (with Marc Anthony) | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Waiting for Tonight" | 8 | 1 | — | 5 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 8 | |
| 2000 | "Feelin' So Good" (featuring Big Pun and Fat Joe) | 51 | 1 | — | 15 | 11 | 17 | 5 | 39 |
| 2001 | "Love Don't Cost a Thing" | 3 | 9 | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| "Play" | 18 | 2 | — | 3 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 19 | |
| "Ain't It Funny" | 3 | — | — | 4 | — | 12 | — | 13 | |
| "I'm Real" | 1 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 11 | |
| "I'm Real" (Murder Remix) (featuring Ja Rule) | 1 | — | — | 4 | 3 | — | — | 11 | |
| 2002 | "Ain't It Funny" (Murder Remix) (featuring Ja Rule and Caddillac Tah) | 1 | 8 | — | 4 | — | 12 | 1 | 18 |
| "Jenny from the Block" (featuring Styles P and Jadakiss) | 3 | — | — | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2003 | "All I Have" (featuring LL Cool J) | 1 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
| 2005 | "Get Right" | 12 | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
Awards and nominations
Selected filmography
Film
Year || Title || Role
| 1986 | My Little Girl | Myra |
| 1990 | Lambada | Booker |
| 1995 | My Family/Mi Familia | María Sánchez, in the '20s |
| Money Train | Grace Santiago | |
| 1996 | Jack | Miss Márquez |
| 1997 | Blood and Wine | Gabriela "Gabby" |
| Selena | Selena Quintanilla-Pérez | |
| Anaconda | Terri Flores | |
| U Turn | Grace McKenna | |
| 1998 | Out of Sight | Karen Sisco |
| Antz | Azteca | |
| 2000 | The Cell | Catherine Deane |
| 2001 | The Wedding Planner | Mary Fiore |
| Angel Eyes | Sharon Pogue | |
| 2002 | Enough | Slim Hiller |
| Maid in Manhattan | Marisa Ventura | |
| 2003 | Gigli | Ricki |
| 2004 | Jersey Girl | Gertrude Steiney |
| Shall We Dance? | Paulina | |
| 2005 | Monster-in-Law | Charlotte "Charlie" Cantilini |
| An Unfinished Life | Jean Gilkyson | |
| 2006 | Bordertown | Lauren Fredericks |
| El Cantante | Puchi |
Upcoming films:
- Bridge & Tunnel (2006) playing Sidney Farris [pre-production]
- America's Darlings (2006) [in production]
- The Governess (2008) [announced]
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | In Living Color | "Fly Girl" |
|
| Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7 | Rosie Romero | Made-for-television film | |
| Second Chances | Melinda Lopez | Episodes "Pilot", "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Coincidence or Conspiracy", and "I Can't Get No Satisfaxion" | |
| 1994 | Second Chances | Melinda Lopez | Episodes "Swimming Through Mud" and "Living in Between" |
| South Central | Lucille | "Co-op" (episode 4) | |
| Hotel Malibu | Melinda Lopez | "The Bed, the Bribe and the Body" (episode 1) |
