Jennifer Lopez

Biography for
Jennifer Lopez 

Date of Birth

 24 July 1969

The Bronx, New York, USA

Birth Name

Jennifer Lynn Lopez

Nickname

J. Lo
La Lopez
Lola
Jenny From The Block

Height

5' 4½" (1.64 m)

Mini Biography

Jennifer was born on July 24, 1969, in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx. Her father, David, was a computer technician. Her mother, Guadalupe, taught kindergarten. Jennifer is the middle of three daughters. Her elder sister, Leslie, is a housewife who sings opera. Her younger sister, Lynda, is a DJ on New York's WKTU, a VH1 VJ, and a morning news show correspondent on New York's Channel 11. Jennifer's parents were born in Puerto Rico, but did not meet until both came to America. Her mother's parents were Europeans who settled in Puerto Rico. She says that it was her parents' work ethic that made a difference in her life. Jennifer took singing and dancing lessons from age 5. She attended 12 years of Catholic school, including an all-girl high school. She played softball and tennis in high school and was a gymnast.

After high school, she briefly worked in a law office. During this time, she continued dance classes at night. At 18, she left home because her mother was scared by her decision to pursue show business. With casting on "In Living Color" (1990) in 1990, she moved to L.A., but initially hated it. Finally her boy friend, David Cruz, moved to be with her there and she learned to accept her new environment. Her career took off from her "Living Color" stint and reached new peaks with her portrayal of slain Latino singer Selena (1997).

Mini Biography

Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born in the Castle Hill section of the South Bronx on July 24, 1969. The middle of three musically inclined sisters, Leslie, a homemaker and Lynda, an entertainment consultant for New York's Channel 11, Jennifer always dreamed of being a multi-tasking superstar. Jennifer's parents Guadalupe Rodriguez and David Lopez were both born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, the second largest Puerto Rican city. The two were then brought to the United States in their childhoods, and eventually met while living in New York City. While Jennifer is of Puerto Rican descent her paternal grandmother's parents were Europeans who settled on the island of Puerto Rico. As a child Jennifer enjoyed a variety of musical genres, mainly Afro-Caribbean rhythms like salsa, merengue and bachata, and mainstream music like Pop, Hip hop and R&B. Although she loved music, the film industry also intrigued her. Her biggest influence was the Rita Moreno musical West Side Story (1961). At age five, Jennifer began taking singing and dancing lessons. Aside from being a budding entertainer, Jennifer was also a Catholic schoolgirl, attending eight years at an all-girls catholic high school named Holy Family, located in the Bronx, before graduating from Preston High School after a four- year stay. At school, Jennifer was an amazing athlete and participated in track and field and tennis. At age eighteen Lopez moved out of her parent's home. During this time Lopez worked at a law firm while she took dancing jobs at night. Her big break came when she was offered a job as a fly girl on Fox's hit comedy "In Living Color" (1990). After a two-year stay at "In Living Color" (1990) where actress Rosie Perez served as choreographer, Lopez than went on to dance for famed singer-actress Janet Jackson. Her first major film was Gregory Nava's My Family (1995) and her career went into over-drive when she portrayed slain Tejana singer Selena Quintanilla Perez in Selena (1997).

Spouse

Marc Anthony	(5 June 2004 - present) (filed for divorce) 2 children
Cris Judd	(29 September 2001 - 26 January 2003) (divorced)
Ojani Noa	(22 February 1997 - 1 January 1998) (divorced)

Trade Mark

Curvaceous figure

Often has dance sequences in her music videos

Trivia

Father David Lopez is a computer specialist at Guardian Insurance in NYC.

Sisters are Linda López and Leslie Lopez.

Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. [1997]

Both her parents are of full European ancestry, and were raised in Puerto Rico.

At the movie wrap party for Selena (1997), on October 28 1996 in San Antonio, the star played an unexpected love scene when her boyfriend Ojani Noa grabbed a microphone and proposed to her in the middle of the dance floor, presenting her with a large marquis-cut diamond ring. She said, "Yes."

She was one of the "Fly Girls" dancers on the TV comedy series "In Living Color" (1990).

In the gyms they called her "La Guitarra" because her body curved like a guitar.

In her Bronx neighborhood they call her "The Supernova."

She moved to Manhattan to learn how to dance and used to sleep in the studio where she was practicing.

