Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969)—often known by her moniker
J.Lo[note 1]—is an American actress, businesswoman, dancer and recording artist. She began her career as a
fly girl on the television comedy program
In Living Color, before subsequently venturing into acting; gaining recognition in the 1995 action-thriller
Money Train. Her first leading role was in the biographical film
Selena (1997), in which she earned an
ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress. She earned her second ALMA Award for her performance in
Out of Sight (1998). She has since starred in various films, including
The Cell (2000),
Maid in Manhattan (2002),
Shall We Dance? (2004),
Monster-in-Law (2005) and
The Back-up Plan (2010).
Lopez came to prominence within music after the release of her album
On the 6 (1999), which spawned the hit singles "
If You Had My Love" and "
Waiting for Tonight". Her second album
J.Lo (2001) reached number one on the
Billboard 200, while her film,
The Wedding Planner led the
box office, making Lopez the first person to have a number-one movie and album. She released
J to tha L–O! The Remixes (2002), which became the first number-one remix album in the United States; her third and fourth studio albums,
This Is Me... Then (2002) and
Rebirth (2005) reached number two. In 2007 she released her first full Spanish album,
Como ama una Mujer. Lopez returned to music in 2011, releasing her seventh studio album,
Love? which spawned her most successful single to date "
On The Floor", which is one of the
best-selling singles of all time. As of 2010, Lopez has amassed estimated sales of over 55 million records worldwide,
[1][2][3] Billboard ranked her as the 27th Artist of the 2000s decade.
[4] In 2010, Lopez became a member of the judging panel for the American reality television competition
American Idol.
[5] She was selected for a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.
[6]
She led
People en Español's list of "100 Most Influential Hispanics" in February 2007.
[7] That year, Lopez made the
Forbes magazine's list of "The 20 Richest Women In Entertainment," ranking ninth.
[8] She has appeared multiple times on
The Hollywood Reporter's Annual Actress Salary List, and is the highest-paid Latin actress in
Hollywood.
[9] She has
parlayed her media fame into a fashion line and various perfumes with her
celebrity endorsement.
[10] She has worked with
L'Oreal since 1999.
[11] A fashion icon, several of her dresses have received considerable media attention, most notably the
Jungle green Versace dresswhich she wore at the
43rd Grammy Awards in 2000—voted the fifth most iconic dress of all time.
[12][13] Outside of her work in the entertainment industry, Lopez advocates for human rights and vaccinations, and is a supporter of
Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In 2011 she was named the most "Beautiful Person" by
People magazine in its annual issue.
[14] As of 2012, her net worth is estimated to be $250 million—she has been named one of the wealthiest and most influential
Hispanics in the United States.
[15] Lopez's
personal life has also garnered media attention since the beginning of her career in the entertainment industry, particularly her high profiled relationships.
