Biography
Award-winning actress, rapper, entrepreneur and spokesmodel were but a few of the hats Queen Latifah wore as she began her rise as one of entertainment's top renaissance women, starting with her breakout album All Hail the Queen in 1989. The 19-year-old embodied a new spirit in hip-hop and was a pioneer for her empowering messages of positivity, particularly for urban women. Her status as pop culture icon led easily to an acting career, where …
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Career Milestones
| Discovered by MTV host Fab 5 Freddy | ||
| Formed rhyming group Ladies Fresh with two high school friends; won high school talent contest | ||
| Grew up in East Orange, New Jersey | ||
| Trained in karate and use of firearms by her policeman father | ||
| Was a power forward on two state championship basketball teams in high school | ||
| Worked as a cashier at The Wiz in Newark, NJ | ||
| Worked at a Burger King fast-food restaurant | ||
1987 | Had her demo tapes placed in circulation by a deejay friend | |
1989 | Released her debut album All Hail the Queen | |
1990 | TV debut, "Time Warner Presents the Earth Day Special" (ABC) | |
1991 | Feature acting debut, Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever" | |
1991 | First major supporting role, "House Party 2" | |
1991 | First series guest spot, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (NBC) | |
1993 | Cast as a regular on the Fox ensemble sitcom "Living Single"; also wrote and performed the theme song | |
1993 | First substantial feature dramatic role, "My Life" | |
1995 | On July 16, the car in which she was a passenger was car-jacked in NYC; bodyguard was shot | |
1997 | Profiled on "Intimate Portrait" (Lifetime) | |
1998 | Co-starred with Holly Hunter and Danny DeVito in the romantic comedy "Living Out Loud" | |
2000 | Hosted the syndicated talk show "Queen Latifah" | |
2001 | Landed recurring role as a psychic on the ABC sitcom "Spin City" | |
2002 | Appeared in the CBS miniseries "Living With the Dead" about real-life psychic detective James Van Praagh | |
2002 | Cast in a supporting role in "Brown Sugar" opposite Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan | |
2002 | Earned critical raves for her portrayal of Matron Mama Morton in the musical feature adaptation of "Chicago"; earned Golden Globe and Oscar nominations | |
2003 | Co-starred with Steve Martin in the comedy "Bringing Down the House" | |
2003 | Partnered with Curvations, a lingerie line that applauded women with curves and confidence; also appeared as the face and body behind the new line of intimate apparel | |
2003 | Received Grammy nomination for Best Female Rap Solo Performance for the song "Go Head" | |
2004 | Made screenwritting debut with the comedy "The Cookout"; also produced | |
2004 | Received a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album for The Dana Owens Album | |
2004 | Starred as a beauty salon owner in "Barbershop 2: Back in Business" | |
2005 | Starred in "Beauty Shop," a spin-off of the successful "Barbershop" films | |
2006 | Co-starred as Emma Thompson's stern assisstant in the Marc Forster comedy "Stranger Than Fiction" | |
2006 | Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (January) | |
2007 | Cast as Motormouth Maybelle in the big screen version of the Tony-winning Broadway musical "Hairspray" | |
2007 | Portrayed (also produced) an HIV-positive woman in the HBO movie "Life Support"; earned an Emmy nomination for Best Actress | |
2008 | Co-starred with Dakota Fanning in the feature adaption of "The Secret Life of Bees" | |
2008 | Co-starred with Diane Keaton and Katie Holmes in "Mad Money" | |
2009 | Played the wife of a woolly mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano) in the animated film "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" | |
2010 | Co-starred with Common in the romantic comedy "Just Wright" | |
2010 | Joined an ensemble cast for the Garry Marshall directed ensemble feature "Valentine's Day" | |
2011 | Played a supporting role in "The Dilemma," directed by Ron Howard | |
2012 | Co-starred with Dolly Parton as choir singers in the musical comedy "Joyful Noise" | |
2012 | Reprised voice role of Ellie, a female woolly mammoth in "Ice Age: Continental Drift" | |
Awards
1997 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female in Set It Off |
2002 | Academy Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in Chicago |
2002 | BAFTA Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in Chicago |
2002 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in Chicago |
2003 | MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance in Chicago |
2003 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Chicago |
2003 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Chicago |
2004 | MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance in Bringing Down the House |
2004 | MTV Movie Award for Best Fight in Bringing Down the House |
2007 | Critics' Choice Award for Best Song in Hairspray |
2007 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in Life Support |
2007 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in Life Support |
2008 | Palm Springs International Film Festival for Ensemble Cast Award in Hairspray |
2008 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Hairspray |
2008 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries in Life Support |