Lopez and boyfriend musician Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs were arrested in connection with a nightclub shooting. Police found them with a stolen gun. The charges against Lopez were dropped, but the charges against Combs stayed. He was eventually tried and acquitted. [December 1999]

Lopez worked with Janet Jackson in her videos and on her tours, and can be seen in the video for "That's The Way Love Goes".

Grew up in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx. It was from this neighborhood that she took the local "6" train to get to her auditions in Manhattan, as well as the inspiration of her debut album "On the 6".

Mother is a schoolteacher in Westchester County, New York.

Voted #1 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women list. [2001]

She and boyfriend Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs announced that they had ended their relationship. [February 14, 2001]

Is the highest paid Latina(o) actress to date for her performance in The Wedding Planner (2001). She was paid $1 million for her role in Selena (1997). [2001]

First actress to have a movie (The Wedding Planner (2001)) and a music album hit number one in the same week.

Met her husband, Cris Judd, while filming the music video for her single "Love Don't Cost A Thing". The two were married in a small ceremony (about 170 guests) at a home in a Los Angeles suburb officiated by attorney Barry Hirsch. Judd is a dancer and choreographer.

Is the only woman to have been voted the sexiest woman in the world twice in FHM.

Named one of E!'s "Top 20 Entertainers of 2001".

Voted the #1 best female body in "Celebrity Bodies" (UK) magazine. [October 2001]

She once hosted "Saturday Night Live" (1975) and appeared in a sketch as a singer for the USO who performs for soldiers during WWII. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, she did this for real, performing in a USO concert at an American Air Force base in Germany.

Debut album went 6 x platinum.

Attended Baruch College in New York.

Ranked #76 in Premiere's 2002 annual Power 100 List.

Opened a new Cuban restaurant called Madre's in Pasadena, California.

Has relocated to Miami Beach after purchasing an estate there worth $9.1 million. Her neighbors on both sides of the house are Robin Gibb and Barry Gibb, and singer Ricky Martin lives eight houses away. [May 2002]

Was ranked 1st of the 100 Sexiest Women by FHM Taiwan (2001).

Came in at #5 in FHM's Sexiest Girls of 2002 poll, American edition. She had come in first in the 2000 & 2001 editions of the poll. [June 2002]

Grew up on Blackrock Avenue in the Bronx.

Released her third album, "This is Me... Then," on November 26th 2002. The first single from the album was the song "Jenny from the Block." Another track, "Baby I Love You!", borrows heavily from the melody of John Barry's theme for Midnight Cowboy (1969). Barry gets co-composer credit.

Engaged to Ben Affleck. [October 2002]

Was the first Latina actress to be paid $1 million for a movie role (Selena (1997)).

Ranked #47 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #76 in 2002.

Does not drink alcohol.

Voted the 4th Sexiest Female Movie Star in the Australian Empire Magazine September 2002.

Her ex-husband Cris Judd and ex-fiancee Ben Affleck share the same birthday. Ben is 3 years younger.

Ranked #5 in Maxim's Hot 100 List 2003, behind Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) stars Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, & Cameron Diaz, and Kristanna Loken, Shania Twain, and top-ranked Christina Aguilera.

Ranked #5 on FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2003 list, behind only Alyssa Milano, Carmen Electra, Britney Spears, and Halle Berry.

Ranked #4 in the "Loveliest Latin Ladies" section of Stuff's 125 Sexiest Women of the Year 2003, along with Shakira, Salma Hayek, Daisy Fuentes, Roselyn Sanchez, Penélope Cruz, Eva Mendes, Sofía Vergara, Lana Parrilla, Marieh Delfino, and Sissi.

20 January 2004: Ended engagement to Ben Affleck.

Struggles to converse in Spanish, even though she was raised in a Puerto Rican home.

Wrote the song "Dear Ben" about her fiancee Ben Affleck and how much she loved him.

After four unsuccessful previous nominations, she won the worst actress Razzie for Gigli (2003).

Her mother won a $2.4-million jackpot at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey in April 2004.

Grew up blocks away from actor, Mills Pierre, where they both took classes at Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.

Sister Linda López is an Entertainment Correspondent for WB Network Channel 11 News in New York.

Secretly married Marc Anthony on June 5th 2004; all the guests were invited to an "afternoon party", and they were never told that they were going to a wedding.

Stated in interviews during her engagement to Ben Affleck that once married, she would go by the name Jennifer Affleck both privately and professionally. This never came-to-be as she and Affleck broke off their engagement in January 2004.

