Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), often nicknamed J.Lo, is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, fashion designer and television producer. She is the richest person of Latin American descent in Hollywood according to Forbes, and the most influential Hispanic entertainer in the U.S. According to People en Espanol’s list of “100 Most Influential Hispanics”. She parlayed her media fame into a fashion line and various perfumes with her celebrity endorsement. Outside of her work in the entertainment industry, Lopez advocates human rights, vaccinations and is a supporter of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. She subsequently ventured into acting and gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller Money Train. Lopez’s 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 the 1998 film Out of Sight. She then starred in the romantic comedies such as The Wedding Planner (2001) and Maid in Manhattan (2002). Lopez had bigger commercial successes with Shall We Dance? (2004) and Monster-in-Law (2005).

In 1999, Lopez released her debut studio album On the 6, which spawned the number one hit single, “If You Had My Love”. Her second studio album, J.Lo (2001), was a commercial success, selling eight million copies worldwide. J to tha L-O!: The Remixes (2002), became her second consecutive album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Her third and fourth studio albums—This Is Me… Then (2002) and Rebirth (2005)—peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. In 2007, Lopez released two albums, including her first full Spanish-language album, Como Ama una Mujer, and her fifth English studio album, Brave. She won the 2003 American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and the 2007 American Music Award for Favorite Latin Artist. To date, Lopez has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Lopez was ranked the 27th Artist of the 2000–10 decade by Billboard.

Reports circulated in mid-2010 that Lopez would join the judging panel of American Idol. In September 2010, the program’s producers officially confirmed that Lopez had joined the series.