Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lynn Muñiz (née Lopez; born July 24, 1969) is an American entertainer. Listed as the most influential Hispanic performer in the United States, Lopez is one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood and is the highest paid actor of Latin descent, making up to US$15 million per film role. Lopez has sold over 11.8 million albums in the United States and over 70 million records worldwide. She became interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry following her small role in the 1986 film My Little Girl, to the dismay of her Puerto Rican parents, who believed that it was an unrealistic career route for a Latino. Following a move from The Bronx to Manhattan, Lopez performed in regional stage productions, before touring with musicals in Europe and Japan. She gained her first regular high-profile job as a Fly Girl dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color in 1991, where she remained a regular cast member until 1993 when she decided to pursue a full-time acting career.

Lopez received her first leading role in the Selena biopic of the same name. Following subsequent roles in the films Anaconda (1997) and Out of Sight (1998), Lopez ventured into the music industry in 1999 with the release of On the 6. With the simultaneous release of her second studio album J.Lo and her film The Wedding Planner in 2001, Lopez became the first person to have a number one album and film in the same week. Lopez's 2002 remix album, J to tha L–O! The Remixes, became the first in history to debut atop the U.S. Billboard 200. Between the release of her third and fourth studio albums – This Is Me... Then and Rebirth – Lopez took a break from her music career to focus on acting, starring in the films Maid in Manhattan (2002) and Shall We Dance? (2004). Lopez's Spanish-language album, Como Ama una Mujer (2007), received the highest first-week sales in the United States for a Spanish album. Her commercial success was severely damaged after the release of her sixth studio album, Brave (2007). The set, which showcased a different musical prospective from the singer, failed to attain the success of her previous efforts and removed Lopez from the music scene until 2011, when she became a judge on the singing competition American Idol. This venture allowed her to regain media attention and improved her success on the music charts, with her single "On the Floor", showcased and released during such timespan, becoming a worldwide hit and her best-selling single to date.

With her production company, Nuyorican Productions, Lopez produced the films Bordertown (2006) and El Cantante (2007), in which she also stars. The company entered into a premier partnership with television network nuvoTV in 2012, which will see Lopez working on the creative side of the network, managing marketing and program production, as well as appearing in programming. Using her celebrity status, Lopez ventured into creating a retail empire which began with her lifestyle brand J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez. This was followed by the release of her fragrance, Glow by JLo, which set a trend in celebrity endorsement of fragrances and became the highest-selling bottle in the American market.

Lopez's public image and personal relationships have attracted worldwide media attention. Her marriage to actor Ojani Noa from 1997 to 1998 was proceeded by a series of lawsuits by Lopez, resulting from Noa's attempts to sell private details of Lopez and their relationship. Following her marriage to Noa, Lopez dated producer Sean Combs, a relationship that became the inspiration for her 2000 single "Love Don't Cost a Thing". Combs accompanied Lopez to the 42nd Grammy Awards in 2000, where she wore her infamous Green Versace dress. Lopez became romantically involved with actor Ben Affleck, while still married to her second husband Cris Judd, during shooting of Gigli (2003), a film that has been considered one of the worst of all time. Their relationship, dubbed as Bennifer, ended as a result of media overexposure, which caused a negative impact on both of their careers. After rekindling her relationship with recording artist Marc Anthony, the two wed in a private ceremony in 2004. Lopez gave birth to the couple's twins, Max and Emme, in February 2008. They were introduced in the March 11, 2008 issue of People, for which the magazine paid a reported $6 million; the photographs of the twins became the most expensive celebrity picture taken at the time.