2004 Honoree for the Noche de Niños Gala (Childrens Hospital Los Angeles)

Her new perfume is called "Still" and is the second perfume she has released with her first being "Glow"

Ranked #2 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002).

She was named one of People magazine's Fifty Most Beautiful People for 1997

Owns a home in Old Westbury - Long Island, New York.

Years before they married (or even became a couple), she and Marc Anthony sang a song together called "No Me Ames" which appeared on her album "On the 6"

There was some controversy around her fashion line "Sweetface" due to the excessive use of fur for the clothes. Members of PETA protested against her and famous PETA member Heather Mills stormed with some reporters into Jennifer's office in New York and expected an explanation from Jennifer, but the singer wasn't there. Mills then left a DVD in Lopez' office, which shows how brutally animals are murdered just to get their fur. Mills was then asked to leave by Lopez' assistant. [September 2005]

Wore a Vera Wang gown to her June 2004 wedding to Marc Anthony

She and Marc Anthony live in Bel-Air. In addition, they have a house on Fisher Island and another one in Long Island, New York.

10 April 2006 - Filed a request for injunction against her first husband, Ojani Noa, to stop him from publishing materials that are disparaging. He supposedly signed an non-disclosure agreement in 2004 that prevents him from such a publication.

Named #31 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005)

One of her first dancing gigs was dancing for an opening number by the New Kids on the Block for their performance on the American Music Awards in the late 1980s. She can be clearly seen dancing with her hair in a ponytail and wearing a cap in the middle of the dance troupe.

Named #26 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).

Attended Holy Family Catholic Church and Grammar School in Castle Hill, Bronx, New York, New York, USA. She also attended Preston High School in Throgs Neck, Bronx, New York, New York, USA where she graduated from in 1987.

Stepmother of her husband, Marc Anthony's 3 children: Ariana, Cristian and Ryan.

Was one of the guests at Tom Cruise's and Katie Holmes wedding ceremony in Italy.

Began her career as a dancer for Janet Jackson.

Ranked #3 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.

December 2007 - According to Forbes, her movies averaged $9 of gross income for every dollar the actress got paid.

By 2004, she had amassed a fortune estimated to be worth $255 million, due to her work as a singer, actress, and Co-owner of Sweetface Fashions.

Has split with her year-long manager, Irving Azoff [January 15, 2008].

Gave birth to fraternal twins, Emme Maribel Muñiz, at 12:12am, weighing 5lbs 7oz and Maximillian "Max" David Muñiz, at 12:13am, weighing 5lbs 13oz, on February 22, 2008 on Long Island, New York by C-section.

Client of Simon Fields.

She and her twins were featured on the front cover of People magazine's March 11, 2008 issue when they were four weeks old. People paid $6 million for the photos.

Did not return to work until over a year (15 months) after giving birth to twins Max and Emme in order to begin filming The Back-up Plan (2010).

She and husband Marc are celebrity part-owners of the Miami Dolphins along with Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan Jr., and sisters Venus Williams and Serena Williams (2009).

Announced on July 15, 2011 that her 7-year marriage to Marc Anthony was over and that the couple had come to an "amicable decision" on all matters.

Is of Puerto Rican descent.

Personal Quotes

"I thought she'd offer me some sympathy. Instead, she said, 'Don't you ever call me crying again! You wanted to be in this business, so you better toughen up!' And I did." - to Redbook magazine August 1999, on the lesson in tough love she got from her mother.

You laugh it off, you get upset for a little while, you're human and you let it go. - on the "outrageous" tabloid stories she hears about herself, at a press conference to discuss her movie, The Cell (2000) in August 2000.

"This film certainly is not meant for the girls who sing along with my songs" (about The Cell (2000))

I was always a singer and a dancer, and I always wanted to be an actress. For me, it's all just one thing.

"Nail Polish" (upon being asked what she got on her SAT's)

When I'm not prepared, which is almost never. -when asked if she ever feels insecure.

I don't really check out other people's butts.

I'm not mad about my ankles - they're too skinny.

We've all had a love of our life and failed love affairs. I'm just the biggest romantic - it's really sad. I tell people that, but nobody listens.

I've always had a huge fear of dying or becoming ill. The thing I'm most afraid of, though, is being alone, which I think a lot of performers fear. It's why we seek the limelight - so we're not alone, were adored. Were loved, so people want to be around us. The fear of being alone drives my life.

In every movie they want you to look as thin as you can look. In Selena, it was the other way around: "How can we shoot her butt so it looks like Selena's?"

I only do what my gut tells me to. I think it's smart to listen to other people's advice, but at the end of the day, you're the only one who can tell you what's right for you.

If you focus on the money, you're not going to get anywhere. You can want to be successful, but at the end of the day, if money is your motivation, if that's how shallow your outlook is on life, then you're going to be such an empty person. Because there's nothing driving you from the inside -- there's no passion...

My mom always told me that if you work hard, you can achieve anything. And it's true. It's one of the truest things ever.

I think crossroads come at many times during your life. Up to this point, I've had several. You get to a certain point in your life and you're like, Am I supposed to be doing this? And it's usually in the face of some failure - something that didn't work out the way you wanted it to. And you're faced with a decision: Do I keep trying to do this or do I give up?

Beauty is only skin deep. I think what's really important is finding a balance of mind, body and spirit. Somebody said to me not too long ago, 'Until you're twenty, you have the face you are born with, and after that you have the face you deserve', and I really loved that - the idea that you wear who you are on your face.

If you kiss on the first date and it's not right, then there will be no second date. Sometimes it's better to hold out and not kiss for a long time. I am a strong believer in kissing being very intimate, and the minute you kiss, the floodgates open for everything else.

I was in third grade when Rapper's Delight changed my life. But, when I came home, my mother would be listening to Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Diana Ross. I want to include all those elements in my music.

I didn't expect it to happen like this, wrapping one film and flying out to do a new one the next day. But I'm fresh enough and ambitious enough to stay up all night for the sake of a job. I'm not gonna take it easy. I want to do so much more when I'm getting these great opportunities.

I'm trying to get the focus back on what I do as an artist, not what I do at home.

It was all a bit mad. For a girl like me, wearing gorgeous clothes and having all this attention was amazing. It was like being a princess. But it didn't take me long to realise that that sort of fame can be scary. The more the circus builds up around you, the more you start to lose all those intentions that get you there in the first place. I was always about being a good performer and working hard, doing movies, making music, but that started to get lost in all that crazy stuff.

I throw myself into love because I believe in it, but when things don't work you have to take responsibility. You all know things have gone wrong for me. Everybody has laughed, everybody has had a knock at me. It hurts, it always does. There have been times when I didn't want to be me any more. From the outside looking in, it may have appeared that it was a glamorous exciting life, but I would have swapped places with anybody. It really did start to get to me and the easy thing to do would be to walk away.

I'm not J.Lo, she's not a real person. She was just a bit of fun that got really crazy. I've never been anyone but Jennifer. I was going to call the album Call Me Jennifer because that would be my way of saying goodbye to the whole J.Lo thing. But Rebirth is perfect because it means so much more.

It's business. Once they stop making money off you, they'll stop coming around.

Part of my business is about being in shape and looking good. You can't lie to yourself about it. But I'm not the monster I used to be in the exercise department. You get past your 20s, you've got kids... you're kind of unmotivated. You want to be healthy and look good, but you want to do the least amount to maintain that.

(2011) When I moved out to L.A. for the first time to do In Living Color, my grandmother and my aunt all came to visit me in the first week. And I thought, 'This is really weird.' But they just wanted to see that I was living in a nice place. At that time it was like, 'Why are they visiting me already? I'm not even settled in.' I didn't have furniture or anything. We all slept on the floor. Now that I think back, it was great.

Salary

Monster-in-Law (2005)	$15,000,000
Shall We Dance (2004)	$14,000,000
Jersey Girl (2004)	$4,000,000
Gigli (2003)	$12,000,000
Maid in Manhattan (2002)	$12,000,000
Angel Eyes (2001)	$9,000,000
The Wedding Planner (2001)	$9,000,000
The Cell (2000)	$4,000,000
Antz (1998)	$500,000
Out of Sight (1998)	$2,000,000
U Turn (1997)	$1,000,000
Anaconda (1997)	$1,000,000
Selena (1997)	$1,000,000
Blood and Wine (1996)	$250,000
Jack (1996)	$200,000
Money Train (1995)	$200,000
My Family (1995)	$50,000

Where Are They Now

(November 2004) On the set of new music video for her song 'Get Right' in Hollywood, California.

(February 2005) She and Michael Vartan are doing re-shoots of romantic comedy Monster-in-Law (2005) in Los Angeles from February 10 to February 15.

(February 2005) Launched third perfume in the J.Lo perfume line called Miami Glow.

(December 2005) Filming the movie El cantante (2006) in New York City.